Maldives islands divided: the Suvadive

Republic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The United Republic (Dhivehi: suvadive ) or Suvadive Islands was a
short-lived breakaway nation in the remote southern atolls of the aldive !slands "ddu
"toll,
#ri$inally, "ddu the suvadive city http:%%en&wikipedia&or$%wiki%"ddu'"toll was an ancient
name for the three southernmost atolls of the archipela$o, derived from a name for &
()*
The
early seventeenth-century French
(+*
and it was marked as ,-uvadina, on maps of the Dutch
.mpire&
(citation needed*
The -uvadive secession occurred within the conte/t of the stru$$le of the aldives0
emer$ence as a modern nation still shackled by feudal and autocratic structures& The
alle$ed causes were the centralistic policies of the aldivian $overnment and the recent
independence of its nei$hbors !ndia and 1eylon&
The -uvadives declared independence on 2anuary 3, )454& They capitulated, re6oinin$ the
rest of the nation, on -eptember +3, )473&
Contents
) 8istorical back$round
o )&) 9ack of $overnment-promoted communication
o )&+ !mposition of trade restrictions
o )&3 !nsurrection
+ -ecession of the -uvadives
3 :arliament of the ;nited -uvadives <epublic
= "bandoned by >ritain
o =&) 1apitulation
5 .conomy
7 Footnotes
? ./ternal links
Historical background
Lack of government-promoted communication
-ince ancient times there was a lack of The suvadive islands was made in addu and the
>ritains were rulin$ addu after a lon$ time fuvamula was considered but later fuvamula and
huvadhu atoll was re6ected from the list and it was addu after lon$ time they have to leave
by the $overnment policy0s aldivian $overnment never wanted to rule in addu &but it was a
$ood days for addu citi@ens& communication between the administrative capital alA and
the most distant atolls (Borth and -outh) of the aldive chain& The $overnment of the
aldive !slands never had a scheduled shippin$ line that could have provided re$ular
communication with the distant -outhern "tolls& For$otten by the capital, there was not
even a re$ular mail service to this remote end of the country&
The result was a chronic lack of elementary needs in the distant atolls, such as certain
essential food and clothin$ supplies, and even, when there were epidemics, a lack of
medical assistance and medicines ur$ently reCuired&
(3*
!n the face of the capital0s inability to
provide these basic services, the people in the addu atoll were left to fend for themselves&
Traditionally, the void left by this lack of necessary trade and communication was filled by
affluent merchant families from the three -outhern atolls& ;sin$ special lar$e sailships
(odi or vedi), they conducted direct e/ternal trade with nei$hborin$ countries& Thus they
used to make a yearly trip to a harbour in 1eylon or -outh !ndia without $oin$ throu$h the
-ultan0s capital city&
!t was certainly easier for the heavy tradin$ ships of the -outhern aldives to sail strai$ht
across the open ocean to !ndia or 1eylon, where the :a/ >ritannica provided a safe$uard
and a common sense of belon$in$, than to make a difficult passa$e northwards throu$h the
treacherous reefs of the lon$ atoll chain to sail to the capital& alA was, after all, a small
tradin$ post compared to harbors like 1olombo, 1ochin or Tuticorin& 8owever, in practice
this meant that the -ultan0s central $overnment had little control over the import trade
conducted within the country& There was no conflict as lon$ as all the countries involved
were under the protection of the >ritish .mpire, and so this status Cuo was maintained until
after World War !!&For the time they left but why should they left such a bi$ asset in addu
Duestion is are they comin$ backE
Imposition of trade restrictions
When the >ritish be$an to withdraw from the !ndian subcontinent the situation chan$ed
drastically& !n )4=?, the year of the :artition and independence of !ndia and :akistan, the
aldive $overnment, in full control of the islands0 internal affairs but operatin$ under a
>ritish protectorate, took the first steps towards controllin$ some e/ternal affairs also,
backed by dis$runtled alA merchants who wished for a privile$ed share of the trade with
the -outherners& Thus the aldive Fovernment, with the co-operation of the >ritish
authorities, imposed the reCuirement to carry passports and visas to travel to -ri 9anka and
!ndia on the captains and crews of the -outhern tradin$ ships& The new travel documents
for the -outhern aldivian traders and sailors were to be issued in alA& 8owever, the
$overnment and the traders of the capital aimed to attain control and revenue from this
lucrative trade without consultin$ with representatives of the concerned -outhern traders&
This unilateral action proved detrimental to the harmony of e/istin$ traditions concernin$
autonomous trade, and it was perceived as in the -outh as hi$h handed and
contemptuous&
Insurrection
>ritish troops had been stationed in the islands of Fan and 8ithadhoo in the "ddu
atoll since the time of the -econd World War& 8owever, the aldive central $overnment
denied the nei$hborin$ islanders any chance of barterin$ with them& Furthermore, after the
introduction of the harsh new measures to control the import and e/port trade, the central
$overnment went on to stipulate other measures of control, such as a poll ta/ and a land
ta/&
!n addition, the $overnment of the aldive !slands posted its own militiamen in the atoll to
ensure that no trade was carried on without the $overnment0s knowled$e& The arrest and
physical assault of a son of a wealthy family (possibly for a breach of one of the new
restrictions) by one of these militiamen led to the first revolt, in which a mob rose a$ainst
the authorities& -urprisin$ly, the man was $iven sanctuary by the >ritish until the situation
calmed down, and when the $overnment prosecuted the alle$ed conspirators, based on the
militiaman0s account of events, the men were convicted and reportedly sub6ected to
humiliatin$ forms of punishment such as public flo$$in$&
The aldivian Fovernment was delayin$ the ratification of a )GG-year lease of the islands
of Fan and aamendoo, which $reatly distressed the >ritish& -ome time later, under a new
a$reement with the aldives $overnment, the "ddu people were allowed to seek
employment in the >ritish bases, enablin$ them to obtain rewardin$ incomes and lavish
$oods while relishin$ the idea of less dependence&
!n )45?, the sultan appointed !brahim Basir as the prime minister of the sultanateH Basir
ordered the >ritish to cease all construction undertakin$s in "ddu&
Secession of the Suvadives
" picture of #ri$inal Fla$
"mon$ those who were involved in the uprisin$ a$ainst the militiamen of the central
$overnment was a youn$, educated and well-respected individual known as "bdullah "feef,
who served as a translator to the >ritish durin$ their post& 8is local name was .lha Didi$e
"li Didi$e "fifu& The new prime minister appointed him as the liaison officer between the
>ritish and the locals& -hortly afterward, in December )45I, the $overnment announced
plans for a new ta/ on boats& This caused riots throu$hout the atoll, leadin$ to several
attacks on $overnment buildin$s& #nce a$ain, the officials of the Fovernment of the
aldive !slands were forced to retreat to the safety of the >ritish barracks& The fact is that
they owed their lives to "feef, who warned them of the impendin$ unrest&
(=*
Four days later, on 2anuary 3, )454 a dele$ation of the "ddu people arrived on Fan and
declared their independence to the >ritish& The dele$ation also insisted that "feef be their
leader& "feef was chosen to lead the nascent -uvadive $overnment because of >ritish
insistence that a trustworthy leader whom they were familiar with be chosen, as a
precondition for them bein$ able to back the secession "feef Didi was forced to take the
role of the e/ecutive head of the state& !t is said that "feef initially refused, and that he
accepted the role of becomin$ the e/ecutive head of the new state only under heavy
pressure&
The newly formed republic was born in southernmost "ddu "toll with hi$h e/pectations&
-oon, hopin$ to share in their nei$hbor0s newly found independence, the atolls of to form
the ;nited -uvadive <epublic& 8owever, the aldive $overnment reacted by sendin$ a fully
armed $unboat to, commanded by prime minister !brahim Basir himself, and threatened the
secessionist leaders and the notables of various islands in that lar$e atoll& Finally, the initial
separatist movement in that atoll was suppressed by 2une )454&
8owever, the other two small atolls were spared the aldive $overnment0s reaction& "ddu
"toll was protected by >ritish intervention, with the deployment a re$iment from:eninsular
alaysia& 9ackin$ a harbor,
Parliament of the United Suvadives Republic
The followin$ is a list of the "ddu "toll members of the :arliament of the ;nited -uvadive
!slands <epublic& Due to military action by the alJ $overnment, elections could not be
held in the other two constituent "tolls of the <epublic-& Democratic elections were held in
"ddu "toll and the votes each member polled are $iven beside his name&
8ithadhoo - )? members
Votes
851 Moosa Ali Didi
843 Ahmed Salih Ali Didi
840 Moosa Ahmed Didi
761 Ibrahim Abdul Hameed Didi
750 Hussain
734 Kalhaae Ali Mani!aa
5"6 Moosa Mustha#aa
58" Mohamed Saeed
58" Abdulla Habeeb
57" Mohamed Ibrahim Didi
5$4 Hussein Ahmed
5$3 Ali Muruthalaa
506 Abdul Ma%eed Saleem
487 Abdulla Moosa Didi
483 Abdulla A&ee&
457 Abdulla Ali
4$$ Abbe''aae Ibrahim Didi
eedhoo - ? members
Votes
187 Mohamed (aseem
186 Abdullah (a#i&
185 Ibrahim )ahm' Didi
18$ Abdulla *air
157 Mohamed +aheed
144 Mudhin Didie Mohamed Didi
"0 Kadhaa Didie Abdulla Didi
8ulhudhoo - I members
Votes
1"$ Mudhin ,ha!haanu
174 Mohamed ,haa#ee-
173 Mohamed Ibrahim
17$ ,ha!haanue Ali ,ha!haan
171 .e!ididie +aheed
170 ,ha!haanue Mohamed ,ha!haan
170 /aumaathae Mohamed ,ha!uru#an
151 Ali Mani!#an Kudhu#o!olhue
Fan Feydhoo - )G members
Votes
36$ Dhonrahaa Khatheeb
350 Abdullah Mani!#an Khatheeb
350 Dhonthuththu Khatheeb
344 Hussein Mani!#an Khatheeb
343 0edualue Ibrahim Mani!#an
336 0edualue Ahmed Mani!#an
$"8 *e'rue Ahmed Mani!#an
$"5 0edualue Ali Mani!#an
1"8 1a!ari'a Mohamed
187 Hussein Mani!#an Moosa .ahaae
aradhoo Feydhoo - 3 members
Votes
135 Ahmed 1ahir Khatheeb
85 Ahmed Moosa
70 Ahmed +a#ir Khatheeb
aradhoo - 7 members
Votes
$18 Moosa Khatheeb
$05 Mohamed +aheed Khatheeb
18" Hassan Saeed
16" Abdullah Saeed
140 Va!arue' Dhonrahaa
1$1 Moosa +a%dee
"ppointed by the :resident of the <epublic
Mohamed Ibrahim Didi
Abandoned by Britain
" year later, in )47G, due to the aldive prime minister0s tireless international campai$ns, a
new accord between the >ritish and aldivian $overnments was approved and the former
soon announced the termination of their so-called support to the -uvadive separatists& The
>ritish, who despite contrary claims made by the Fovernment in ale, had been
consistently lukewarm at best in their support of the -uvadives (and who had never
formally reco$ni@ed the country), now fully abandoned the fled$lin$ atoll country to its fate&
>y special instructions from the >ritish Fovernment, the -uvadive tradin$ ships in !ndian
and 1eylonese harbors were sei@ed and not allowed to leave port&
(5*
8owever, the withdrawal of >ritish support did not deter the -uvadive republic& !n )47),
"toll seceded a$ain and re6oined the -uvadives in a move locally known as the ,-econd
<evolt,& This reversion was met with yet a$ain another personal appeal by the aldive
prime minister who, failin$ to convince the islanders this time, reacted ruthlessly and
ferociously&
This led to an attack on the capital island of & "nother $unboat, the Elizabeth Boyer leased
from the 1eylon Bavy by prime minister !brahim Basir, anchored off on February =, )47+&
Without any attempt at talks, the disembarkin$ soldiers en$a$ed in the systematic and
complete destruction of all the houses in and the dispersion of all its inhabitants&
(citation
needed*
ost of the rebel leaders were then imprisoned and badly mistreated& -ome of them,
notables from 8uvadhu, died later owin$ to the in6uries they sustained&
(citation needed*
Without the support of the >ritish, the -uvadive republic was on the brink of collapse&
Capitulation
:resident "feef Didi with -uvadive fla$
The ;nited -uvadive <epublic was dismantled by the >ritish authorities without ceremony&
#n -eptember ++, )473, a >ritish political a$ent dictated an ultimatum to the citi@ens
of aradhoo demandin$ the immediate removal of the -uvadive fla$ (The fla$ was
hori@ontally red, $reen and blue, with a crescent and star in the center and a star in the
upper hoist and lower fly, thus formin$ a descendin$ line - all in white&) and the hoistin$ of
that of the aldives& This was done the ne/t day, -eptember +3, )473&
"bdullah "feef was forced to resi$n as president of the -uvadive $overnment and was sent
into e/ile to the -eychelles with his immediate family aboard the >ritish warship 8- Loch
Lomond&
The >ritish then announced that they would only employ citi@ens of the soverei$n sultanate
of the aldive !slands as workers at the airbase
The controversy around the -uvadive endures and remains a sensitive issue amon$
aldivians& !ll feelin$s towards the >ritish persisted for some, as, on the one hand, the
>ritish administration $ave hopes to the trustin$ -uvadive islanders, le$itimally afflicted by
centralism and ne$lect& #n the other hand, the same >ritish administration made a
separate a$reement with the $overnment of the aldive !slands&
conomy(
Durin$ the -econd World War, the >ritish base in "ddu "toll had acted as a temporary
tradin$ point for the aldives, enablin$ the aldivian $overnment to obtain fuel and other
necessities&
"fter the short-lived independence from the central $overnment, the >ritish presence in
"ddu $ave a measure of prosperity to the -uvadivians& They were provided with
employment, health facilities and supplies which helped to alleviate the trade boycott
imposed by the $overnments of the aldive !slands, 1eylon and !ndia&
Durin$ the years of the secession, the -uvadive tradin$ boats which had reached the
customary harbours in !ndia and 1eylon in their yearly trip, were impounded by the local
harbour authorities and their captains and crew were detained& uch needed supplies
failed to reach the -uvadive atolls in those years and local islanders remember them as a
time of penury, when boats were e/pected and hori@ons were scanned in vain&
!ootnotes
)& Jump up ^ www&maldivesculture&com
+& Jump up ^ The voya$e of Francois :yrard of 9aval to the .ast !ndies, the
aldives, the oluccas and >ra@il, v&)
3& Jump up ^ ()*
=& Jump up ^ www&maldivesroyalfamily&com ;prisin$ in )45I&
5& Jump up ^ Kavier <omero-Frias, The Maldive Islanders&