Why the Commonwealth and Maldives will miss each other

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the decision as “difficult but inevitable”, explaining that it was felt that the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG) had not recognised progress and had treated the Maldives unjustly and unfairly.

The UK is not a member of the CMAG at the moment, though from South Asia both India and Pakistan are. When the CMAG met in September, its nine members expressed their regret that a substantive political dialogue had not yet begun, and their deep disappointment at the lack of progress in priority areas identified earlier in the year. These priorities included stronger political pluralism, the release of political leaders under detention, recommendations on the separation of powers and the independence of the judiciary, and measures to promote freedom and space for civil society. These relationships, rights and freedoms are, of course, all ones that are enshrined in the Maldives’ own Constitution.

The CMAG’s statement was intended to be taken, I think, in the spirit of well-intended advice offered by good friends. By good friends I mean friends who, meaning well, care about us enough to feel it matters to tell us when they think we are getting things wrong as well as when we are getting them right.