Suood urges Malaysian university not to award honorary doctorate to Maldives president

Former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Suood has written to the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) requesting the institution reconsider its decision to confer an honorary doctorate on President Mohamed Muizzu during his official visit to Malaysia next month.

President Muizzu is scheduled to arrive in Malaysia on Sunday at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. During the visit, he is expected to deliver a speech at IIUM, where the university has also announced its intention to present him with an honorary doctorate.

In a letter sent to IIUM, Suood, writing on behalf of a group of senior alumni, urged the university not to proceed with the conferral. The letter cites concerns over recent developments in the Maldives' judiciary, particularly the Judicial Service Commission’s (JSC) suspension of three sitting Supreme Court justices who were hearing a constitutional amendment case.

Suood, who was one of the suspended justices, stated in the letter that this action constituted interference with the judiciary. He referred to it as a breach of constitutional provisions and claimed it undermined the separation of powers. The letter also noted that the United Nations had expressed concern about the situation, raising questions regarding judicial independence in the Maldives.

According to Suood, awarding an honorary doctorate to a head of state amid such developments would be inconsistent with the values the university promotes. He wrote that it could impact IIUM’s reputation and send the wrong message about its position on issues relating to governance, justice, and institutional integrity.

The letter concluded with a call from the alumni group for the university to reconsider the decision in the interest of supporting judicial independence and constitutional governance in the Maldives.