President: A patriotic mindset is the biggest weapon against threats to Maldives’ independence

A patriotic mindset is the biggest weapon against threats to Maldives’ independence, said President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu on Monday, adding that protecting the country against threats – especially the new ones emerging in the modern world - doesn’t always mean or even require taking up conventional arms.

He made the remarks during the function held in the morning to commemorate Victory Day.

Addressing the function, President Muizzu said that sacrificing for the country doesn’t just mean donning the uniform of a soldier.

He said that in the globalized world, threats to a country’s freedom doesn’t just come in the form of attacks from guns and swords.

He said that there’s heightened risk that these emerging threats – including economic threats - may catch the country unaware and cost it its freedom.

“It could be quite easy to steal the independence we now enjoy, in every sense of the word, by destroying our economy or throwing it into a deep ditch if we aren’t vigilant,” he said.

President Muizzu said that not everyone can be trained in warfare and given arms, but that each and every individual already has already been blessed with a far more powerful weapon – their mind.

He said that a patriotic mindset – one that puts the interests of the country before personal needs – is the best defense against threats to independence.

“We do not need to worry about this country for as long everyone resolves to use our minds for the sake of this country, spend day and night thinking about this country, love this country from the bottom of our hearts, and make all our decisions in favor of this country,” he said.

President Muizzu said that a country is made up of its people and the mindset of its people.

He said that any development in a country that lacks patriotism is meaningless.

The Victory Day commemorates the Maldives’ success in foiling the armed attack of 1988 - the deadliest terror attack in Maldives’ history.

The foiled attack of November 3, 1988, was orchestrated by a group of Maldivians with the aid of armed mercenaries from Tamil secessionist organization People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), in an attempt to overthrow then-President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s administration.

The attack killed 19 Maldivian citizens - eight soldiers and 11 civilians - and left scores more injured.

During Monday’s function, President Muizzu presented commemorative shields to Maumoon and the families of the 19 martyrs.

In his address, President Muizzu said that the Maldives will remember and honor the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for as long as the country exists.

They are the pride of this nation, he said.