Samuel Coates: The forgotten coup in the Maldives

Samuel Coates works internationally as a political and digital strategist. He was the first Deputy Editor of ConservativeHome and a speechwriter for David Cameron. Follow Samuel on Twitter.

“I first addressed the Conservative conference three years ago. Since then, against the odds, my party has defeated the dictatorship that reigned over the people of my country for thirty long years. And it was in no small part thanks to the efforts of our friends in the Conservative Party. I have come here today to say thank you.” – Mohamed Nasheed, 2009 party conference

Six months ago today, the Maldives’ first ever democratically elected President was removed from power in a coup d’état. The full story of what really happened in this beautiful archipelago has hardly been told, and still less listened to. The vested interests that outweighed the democratic interests. The efforts to make the coup permanent (which is where this weekend’s revelations about Baroness Scotland come in, who I have reason to believe has been less than entirely open in her explanations). And the Conservative Party’s proud history, and hopefully future, in supporting democracy in the Maldives.