Speaker Profile: Hon. Ibrahim Hussain Zaki

Mr. Ibrahim Hussein Zaki is currently the Special Envoy of the President of the Maldives and also the elected Vice President of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that came into power in November 2008 following the first ever multi party elections held in the country.

Mr. Zaki served in the Cabinet of the former government, and was Minister of Planning and National Development from 1998 until 2003. He had previously served as the Minister of Tourism (1993-98), as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (1991-1992) and as Foreign Secretary since 1979.

Mr. Zaki was very closely involved with the development of regional co-operation in South Asia since the inception of the idea in 1980. Given his distinguished career he was appointed as the Secretary General of SAARC from 1992-93. Mr. Zaki entered politics in 1994, and was twice elected to the Parliament from the constituency of Alif Dhaal Atoll. He was incarcerated in solitary confinement for almost 2 months in 2004 due to his political views.

Mr. Zaki maintains an active interest in the second track diplomacy in the regional cooperation and on peace research, and nurtures close links with the regional media. He has published his essays on regional co-operation and presented many papers to various conferences on themes related to economic development, environment, diplomacy and security

ABSTRACT

South Asia 2020: Towards Cooperation or Conflict? A Maldives Perspective

In a region infested with violence, internal strife and conflicts of various magnitudes, a region where achieving full regional cooperation has been a challenge, the smallest nation – inspired by a dynamic discourse on democracy, aspired to embark on a journey of human rights, rule of law, and fundamental freedoms for all it’s citizens. This was and still is no easy task – the Maldives had been behind the veil of an autocratic dictatorship for thirty years.

This paper explores the Maldives transition from dictatorship to democracy as an example of the possibility of attaining a peaceful transformation of a polity, from one end of the political spectrum to the other, against the backdrop of a society historically rooted in, and currently practices the ideals of Islam.

The paper concludes on a positive note, suggesting that a spirit of cooperation is necessary and achievable as we turn towards a 2020 South Asia. With the winds of democracy sweeping across the region, a careful consolidation of it would ensure cooperation rather than conflict. No doubt, Maldives is committed to this vision, and we are determined to take South Asia towards economic and political cooperation, and to champion the development of the lives and livelihoods of our people.