Abdullah Afeef
Encyclopedia
Abdullah Afeef was the President
of the United Suvadive Republic
from 1959 to 1963. Born in Hithadhoo
, Addu Atoll
, Afeef was an educated and well-respected individual from a family of notables.
Owing to his knowledge of the English language, he served as a translator to the British military at Gan airbase in the same atoll. His local name was Elha Didige Ali Didige Afifu.
Abdullah Afeef was the breakaway nations' first and only president.
The Suvadive government was unceremoniously dismantled by the British and the Maldive Islands
' government representatives without ceremony in 1963. Following this, Abdullah Afeef was exiled to the Seychelles
where he died about 40 years later.
Southern islanders still remember him fondly as "our Afeefu".
) sought to implement certain centralizing measures. As a result there was discontent in the Southern Atolls.
In Addu Atoll there were riots against the central Maldive government in the year 1958.
Among those who were involved in the uprising against the militiamen of the central government posted in Addu was Abdullah Afeefu.
In Addu Atoll there was a British air base in the island of Gan. The new prime minister of the Maldive Islands had appointed Abdullah Afeef as the liaison officer between the British and the locals.
Shortly afterwards, in December 1958, the government announced plans for a new tax on boats. This caused riots throughout the atoll again, leading to several attacks on Maldive government buildings.
Once again, the officials of the Government of the Maldive Islands were forced to retreat to the safety of the British barracks. This time Abdullah Afeef saved the lives of the Maldive officials by warning them of the impending unrest.
Afeef was chosen to lead the nascent Suvadive government because of British insistence that a trustworthy leader whom they were familiar with be chosen, as a precondition for them being able to back the secession.
It is said that Afeef initially refused, and that he accepted the role of becoming the executive head of the new state only under heavy pressure.
The fledgling Suvadive state was soon joined by the other two Southern Atolls, Huvadu and Fua Mulaku.
In his first year as President, Afeef pleaded for support and recognition from Britain in the 25 May 1959 edition of The Times
of London:
However, Afeefu's pleas went unheeded and the British Government never recognized the "United Suvadive Islands".
Instead the initial British measure of lukewarm support for the small breakaway nation was withdrawn in 1961, when the British signed a treaty with the Maldive Islands without involving Afeef.
Following that treaty the Suvadives had to endure an economic embargo and attacks from gunboats sent by the Maldive government.
Without the support of the British, the Suvadive republic was on the brink of collapse.
with his immediate family aboard the British warship "HMS Loch Lomond
".
The blame of the Suvadive "Rebellion" (Baghaavaiy) as it is still known in Maldives, was put squarely on Afeefu's shoulders and on the British. There was not much persecution by the Malé government afterwards and the Suvadive nation was slowly forgotten. Afeef was officially declared a traitor to the Maldives, and a puppet of the British.
Still, most Southern Maldivians have a lot of respect for Afeef and claim that he was a gentleman, a man of integrity who did what he had to do in the circumstances. Despite having studied in Cairo
, Egypt, Afeef had a secular and progressive outlook. Owing to his secularism and his admiration for the British, he was abjectly ridiculed and mocked as a "Kafir
" or infidel by the press in Malé
. But Afeef was an honest and kind person and was not like the typical corrupt, devious and self-righteous present-day politician.
Since 1963 Abdullah Afeef lived in Victoria
, Mahe Island, in the Seychelles with his wife and children. From the Seychelles Afeef made repeated requests to the Maldive government to visit his home island Hitadu, to see his family. But the Maldivian authorities persistently ignored his requests. The Government in Male' didn't want to allow Abdullah Afeef to set foot in the Maldives
again. Shortly before his death on 13 July 1993, when he was old and in a precarious health condition, Afeef was permitted to travel to Addu to see his relatives. However, an official pardon was not granted.
On one hand the British gave hopes to the trusting Suvadive islanders, legitimately afflicted by centralism and neglect. But on the other hand the same British later betrayed the Suvadive people by making a separate agreement with the government of the Maldive Islands behind the back of the islanders who trusted them fully.
The inhabitants of the neighboring atoll group, the Chagossian Islanders or Ilois
were ditched similarly by the British Government when the USA agreed to pay handsomely to lease the island of Diego Garcia as long as there would be no bothering natives close by.
Elha Didi (Mohamed Didi) son of Kalhihaaru Dhon Ali Thakurufan of Meedhoo
son of Dhondhiyege Faathumaifaan daughter of Elhagedharige Hussein Thakurufaan son of Kudhuraniage Ibrahim Thakurufan son of Kudhuraniage Faathumafaan daughter of Ibrahim Naib Thakurufaan son of Vazeeul Kabeer Mohamed Bodufuiy Thakurufaan son of Chief Justice Hussein Quthubuddeen son of Chief Justice Mohamed Shamsuddeen (also known as Addu Bodu Fandiyaaru Thakurufan).
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the United Suvadive Republic
United Suvadive Republic
The United Suvadive Republic or Suvadive Islands was a short-lived breakaway nation in the remote Southern Atolls of the Maldive Islands, namely Addu Atoll, Huvadhu Atoll and Fuvahmulah that geographically make up the Suvadive archipelago.The name of this nation was originally an ancient name for...
from 1959 to 1963. Born in Hithadhoo
Hithadhoo (Seenu Atoll)
Hithaadhoo is a district of Addu City, in the Maldives. Hithadhoo is the main administrative district of Addu City, with many of the administrative buildings in this district. The town is situated on the island of the same name, the westernmost of Seenu...
, Addu Atoll
Addu Atoll
Addu City is a city in Maldives consisting of the inhabited islands of the southernmost atoll of the archipelago....
, Afeef was an educated and well-respected individual from a family of notables.
Owing to his knowledge of the English language, he served as a translator to the British military at Gan airbase in the same atoll. His local name was Elha Didige Ali Didige Afifu.
Abdullah Afeef was the breakaway nations' first and only president.
The Suvadive government was unceremoniously dismantled by the British and the Maldive Islands
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
' government representatives without ceremony in 1963. Following this, Abdullah Afeef was exiled to the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
where he died about 40 years later.
Southern islanders still remember him fondly as "our Afeefu".
Insurrection of the Addu Islanders
During the 1950s, the government of the Maldive Islands (now MaldivesMaldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
) sought to implement certain centralizing measures. As a result there was discontent in the Southern Atolls.
In Addu Atoll there were riots against the central Maldive government in the year 1958.
Among those who were involved in the uprising against the militiamen of the central government posted in Addu was Abdullah Afeefu.
In Addu Atoll there was a British air base in the island of Gan. The new prime minister of the Maldive Islands had appointed Abdullah Afeef as the liaison officer between the British and the locals.
Shortly afterwards, in December 1958, the government announced plans for a new tax on boats. This caused riots throughout the atoll again, leading to several attacks on Maldive government buildings.
Once again, the officials of the Government of the Maldive Islands were forced to retreat to the safety of the British barracks. This time Abdullah Afeef saved the lives of the Maldive officials by warning them of the impending unrest.
Afeef Chosen as President of the Suvadive Islands
Four days later, on January 3, 1959 a delegation of the Addu people arrived on Gan and declared their independence to the British. The delegation also demanded that Adullah Afeef be their leader.Afeef was chosen to lead the nascent Suvadive government because of British insistence that a trustworthy leader whom they were familiar with be chosen, as a precondition for them being able to back the secession.
It is said that Afeef initially refused, and that he accepted the role of becoming the executive head of the new state only under heavy pressure.
The fledgling Suvadive state was soon joined by the other two Southern Atolls, Huvadu and Fua Mulaku.
In his first year as President, Afeef pleaded for support and recognition from Britain in the 25 May 1959 edition of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
of London:
However, Afeefu's pleas went unheeded and the British Government never recognized the "United Suvadive Islands".
Instead the initial British measure of lukewarm support for the small breakaway nation was withdrawn in 1961, when the British signed a treaty with the Maldive Islands without involving Afeef.
Following that treaty the Suvadives had to endure an economic embargo and attacks from gunboats sent by the Maldive government.
Without the support of the British, the Suvadive republic was on the brink of collapse.
Exile
Finally, in October 1963 the United Suvadive Republic was unceremoniously dismantled and the flag was hoisted over the main Suvadive government building in Hithadoo Island. Abdullah Afeef went into exile to the SeychellesSeychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
with his immediate family aboard the British warship "HMS Loch Lomond
HMS Loch Lomond (K437)
HMS Loch Lomond was a Loch-class frigate of the British Royal Navy. The ship was named after Loch Lomond in Scotland.The ship was ordered from Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company, Dundee, Scotland on 2 February 1943, and laid down on 7 December 1943...
".
The blame of the Suvadive "Rebellion" (Baghaavaiy) as it is still known in Maldives, was put squarely on Afeefu's shoulders and on the British. There was not much persecution by the Malé government afterwards and the Suvadive nation was slowly forgotten. Afeef was officially declared a traitor to the Maldives, and a puppet of the British.
Still, most Southern Maldivians have a lot of respect for Afeef and claim that he was a gentleman, a man of integrity who did what he had to do in the circumstances. Despite having studied in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt, Afeef had a secular and progressive outlook. Owing to his secularism and his admiration for the British, he was abjectly ridiculed and mocked as a "Kafir
Kafir
Kafir is an Arabic term used in a Islamic doctrinal sense, usually translated as "unbeliever" or "disbeliever"...
" or infidel by the press in Malé
Malé
Malé , is the capital and most populous city in the Republic of Maldives. It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll . It is also one of the Administrative divisions of the Maldives. Traditionally it was the King's Island, from where the ancient Maldive Royal dynasties ruled and where...
. But Afeef was an honest and kind person and was not like the typical corrupt, devious and self-righteous present-day politician.
Since 1963 Abdullah Afeef lived in Victoria
Victoria, Seychelles
Victoria is the capital city of the Seychelles and is situated on the north-eastern side of Mahé island, which is the main island of the archipelago. The city was first established as the seat of the British colonial government...
, Mahe Island, in the Seychelles with his wife and children. From the Seychelles Afeef made repeated requests to the Maldive government to visit his home island Hitadu, to see his family. But the Maldivian authorities persistently ignored his requests. The Government in Male' didn't want to allow Abdullah Afeef to set foot in the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
again. Shortly before his death on 13 July 1993, when he was old and in a precarious health condition, Afeef was permitted to travel to Addu to see his relatives. However, an official pardon was not granted.
Perfidious Albion?
The controversy around the Suvadive still endures and touches sensitive fibers of many Maldivians. The general blame for the secession is put on the scheming British and their fork-tonguedness. This is not only convenient, but it also has a ring of truth, for it would be not the first time that the British have played the role of villain behind the scenes.On one hand the British gave hopes to the trusting Suvadive islanders, legitimately afflicted by centralism and neglect. But on the other hand the same British later betrayed the Suvadive people by making a separate agreement with the government of the Maldive Islands behind the back of the islanders who trusted them fully.
The inhabitants of the neighboring atoll group, the Chagossian Islanders or Ilois
Ilois
The Chagossians are an ethnic group who were the indigenous inhabitants of the Chagos Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory. The Chagossians resided in the islands of Diego Garcia, Peros Banhos, and the Salomon island chain, and had settled in other parts of the Chagos Archipelago, like Egmont...
were ditched similarly by the British Government when the USA agreed to pay handsomely to lease the island of Diego Garcia as long as there would be no bothering natives close by.
Genealogy
President Afeef Didi was the son of Ali Didi son of HithadhooHithadhoo (Seenu Atoll)
Hithaadhoo is a district of Addu City, in the Maldives. Hithadhoo is the main administrative district of Addu City, with many of the administrative buildings in this district. The town is situated on the island of the same name, the westernmost of Seenu...
Elha Didi (Mohamed Didi) son of Kalhihaaru Dhon Ali Thakurufan of Meedhoo
Meedhoo (Seenu Atoll)
Meedhoo is the oldest populated island in Addu Atoll in the Republic of Maldives, having been settled between 1000 and 500 BCE. Its current population is 2511. Its name comes from the original Indo-Aryan settlers; Meedhoo means Big Island in Sanskrit.The original settlers were divehi people of...
son of Dhondhiyege Faathumaifaan daughter of Elhagedharige Hussein Thakurufaan son of Kudhuraniage Ibrahim Thakurufan son of Kudhuraniage Faathumafaan daughter of Ibrahim Naib Thakurufaan son of Vazeeul Kabeer Mohamed Bodufuiy Thakurufaan son of Chief Justice Hussein Quthubuddeen son of Chief Justice Mohamed Shamsuddeen (also known as Addu Bodu Fandiyaaru Thakurufan).