Defence minister under fire for 'joking' about Maldivian's arrest in India

Defence minister Mariya Ahmed Didi on Saturday came under fire after she made derogatory remarks against PPM’s Hulhumale constituency president Abdul Samad who was recently deported from India.

Speaking at a ceremony held on Friday evening to formally hand over the ruling MDP's presidential ticket to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Mariya referred to what happened to Samad.

Samad, who has been spearheading the opposition's 'India Out' activities, was detained inside a hospital in the country by Indian immigration officials. He was sent back two days later.

Speaking to reporters after returning to Maldives, Samad with emotion said he was a son of this sovereign nation he loved, who had served in the armed forces for a long time.

"Popular in the media lately, a man who had been out on the streets every night calling against the Indian military, seen on the front lines, the man shaved off his beard, and with preparation had gone to the country with his family," Mariya said at the event, referring to Samad.

Mariya then mocked Samad for having returned home and publicly crying at the airport. Mariya described it as cowardly.

"He said he spent his entire life with the army and the police. You can see him holding the flags [in opposition activities] and standing tall and proud. He went and spent his time in a cold immigration room, not even the military. But came back crying. Heh, this is the level of the people coming out against us," Mariya said in a mocking tone.

"Today, our armed forces and the police will have that courage. They will not return from a cold immigration room crying. We're not preparing our forces in a way they wont know what they are doing."

The defence minister said president Solih's defence strategy was to work with all countries with prudence and restraint.

"To shape the entire country in such a way that we wont have to see such cowardice," Mariya said at the meeting, which was also attended by President Solih.

Mariya's comments on a Maldivian citizen's ordeal during her tenure as defence minister have drawn criticism from the public. However, Mariya found no wrong in what she had said.

"These are countries where we have to go for our essential sustenance. While we’ve been constantly urging them to not speak out whatever they liked, and doing everything despite that, the going to that country, and coming back crying when they deported him; we have to talk about it so that it does not happen to any other citizen, atleast," she said in a series of tweets on Saturday, defending her remarks the previous night.

Mariya's tweet was also criticised by some. Mariya's comments were condemned by some who did not support the 'India Out' movement even. Some people expressed disappointment that the defence minister of the country had scorned such an incident.

"I don't support calling 'India Out'. However, every Maldivian should have the right to express their feelings regarding the way he or she sees the country's sovereignty. We can't accept humiliation from the Indian government by targeting them on the basis of their opinions expressed in the Maldives," said Ismail Zariyand, who previously held key positions in the Finance Ministry.

MNP Vice-President Ahmed Usham, MP from Villimale constituency, said that it is incumbent upon the government to help Maldivians, irrespective of the party they belong to.  

"On the contrary, ridicule and abuse shows the quality of some ministers in this government. It won't be good to have such people as ministers," Usham said.

Another noteworthy person who didn't like Mariya's statement was former Attorney General Diyana Saeed. Referring to someone like Samad who had served a long time in security services that way, Diyana, who has supported party president Mohamed Nasheed, one of the two factions that have emerged within the party, also said it was unacceptable. What happened to Samad, Diyana described it as "torture and brutal, inhuman".

"I am also not in favour of the 'India Out' campaign, but we must respect and feel compassion towards one of our own when they suffer this way. It is the constitutional duty of the ministers to uphold his human dignity irrespective of his political ideologies," said Diyana, who was also the Secretary General of SAARC, which includes the Maldives and India.