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Ibrahim Nasir Rannabandeyri Kilegefan (; ; 2 September 1926 – 22 November 2008), , commonly known as Ibrahim Nasir, was a Maldivians politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Maldives from 1957 to 1968 under the monarchy, and later the first President of the Second Republic of Maldives from 1968 to 1978. Nasir served two terms (one term consisting of 5 years), then he decided to retire, even though the People's Majlis voted him in for a third term. Nasir adhered to the non-aligned ideology and was a staunch Anti-imperialism. Nasir is remembered as an folk hero for guiding the Maldives to independence from the British Empire, he is also credited for establishing the tourism industry in the Maldives, as well as rapidly modernizing and developing the country and economy.
Nasir would spend his childhood in Fuvahmulah, after which Nasir's family moved to Malé, where he began studying and attended Madharusathul Salahiyya, which later became Majeediyya School in 1969. After finishing his studies in Malé, he would spend more time studying in Sri Lanka, before he returned to Malé and began his political career and rapidly climbed the political ladder.
Nasir was married three times and had five children. His first wife was Aisha Zubair (Tuttudon Goma), whom he married in 1950. They had a son named Ahmed Nasir. In 1953, he married Mariyam Saeeda Didi, with whom he had two sons, Ali Nasir and Mohamed Nasir. In 1969, Nasir married Naseema Mohamed, with whom he had a son and a daughter, Ismail Nasir and Aishath Nasir, respectively.
Upon achieving independence in 1965, the Maldives was invited to join the Commonwealth of Nations. Nasir declined this invitation due to Nasir seeing the Commonwealth as being an organization under the British Empire. The Maldives would however go on to join the Commonwealth of Nations during Maumoon's tenure in 1982.
The events in Thinadhoo under President Ibrahim Nasir’s administration in the 1960s are among the darkest chapters in Maldivian history. Following the end of the short-lived United Suvadive Republic (1959-1963), Nasir’s government undertook a brutal campaign to suppress dissent in Thinadhoo, one of the key islands involved in the secessionist movement. Reports suggest that government forces launched an attack on the island in 1962, resulting in widespread violence. Homes were burned, and many residents were forcibly evacuated or killed, marking what some historians and locals refer to as a massacre. This crackdown effectively erased Thinadhoo as a functioning community for years and instilled fear across the Maldives, reinforcing central control under Nasir’s rule. The events remain a painful memory for many and continue to provoke debates about justice and accountability in Maldivian history.
Although Nasir preferred to keep a cordial relationship with the nations of the world, both Nasir's premiership and presidency was marked with by a strained relationship with the Maldives' former British Empire.
Less than two months after securing independence, Nasir secured membership in the United Nations on 21 September 1965, against the opposition of countries that did not feel that the UN was the place for small states. The Maldives was the first state of its size (a population less than 80,000 in 1965) to be admitted to the UN. Small states that had long been independent such as San Marino and Monaco and they were not admitted to become members of the UN. Western Samoa which became independent only a few years prior to the Maldives independence also was not admitted to the UN. The flag of the Maldives was raised at the UN headquarters on October 12, 1965.
He was credited with many other improvements such as introducing an English-based modern curriculum to government-run schools. He brought television and radio to the country with formation of Television Maldives and Radio Maldives for broadcasting radio signals nationwide. He abolished Vaaru, a tax on the people living on islands outside Malé, as well as many other taxes on various imports to the country, some of which have been since reinstated. When Nasir relinquished power, Maldives was debt-free to the international community, and corruption was effectively under control. Under his watch, the national shipping line with more than 40 ships that were plying the oceans of the world remained a source of national pride for Maldivians. It was a remarkable success story among the maritime nations of South Asia.
His tenure was characterized by significant progress in the country's industrial and economic sector, while also heavily modernizing and industrialising the country. Among the notable achievements during his administration was starting the tourism industry which brought about an economic boom and placed the Maldives on the map as well as the construction of Hulhulé airport (now Velana International Airport), which is commonly regarded as the first airport in the Maldives, despite the existence of a previous airport in Addu called RAF Gan (Royal Air Force Station Gan) built by the British Empire during their protectorate of Maldives.
Some notable achievements during Nasir's rule:
On the 26th of July 2015, to mark 50 years of independence, Nasir was awarded the 50th Independence Day Shield of Honour (accepted by the Nasir family), in recognition of his contribution to achieving independence as well as development of the Maldives post independence.
Nasir's hasty introduction of the Latin alphabet (Malé Latin) in 1976 instead of local Thaana script – reportedly to allow for the use of Telegraphy machines in the local administration – was widely criticised. Clarence Maloney, a Maldives-based U.S. anthropologist, lamented the inconsistencies of the "Dhivehi Latin" which ignored all previous linguistic research on the Maldivian language and did not follow the modern Standard Indic transliteration. At the time of the romanization every island's officials were required to use only one script. The Thaana script was reinstated by President Gayoom shortly after he took power in 1978. However, Malé Latin continues to be widely used as the default romanization of Dhivehi.
Nasir was widely criticized during the Gayoom administration, especially during the early days of Gayoom's presidency. There were massive rallies in almost all the big islands of Maldives with indecent cartoons of Nasir organized by Gayoom's government, as well as cartoons of Nasir on the roads and in newspapers. Insulting anti-Nasir songs were recorded and distributed by the government, which were even played on national radio.
It is said that until Nasir left Malé, Gayoom praised and talked in favour of him (as in his first speech after being sworn in as president). However, after Nasir left Malé everything changed. Mass demonstrations were held against him, labeling him a traitor, and calling for his death. He was tried in absentia and sentenced. Gayoom led a massive demonstration against Nasir on 16 May 1980 and the 'crowd' to which Gayoom spoke (between 15,000 and 20,000 people attended, with the population of Malé then being about 35,000) in which he discussed his views about how Nasir came to power, how he had been one of the leaders in the overthrow of first president Mohamed Amin in 1953 and how he had allegedly mishandled government money. However, the allegations against Nasir were never proven. Gayoom later him in July 1990, but never granted permission for him to return to Maldives. This point turned out to be proven according to an interview given by Kuvaa Mohamed Maniku, a close associate of Nasir to TVM on 23 November 2008, one day after Nasir's death. Maniku said he met President Nasir at Bangkok Airport in 1990 after Nasir had been pardoned by the government, and Nasir had told Maniku he had sent a letter to President Gayoom requesting permission to return to Maldives and to live anywhere in the country approved by him. According to Maniku, Nasir had told him that he had not received a reply from Gayoom.
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