I do not believe in controlling media and news: President

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said he does not believe in influencing the media and news.

The president’s statement follows hot in the heels of the government proposing a new bill at the Parliament’s Wednesday sitting seeking to form a new commission by merging Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) and Maldives Media Council (MMC) and introduce separate fines to journalists capped at a maximum of MVR 10,000.

In a post on X, President Muizzu said that all Maldivian citizens had freedom of liberty and expression within the country’s sovereign territory so long as their actions do not contradict any tenets of Islam.

The bill seeking to introduce fines on journalists and the merger of MBC and MMC was submitted by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdulla Hannan Aboobakuru who was elected independently but later signed up for ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).

The President will form ‘Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission’ once the legislation comes into force. In this regard, the commission will have legal autonomy and thus will be able to file and receive lawsuits in their name and conduct transactions in their name.

Once the legislation comes into force, the Maldives Media Council Act which governs news publications will be repealed alongside articles three to 18, 20 to 37, and 42 to 45 of the Broadcasting Act.

This will effectively dissolve MMC and MBC, including the following posts:

• MMC members
• President and Vice President of MMC
• MBC members
• President and Vice President of MBC
• Secretary General of MBC

Although these posts will be dissolved, the staff working at MMC and MBC will be shifted to the new commission once the legislation comes into force.

Meanwhile, both local media and the political opposition have expressed concern about the bill. According to the Maldives Journalist Association (MJA), the new bill may pave way for the government to exploit and exercise undue influence on media outlets and news channels.

The prime opposition, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in a statement released on Wednesday claimed this legislation is aimed at suppressing hard-won press freedom in the Maldives.

The opposition party claimed this could open doors for the government to exercise total control over the media while blocking all possibilities of self-regulation.