Defense Minister Mariya praises MNDF as a capable force

Defense Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi has stated that the Maldives National Defense Force is a capable collective force.

The Minister was speaking on a TV program in celebration of the 31st Victory Day of the Maldives when she stated that the army was, in fact, capable and prepared to deal with any situation. She also stated that drills for any such situations have been carried out beforehand.

“If another such terrorist attack occurs, god willing that it will not, the terrorists will know that the country is prepared and alert. If it (terrorist attack) comes, then the army is well prepared.” said the Minister.

Minister Mariya also stated that the radar systems installed in seven different regions of the country by India, which has drawn stern criticism from the public were important to be safe from such attacks.

She further stated that even the lowest ranking officers in the MNDF had a say in how things were run and things could not be implemented if the cooperation of everyone was not received.

Mariya then praised the MNDF for the tireless work it carries out day and night in situations of crisis. She gave the example of the work by MNDF during the flooding faced during the recent Eid holidays.

“Saving lives, rescuing people lost, Search and Rescue, these are all work done by soldiers. You can see the condition the country was in during the last Eid holidays. A boat may capsize in one location, the roof of a house may be thrown in another, another location might have gotten flooded. Most of us were enjoying our holidays during the Eid holidays, but the soldiers were working day and night.” said the Minister who commended the work of MNDF.

A flag mounting and guarding ceremony was also held at the Victory Memorial today in remembrance of the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the nation in the foiled coup plot of November 3, 1988. The coup attempt of 1988 was to overthrow then-President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s administration and marked one of the bloodiest days in Maldivian history.

The coup was staged by Abdulla Luthfee and Sagar Ahmed Nasir – who hired armed mercenaries from the Tamil secessionist organization, People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE).