Maldivian Democracy An Interview with His Excellency Mohamed Nasheed, President of Maldives EDITORS’ NOTE Mohamed Nasheed specifi c industries offer the great- scientifi c predictions for sea level rise and coral became the fi rst democratically elected est opportunities? reefs and we should start to save money today in President in the history of the Maldives tourism is historically the major in- case we are forced to leave the maldives at some on October 28, 2008. Nasheed grad- dustry that has attracted foreign invest- point in the future. For my children and grand- uated from the University of Liverpool ments. but since the new administration children’s generation, this is a serious, existential in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in took over in late 2008, we have opened problem. as i always say to foreign leaders, what Maritime Studies. In 1990, he helped up the economy and now there are in- happens to us today will happen to you tomor- establish political magazine sangu vestment opportunities in housing, fi sh- row. so, in a sense, we are all maldivians now. that scrutinized the ruling political eries, transport, aquaculture, education, You have proposed that the Maldives class. The government banned the and renewable energy. we are currently will become the fi rst carbon neutral country magazine and Nasheed was arrested in the process of attracting foreign in- in the planet. How is this effort progressing? and jailed for the fi rst of many times. vestors into our international airports we have set a target of 10 years to achieve In 1999, he was elected MP for Malé H.E. Mohamed Nasheed and this will be very successful. waste carbon neutrality, which means the maldives but was stripped of his seat soon af- to energy is also a big opportunity. we reaches a point where it is no longer a net con- terwards and jailed once again. When Malé was are working with the iFc – the investment arm of tributor to greenhouse gas emissions. we will rocked by political unrest in September 2003, the world bank – to seek investments in waste-to- still produce pollution but we’ll offset any pol- Nasheed fl ed the Maldives and, in November of energy plants that can help power the capital city, lution we continue to produce. 2004, cofounded the country’s fi rst opposition party, malé, with waste and biomass. at the heart of the policy is a radical switch the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), in exile How has the global economic crisis af- from oil to 100 percent renewable energy. this in Sri Lanka. Nasheed returned to the Maldives in fected the Maldives, specifi cally in regard switch is in part due to environmental consid- April of 2005 to establish the MDP in the Maldives, to tourism? erations – by moving away from fossil fuels, we defying a government edict banning political par- tourism did take a hit in 2008 and in the hope to demonstrate to bigger countries that ties. The government overturned its ban on political fi rst half of 2009 and arrivals dipped signifi - you can continue to grow but also cut out car- parties in June of 2005 and Nasheed was elected cantly, particularly from western europe. by the bon from your energy supplies. Chairperson of the MDP in December of 2005. end of 2009, though, tourist arrivals recovered. security and economic considerations are He won the MDP primaries to become the MDP’s holidaymakers from traditional markets such as also behind our low carbon plans. Like many Presidential Candidate in April of 2008. President u.K., France, and italy have started to return to countries, the maldives is addicted to foreign oil Nasheed won the 2009 Anna Lindh Prize, in recog- the maldives and new markets, especially the and yet we have absolutely no control over the nition of his work promoting human rights, democ- chinese market, have grown rapidly. price, which leaves us extremely vulnerable to racy, and environmental protection. How immediate is the problem of cli- oil price shocks. moreover, oil is very expensive, mate change and rising seas in the Maldives particularly in outer lying islands. renewable What challenges have you faced in ushering and how are you addressing these concerns? energy is cost effective today and utilizes en- democracy into the Maldives and how is the the maldives are feeling the effects of cli- ergy resources the maldives has in abundance, democratic process progressing? mate change today. this month, hotter water namely, the sun, the sea, and the wind. maldivian society has been in a period of temperatures caused by el niño and probably ex- we’ve already signed some agreements relative fl ux over the past couple of years, since acerbated by climate change have damaged up to with international companies who want to democracy and new freedoms were ushered in. 20 percent of corals that live in shallow waters. we build wind farms and solar power stations in the when you are learning to walk, you tend to stum- rely on our coral reefs to protect our fi sh stocks. maldives and we are being advised by energy ble and fall a few times until you get the hang of coral reefs also attract tourists who enjoy diving experts from the university of oxford. so i am things; the same is true of maldivian democracy. and snorkeling, so this is a serious issue for us. confi dent we can reach our 2020 target, which under the previous regime, the media was tightly moreover, erosion and saltwater intrusion are will improve the environment, reduce energy gagged. since 2008, restrictions have been removed threatening local communities. we have over a costs, and signifi cantly enhance energy security. and the media is very free, even by western stan- dozen islands where communities are already be- What is the most critical message that dards. the media has moved quickly to take ad- ing moved because we can’t keep the sea out of you would like to express to world leaders vantage of new freedoms but some media outlets the islands. Local residents are furious about this about the Maldives? have gone a bit far by inciting violence, calling on situation. islands have always emerged and sub- the maldives represents the dangers of cli- people to topple the government, or calling each merged in the maldives – that is a natural part of mate change but also the opportunities of moving other names on tv. some people pressure me to living for us – but things seem to be getting worse. toward a new, green economy. climate change act against a media they feel is misusing its freedom our country is an average of just 1.5 metres threatens to wipe countries – possibly even hu- but i am loath to do this. over time, journalists will above the sea and if sea levels rise signifi cantly manity itself – off the map. but if we tackle this settle down and behave in a way that is more fi tting over the next century, we will be in trouble, as problem now, we can unleash a new era of growth to the new freedoms that they have. will many low-lying areas of the world. For us, and prosperity as we move towards a zero-carbon What opportunities are there for for- the bottom line is dry land. nobody wants to leave economy, which will also save the world for our eign investment in the Maldives and what the maldives but we should also be mindful of children and grandchildren.• voLume 33, number 4 posted with permission. copyright © 2010 magazine, inc. Leaders 111.