News Desk
Concerned that rapid social change is eroding the island nation’s traditional etiquette and sense of community, the Maldives has turned to a state-backed campaign to bring back old-fashioned manners.
On Saturday evening, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu formally inaugurated the National Respect Project, a five-year initiative designed to foster mutual respect and social cohesion across the archipelago.
Speaking to a crowd near the Maafannu Turf Ground in the capital, Malé, President Muizzu launched the programme by placing an illuminated orb onto a custom-built monument. The ceremony, which included the unveiling of an official emblem and the debut of a theme song, drew the upper echelons of the Maldivian state — including the First Lady, the Vice President, the Speaker of Parliament, the Chief Justice, cabinet ministers and several members of Majlis — alongside state enterprise officials, civil society groups and hundreds of students.
The drive reflects a central theme of President Muizzu’s presidency: that alongside physical development, the Maldives must deliberately safeguard what officials call its intangible heritage. Since taking office, the president has repeatedly warned that traditional Maldivian conduct, social harmony and the Dhivehi language are steadily slipping away, prompting his administration to pair historical research and cultural preservation with public awareness campaigns.
Yet the push for public decorum carries an unmistakable political irony. Several senior figures now championing the campaign were themselves part of a fiercely combative opposition prior to taking power, a period marked by colourful language, pointed gestures and heated confrontations with lawmakers from the then-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party inside the chambers of the People’s Majlis.
“To ensure these traits are not lost, we must formulate a national vision to restore and develop the fine conduct and social harmony of Maldivians,” Dr. Muizzu said when he first previewed the initiative during his 2026 presidential address. He added that the government plans to introduce supporting legislative frameworks to embed the programme’s goals into public life.
Led jointly by the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Heritage and the state broadcaster, Public Service Media, the campaign will focus heavily on schoolchildren and young adults. A special inter-agency committee has been tasked with coordinating the rollout across the country’s scattered atolls, as officials seek to counter modern social friction with a return to customary values.
