Seychelles ‘created’ a new award not for PM Modi, but due to its own domestic politics: Read why the outrage in India is stupid

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred with the honorary title of ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ by the Republic of Seychelles on Sunday, 28th June, becoming the first person to receive the distinction. The honour was presented by Seychelles President Patrick Herminie during PM Modi’s visit to the island nation and marked the 34th international honour bestowed upon the Indian Prime Minister by a foreign country. The Seychelles government said the title recognises PM Modi’s leadership in environmental conservation, climate resilience, sustainable development, promotion of the blue economy, and his support for the aspirations of Small Island Developing States (SIDS). After receiving the honour, PM Modi thanked the people and government of Seychelles and dedicated the recognition to all countries fighting the challenge of climate change. Grateful to the people and Government of Seychelles as well as President Herminie for conferring upon me the ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon.’I humbly accept this honour and dedicate it to all those countries that are fighting the challenge of climate change and consider… pic.twitter.com/iI4c7BjnFq— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 28, 2026 “Grateful to the people and Government of Seychelles as well as President Herminie for conferring upon me the ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’,” PM Modi said in a social media post. “I humbly accept this honour and dedicate it to all those countries that are fighting the challenge of climate change and consider environmental protection their responsibility towards future generations. This is a pressing challenge which we have to overcome together,” he added. The Prime Minister also reiterated India’s commitment to protecting the environment, saying the country is ready to do whatever is necessary to make the planet greener and more sustainable. He highlighted initiatives such as Mission LiFE, Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam, the International Solar Alliance, the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure and the International Big Cat Alliance as examples of India’s global environmental efforts. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also said the Presidential Distinction recognised PM Modi’s “leadership and steadfast commitment to environmental conservation, sustainable development, climate resilience, blue economy and advancing the aspirations of the Small Island Developing States.” President Patrick Herminie described the honour as a symbol of Seychelles’ deepest respect for leaders whose partnership reflects the spirit of protecting the country’s blue horizon. Award triggers controversy back home However, even before the celebrations around the honour had settled, the award became the subject of political controversy in India. Several critics claimed that the distinction had been ‘specially created’ to honour PM Modi during his visit, implying that the Seychelles government had hurriedly introduced a new award solely for the Indian Prime Minister. Mohammed Zubair, the self-described fact checker and founder of propaganda outlet Alt News, criticised the honour of the PM of his own country on X. He reposted a post that said the “new award” had been created in haste “to satisfy a travelling megalomaniac’s ego.” Zubair has shared several posts questioning the authenticity of the national honour presented to PM Modi by using an alleged citation document that was neither posted by MEA nor the PM’s office. It's OPVS and not OPUS. It's Republic and not Repubblic.It's Seychelles and not Seycheeles. pic.twitter.com/qX13eYhpBn— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) June 28, 2026 The criticism was echoed by The Hindu’s Diplomatic Affairs Editor, who questioned who had prepared the alleged citation carrying the spelling mistakes. She also reposted a social media post claiming that Seychelles had used ChatGPT to create a state honour for PM Modi. The question over who created the misspelt Seychelles government Citation becomes more significant- Neither @MEAIndia nor @StateHouseSey has the citation on website. https://t.co/kH5Kweqt4ihttps://t.co/o5YTgAyRiz https://t.co/0qyPpBIPEW— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) June 29, 2026 It seems the Distinction was instituted on June 24, only 3 days prior to PM Modi's visit. https://t.co/f59MAMuzX7— Suhasini Haidar (@suhasinih) June 29, 2026 These allegations quickly spread on social media, with many suggesting that the award had been invented exclusively for PM Modi’s visit. Why was the award recently introduced? While it is true that the ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ distinction is a newly instituted honour, the reason behind its creation has little to do with PM Modi. The development is actually linked to changes in Seychelles’ own national honours system following years of domestic political debate and some political controversies. Seychelles had enacted the National Awards Act in 2022 to establish a formal civilian honours system for recognising exceptional contributions to the country. Under this law, three national honours were introduced: the Medal of the Republic, the Medal of Honour and the Medal of Merit. The first National Awards ceremony was eventually held in 2023 after the legislation came into force, recognising individuals from different walks of life for public service, environmental work, healthcare, culture, governance and acts of bravery. Among the recipients were President Wavel Ramkalawan, who received the Medal of the Republic under the provisions of the Act, former President Sir James Mancham, Central Bank Governor Caroline Abel, environmentalist Antonio Constance, singer Joe Samy and several others who had made significant contributions to Seychelles. At the time, President Ramkalawan had said the country had long recognised Seychellois honoured abroad but lacked a proper system to acknowledge its own citizens. The National Awards were therefore introduced to fill that gap and formally celebrate national achievements. Political change led to the repeal of the old honours system However, the honours system soon became entangled in domestic politics. Following a change in government, President Patrick Herminie’s Cabinet approved the National Awards (Repeal) Bill, 2026, in February, proposing to abolish the National Awards Act while preserving the validity of all honours that had already been conferred. The Seychelles National Assembly later passed the repeal legislation after a heated debate. The bill received the support of members from the United Seychelles (US) party, while legislators from Linyon Demokratik Seselwa (LDS) opposed it. The repeal also dissolved the National Awards Committee, although previously awarded honours continue to remain legally valid. The repeal effectively ended the earlier awards framework, paving the way for a fresh honours system under the current administration. It is in this backdrop that the new Presidential distinction, ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’, was introduced and awarded to PM Modi in recognition of his contribution to environmental protection and support for island nations vulnerable to climate change. More than a new award, a fresh beginning Therefore, the available facts do not support the claim that the honour was suddenly “created” only to flatter PM Modi during his visit. The previous civilian honours framework in Seychelles had already become the subject of political contestation and was subsequently repealed through legislation. The current government has been restructuring the country’s honours system while retaining the validity of awards already granted under the old law. Against this background, the ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ distinction represents part of Seychelles’ effort to establish a renewed honours framework rather than an award invented exclusively for one visiting leader.