Maumoon Abdul Gayoom rules his atoll nation with a firm hand, but has been credited with bringing unprecedented prosperity to his 250,000 subjects. Today, the Maldives has the best standard of living among South Asian countries: the highest life expectancy, near-100 percent literacy and the lowest infant mortality rate. Mr Gayoom has also tried to give the Maldives a higher international profile, and he will once again be chairing SAARC after its Summit in Male in May. Gayoom spoke to Himal South Asia recently about various issues relating to his country, including governance.
On what President Gayoom set out to do when he first assumed office in 1978 and whether he is satisfied with what has been achieved.
When I first took office as President in 1978, my main objective was to lay a strong foundation for the economic, social and political development of the country. I wanted to provide better health care, promote education, stimulate economic development and try to bridge the gap between Male and the atolls. In general, I wished to see the people enjoy a higher standard of living and a greater participation in the political process.
Our achievements on the whole have been extremely satisfactory. I am particularly pleased that we have been able to maintain an economic growth of around 8-10 percent for the past fifteen years. Our GDP has increased six-fold from around USD 30.5 million in 1978 to USD 191.5 million at present. The GDP per capita has, in the same period, grown from USD 160 to USD 768. In the area of social development too, we have made a lot of progress. Life expectancy at birth has been raised from 46 to 70 years, while infant mortality has been reduced from 127 to 32 per thousand. We covered universal child immunisation by 1990. We have attained a functional literacy rate of 98 percent.
The political system has been liberalised. Authority has been decentralised, and ministers have been given more powers. Freedom of expression and freedom of the press have been ensured within the limits of the law. To allow for more political reforms, the Constitution is currently being revised.