When Politics Clouds Our Shared Skies

The alert came through my phone as I was watching the sea from our verandah—a white alert for Laamu Atoll. The sky above our own island was the same pale blue it had been yesterday, the same gentle breeze rustling through the coconut palms. Yet somewhere in the atoll chain, conditions warranted caution. These weather warnings used to be simple facts of island life, like the tide charts my grandfather would consult before setting out to fish. Now, even the meteorology department finds itself caught in the crossfire of political arguments. I remember when weather alerts were just that—alerts. We'd hear the radio announcement and know whether to bring the fishing boats in early or secure the outdoor furniture. The trust was implicit, like trusting the sun to rise over the eastern horizon. But these days, every institution seems to be viewed through a political lens. When did we start questioning whether the rain was coming because of someone's political allegiance? The division runs deeper than policy disagreements. It's in the way we speak to each other online, the accusations that fly across social media feeds. 'Your data is wrong,' someone insists about election results. 'You're tarnishing institutions,' counters another. We've become so entrenched in our positions that we can't even agree on basic facts anymore. Yet the sea continues its eternal rhythm around our islands. The fishermen still read the water's surface for signs of changing weather, using knowledge passed down through generations. Perhaps we need to remember that some truths remain constant, regardless of who sits in which office. The monsoon will come when it's due, the reefs will protect our shores, and our shared identity as island people ultimately transcends any political division. What we risk losing in this climate of suspicion is the very trust that binds our scattered communities together. — Source fragments: in your hatred of Muizzu, you attempt to tarnish the image of all institutions of the State. you are claiming the weather alerts are compromised by politics