The City That Never Surfaces

It was a promising indication to see voters in the Maldives reject their longtime dictatorial president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in last month’s runoff election with former political prisoner Mohamed Nasheed. It shows that there are at least a few Muslim countries where democracy and stability can both be accepted. However, just after the election, a curious headline caught my attention. Apparently, the new president of this tiny archipelago nation has decided to invest in new land elsewhere, in preparation for an eventual relocation of the entire country. Why, you ask? Because the Maldives is one of the lowest-lying countries in the world, with its highest point just two meters above sea level. With water levels around the world rising, and the growing frequency of tsunamis and other uncontrollable weather, there is a good chance that the Maldives will not be able to sustain a civilization in the near future (Tuvalu has also had this problem lately). In response to this, President Nasheed has presented plans to save up money from the islands’ booming tourism industry towards eventually buying a new homeland, either in the Indian subcontinent or in Australia.

This presents an entirely new concept in global politics: how does one go about moving their entire island to a different location? Unless Nasheed intends to use the Ben Linus method of island displacement, this will be an incredibly difficult task to accomplish. Aside from the obvious problems associated with moving half a million people and the contents of an entire city, there is also the problem of everything that cannot be moved. The buildings in Malé, the capital, cannot be moved, nor can they be sold to another owner. The current owners will not be pleased with having to abandon their assets, and the best they can do is to tear down the building and sell it for scrap materials abroad. The Maldivian economy will also take a hit when the tourism industry dries up, an expected occurrence since nothing is as picturesque as the Maldives. There is even the question of whether or not any nation will allow them sovereign land. As is universally recognized, land claims are extremely important to every nation, and it’s hard to believe that any government would fully cede land to foreigners for any price. The best the Maldivians can realistically hope for is some kind of autonomous status, possibly even a semi-self-governing settlement or region.

If the Maldives does go the way of Atlantis, don’t expect them to stay an independent nation. It’s very unfortunate, but that’s just luck for you. Until then, let’s hope they’ve got their levee system worked out.