Would be hard to recover: Ex-Maldivian MP warns about India's 'Boycott Maldives' campaign

Former sports minister of Maldives Ahmed Mahloof, on January 7, conceded that the 'Boycott Maldives' campaign that has swept India will hurt his country's economy and warned that it would be hard to recover from the damage.

In a post on X, he said that he is "deeply worried" about the escalating situation due to some cabinet ministers who made derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as Indians.

I’m deeply worried about the escalating situation regarding the sensitive comments about our closest neighbor.

Indians boycotting the Maldives would have a huge impact on our economy. It would be hard for us to recover from such a campaign.

I call on the government to swiftly…

— Ahmed Mahloof (@AhmedMahloof) January 7, 2024

The boycott movement started after PM Modi visited the Lakshadweep Islands earlier this week and panic struck the Maldivians about their tourism industry being impacted due to the PM's strong advocacy for Indian tourism. This panic was followed by derogatory and racist remarks by some Ministers from the Maldives cabinet.

Maryam Shiuna, the Minister who has now been suspended along with two others, called PM Modi a "clown" and a "puppet" after his visit in a now-deleted post on X. Apart from Shiuna, Malsha Shareef and Mahzoom Majid have also been suspended. Majid has even deactivated his account on X.

"I’m deeply worried about the escalating situation regarding the sensitive comments about our closest neighbor," Mahloof said in a post.

"Indians boycotting the Maldives would have a huge impact on our economy. It would be hard for us to recover from such a campaign. I call on the government to swiftly take serious action to solve the issue ASAP," he further said. 

Mahloof also said that India "will always remain our closest neighbour" and apologised for the racist comments on behalf of "a few Maldivians."

Notably, the Maldives government has also distance itself from the insults hurled by the suspended Ministers toward PM Modi. “The Government of Maldives is aware of derogatory remarks on social media platforms against foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. These opinions are personal and do not represent the views of the Government of Maldives,” an official statement by Maldives foreign ministry said. 

“Moreover, the relevant authorities of the Government will not hesitate to take action against those who make such derogatory remarks,” it further said. 

In addition to hurtful comments, another Maldivian politician Zahid Rameez who is a member of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) said that India's idea of competing with that of Maldives in terms of island tourism is "delusional."