Maldives’ leader departs on official visit to Malaysia

Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has departed on a visit to Malaysia – marking his first official visit to the South Asian country since assuming office in 2023.

The Maldivian leader, accompanied by a high-level delegation of cabinet ministers and senior government officials, left for Kuala Lumpur on Sunday morning.

The visit comes at the invitation of Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

During the visit, President Muizzu is set to meet with PM Anwar for official talks, focusing on enhancing bilateral cooperation, exchanging views on regional and global issues, and exploring new avenues for partnership between the two countries.

According to the President’s Office, both leaders will also witness the signing of memoranda of understanding and exchange of notes between the Male’ and Kuala Lumpur in some key areas.

President Muizzu is also scheduled to attend a business forum organized by the Maldivian Economic Ministry and engage with leading Malaysian investors.

He will also visit the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) to lecture on “Intellectual Renaissance: Unveiling the Scientific and Modern Development of Islamic Civilization.”

He is also set to engage with the sizable Maldivian community residing in Malaysia.

The visit comes with President Muizzu under intense domestic pressure – pressure that appears to have spilled over into his Malaysia visit.

IIUM’s committees had been considering conferring an honorary doctorate to the Maldivian leader during his Malaysia visit. However, it is unclear if the university’s senate has made a final decision.

Last week, at least 10 Maldivian graduates of the IIUM sent letters urging the university against conferring an honorary doctorate to President Muizzu based on allegations of judicial interference. This includes former Supreme Court justice Husnu Al-Suood, who, along with Dr. Azmiralda Zahir and Mahaz Ali Zahir – were suspended by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) citing an ongoing criminal investigation against them by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Their suspension came less than one hour ahead of a hearing scheduled at the Supreme Court regarding a request for an injunction to suspend the enforcement of controversial anti-defection clauses that were written into the Constitution last year. It also came shortly after the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) used its supermajority in the Parliament to push through amendments to the Judicature Act to downsize the Supreme Court bench from seven to five justices.

Both Suood and Mahaz are graduates of IIUM.

Meanwhile, several Maldivian students who reside in Malaysia have also reportedly said they intend to boycott President Muizzu in protest of the alleged coverup of the case of a young woman who fell from a building in Male’ on April 18, after it became known that many of the persons of interest in the case share close family links to top state officials.

The case of the young woman, who spent nearly three hours on the rooftop of a warehouse before a neighbor saw her and she was rescued, has sparked serial protests in Male’. The protestors, a vast majority of them young men and women, have been demanding justice for her, and the resignation of top government and police officials over the alleged coverup, including Transport Minister Ameen, Home Minister Ali Ihusan, and then-Commissioner of Police Ibrahim Shujau.

The latter tendered his resignation on Saturday night following four straight nights of protest, and was replaced with Ismail Naveen as acting CP.

Also on Saturday, the young woman, who sustained serious injuries in the fall, was flown to a hospital in Malaysia, and President Muizzu set up a three-member presidential commission to conduct an inquiry into the case.

According to the President’s Office, President Muizzu's visit to Malaysia aims to further strengthen the longstanding and close, cordial ties between the Maldives and Malaysia across areas of mutual interest, and also focuses on improving cooperation to make services more easily accessible for Maldivians residing in Malaysia and to address their needs and concerns.