Whenever there is a discussion pointing to the inherent contradictions  of capitalism and the need to work for the only alternative of Islam, many amongst the public claim that life some thirty years ago was free from the anarchy and disorder we sadly witness today. Also, some people accuse the current government of destroying the 'good old traditions' of the country. Others talk proudly of the strong unity and high morals that existed amongst the people in the past and looks at the current scenario with absolute disdain. So the common thread in these arguments is that we should go back to our traditions to escape from the miseries of current status quo 

Traditions - A Weak Foundation

To some extent, it is true that society was far more progressive than the current society which runs on imitation mode. This is because, the society in the past was, organically developed, reflected the historical experience of people. There was social consensus on the societal issues and the society was able to adapt to new realities (without the white man's advise or UNDP). For example, the most complex issue that faced the traditional society was the method to distribute the daily catch of fish amongst the fishermen. There is historical evidence that the entire country had a unitary formula to distribute the daily catch based on the fisherman's rank in the vessel. In terms of inventions, the society was far more advanced considering the fact that people were able to find a solution to every issue they faced. This is exemplified by the invention of fishing vessels, the knowledge of navigation, methods employed in fishing - all home grown and organically developed. There were also traditions, laws (marriage and divorce), and customs which people adhered to, without any question. So, it is partly true that society witnessed unity and free from the misery that pervades the current society. But the traditions that existed were a disparate set of laws and customs which did not emanate from a sound intellectual basis. Although some laws related to family were derived from Islam, all the laws did not emanate from the Islamic ideology. Since the laws and traditions were home grown and organically developed, the society progressed and social consensus existed. Furthermore, the scope of traditions were limited in its applications to new realities in a seamless manner. When a more doctrinal way of life (such as capitalism) emerged and clashed with traditions, people's confidence in these 'good old traditions' eroded and vanished. Few examples from the past and present will suffice to prove the point. In the past, people had an agreed basis to distribute the daily fish catch in a fair manner and nobody ever revolted with this formula. The nature of business partnerships is more or less similar to a group of people going for fishing and distributing their daily catch in the evening. However when it comes to business partnerships there is constant bickering and courts in Male' are replete with disputes related to profit sharing, cheating, company shares, liabilities...etc. Does the issue of fish distribution differ from running business partnerships ? Are they not similar in essence ? How come there is social consensus on the former and complete disagreement in the latter ? 

What happened to the traditions ?

The social consensus on fish distribution existed because it was home grown and organically developed. How this formula came about is not well documented, but it can be said this agreement was based on mere survival instinct. However the concepts of business company structures, were not home grown concepts, rather, they came as part and parcel of western economic system along with western view of happiness ('freedom') based on a more ideological viewpoint. If the traditions were really comprehensive, the society should have been able to analogise the issue of daily fish distribution to the 'modern' issue of company structures and develop an agreed framework to solve the disputes of companies. However the western culture (albeit corrupt), its outlook on life, the trappings of its inventions and its viewpoint on happiness were far more doctrinal and were able to replace the traditions and change people's limited perception of happiness to a more visionary capitalist viewpoint. Another example could be the traditional view regarding children. Traditionally, people viewed children as a source of 'insurance' because they can be utilized for fishing and farming. Others viewed children as a source of protection when they became old. However the western culture and its financial system have enabled many other ways to secure oneself financially without having children. For example company shares, life insurances schemes, bank interests can effectively dwarf the traditional argument regarding children and the incentive to have larger families. Therefore, due to the absence of a comprehensive ideology, the western capitalist system would have defeated the transitory traditions anyway. 

Conclusion

In conclusion it is incorrect to say that Maldivian traditional way of life is idealistic. Islam is the only correct system because it is the system of the Creator. Islam is a specific mode of living that is completely distinguished from everything else. It obliges upon Muslims a certain living that has a specific and constant course that does not change or transform. It dictates upon them to comply by this specific mode in such a way that they do not feel tranquillity, both intellectually and emotionally, and nor they feel with happiness except with this mode. Islam came as a collection of concepts  about life. It came as general guidelines , i.e. general imports that treat all man's problems in life, where the solution of every problem that occurs to man is actually derived from them. It made all of that based on an intellectual basis ; under which all the thoughts about life enter; and it is used as a criterion  upon which every detailed thought is measured. It also made the rules, in terms of solutions, thought and opinions, emanate from the aqeedah and derived from the general guidelines. Traditions is not based on an intellectual basis and cannot withstand external changes.

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