Nasheed- Prejudiced Blind?

Has anyone watched ‘Walk the Talk with President Nasheed’ on NDTV? Well, for those who did not watch, let me give you an update. I would rather say, he walked the plank in that programme, showing us how prejudiced he can be when it came to foreign affairs. 

Chatting with host, Shekhar Gupta, President Nasheed praised the uprisings in the Middle East against their governments. However, he said that many of the previous leaders of Maldives studied at Egypt including former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom. He added that within the past century, efforts have been made to establish an Egypt-like government in Maldives. By this statement he implies that anyone who studied in Egypt is ill fit to rule a country, as his ideologies will reflect theirs. 

Well. I have a question for you Mr President. How then is it that the British, whom your excellency have such a high regard for, still insist on being a monarchy?

The last thing that we, Maldivian youth need to hear from a President we put our faith in is that, he might be prejudiced considering educational background. As it is, we Maldivians are fed up of being ranked based on which continent we studied in, rather than our grades or qualifications. We were hoping that the ‘reform' that President Nasheed promised would include, ‘reforming' this backward attitude of Maldivians. 

We are disappointed to find out that the President himself is implying that an Egyptian education could in turn result in someone turning out to be like Hosni Mubaarak. If that's the case, what then I wonder is the fate of the many Maldivian medical students studying in Russia. Will they all come back and form the Maldivian Mafia or worse, the Maldivian alternative to the KGB? Are we to assume that all who studied at France would become modern day Marie Antoinettes? Well, then I am fortunate to have been educated in Maldives and India, as we have got enough heroes to choose from…So I’m most likely to be a Mohamed Thakurufaanu, a Mahatmaa Gandhi, a Mohamed Nasheed (God forbid) or APJ Abdul Kalaam (I wish).

For a president who came into power promising equality and all that jazz, such blunders at international media, implying that a certain background might influence one’s conscience, is highly inappropriate. You may have been a journalist vying freedom most of your life, but know you are a President. Act like it… and think before you speak.