Waheed: Unfair to fault current administration’s foreign policy

Former president Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, who currently serves as a Special Envoy to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, has praised the current administration’s foreign policy, arguing it is “unfair” to deem it faulty.

Waheed was appointed Special Envoy to the President on May 26^th to strengthen Maldives’ diplomatic relations.

Speaking during SSTV’s ‘Baaru Hathareh’ program, Waheed explained that a country’s foreign policy is not completely overhauled every time there is a change in government, but rather, is built upon the policies set forth by previous administrations.

Waheed expressed his belief that it was “unfair” to fault the foreign policy in conjunction with decisions taken by the government.

“Foreign policy is not completely overhauled every single time there is a change in the government. Foreign policy is built upon policies set forth by previous administrations. Hence, I do not believe it is fair to blame foreign policy,” he said.

When asked whether foreign policy deployed by administrations played a role in the rising debt of the country, Waheed refuted that there is any correlation between debt and foreign policy.

International financial institutions have consistently urged the government to take prompt action in response to the country’s heavy debt burden.

According to Waheed, Maldives’ economy is functioning smoothly due to the foreign policy implemented by the current administration.

“[Maldivian economy] is functioning this smoothly at present, without major interference for anyone, because the current administration is following an exemplary foreign policy. We have only been able to manage this because of the comprehensive policies followed by the President, Finance Minister and Economic Minister to address the issue of debt,” he said.

The current administration’s foreign policy has been under intense scrutiny since its early days.

While the current administration claimed it would not be “against” any country, shortly after assuming office, three Maldivian deputy ministers made disparaging remarks regarding India and Indian Prime Minister Modi, leading to strained ties with one of Maldives’ longest and biggest allies.

Notably, a campaign as launched in India calling to boycott Maldivian tourism which saw arrivals from India, a country that topped the tourist market to the Maldives in recent years, dwindle significantly.

Despite the turmoil, officials from both Male’ and Delhi repeatedly expressed keenness to maintain relations and have the strain with several high-level visits.

Another reason why current administration’s foreign policy has been criticized is over the fact that the government had received just 3.6 percent of the total sum budgeted in grant assistance for this year by the end of the first five months of 2025.