According to The Guardian in the UK, after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Seychelles at the end of June, this archipelago nation located in the Indian Ocean quickly granted him one of its 'highest honors'.
Modi smiled as he received the 'Guardian of the Blue Horizon' award from Patrick Hermini, and he also received a trophy and a certificate.
Saddam Hussein's Presidential Office
However, observers quickly pointed out that there were several issues with this award. The certificate not only misprinted “Republic” as “Repubblic”, but even “Seychelles” was mistakenly written as “Seycheeles”. It turned out that this award was actually established just three days before Modi’s visit, and Modi is thus the first and only person to have been awarded this prize.
What further escalates the controversy is that, after being tested by relevant software, this certificate has been widely determined to have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI).
The opposition Indian National Congress quickly seized this controversy to launch an attack, stating: 'Give him a reward, and he will immediately come.'
National Party politician Supriya Shirnet said on social media: 'They were so hasty that they even wrote the official name of the 'Republic of Seychelles' wrong.'
Modi's ruling Indian National Congress Party (BJP) reacted by saying that Modi received this award for his "green leadership", and it was "a moment of pride for India".
On July 2nd, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Seychelles issued a statement responding that a "draft document" was mistakenly sent out, and the "official and formally approved version" has now been released again.
Sāi Shēnglǐ Waiguo Hòu Héi Zhǐshào: “'Bīngluō Diéyíng Xiàn Guǒdài ' zhī yì shí hǎo xíng xǐhán de yòng rén."
As critics have pointed out, during his 12 years in office, Modi has been clearly enthusiastic about receiving various awards, both domestically and abroad.
Last month, just a few days before Modi's visit to Israel, the Israeli Knesset quickly established an honor known as the “Medal of the Knesset”, claiming it to be one of the highest honors in the country. Modi was awarded this medal upon his arrival in Israel. To date, he remains the only person to have received this honor.
In 2019, Modi became the first recipient of the Indian 'Philip Kotler President Award', in recognition of his 'outstanding leadership to the nation'.
According to the press release issued by the Indian government at that time, this honor was originally scheduled to be awarded to a national leader every year. However, since then, no other national leader has received this award, and the official website for the award has also been left unmaintained and no longer updated.
Reports say that it has become an unspoken expectation that during Modi’s visits abroad, he is expected to receive various honors and awards.
Biographer Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay said that actively seeking various awards globally is a manifestation of Modi's personal-centered political style.
He said, “The purpose of collecting these awards—and these awards are often awarded under circumstances that attract attention—is to send a message to supporters and those who might switch their support to him: Modi is recognized worldwide because of his greatness, and the increase in India’s international influence is a result of Modi’s personal charisma.”
