FDI Does Not Threaten Sovereignty, Says MDP Chairperson Nasheed

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed has said that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) will not have any negative impact on a nation's independence or sovereignty. Nasheed said that among the countries that had to endure colonial subjugation in history, those that achieved development were the countries that welcomed foreign direct investment and took advantage of those opportunities. However, he noted that such foreign investments brought into a country will not be enough if they are limited solely to the extraction of that country's raw materials or raw substances. He said that it is necessary for investments to be structured in a way that processes those things within one's own country, thereby paving the way for productivity. Citing an example of this, Nasheed said that when foreign direct investment was brought into countries such as Singapore and South Korea, there was no impact whatsoever on those countries' independence or sovereignty. Instead, he said, with those investments the economies of those countries became stronger. And Nasheed also noted that, due to the power gained economically, the capacity to protect the nation's sovereignty was obtained, and that those countries secured their rightful place in the international arena.