Youth Minister Ibrahim Waheed says the government will not support anything that hinders the media amid heavy criticism at the ruling party for the highly controversial media control bill accepted by the parliament yesterday.
He said this after an unofficial meeting with members of the Press outside of the President's Office today, alongside the President's Office Communication Minister Ibrahu Khaleel.
Reporters voiced their concerns to the top officials, who assured them that the government would not support anything that hinders the media.
Minister Asward insisted that there are articles in the bill that are not acceptable, but stopped short of deliberating further on these articles.
The bill was accepted by votes from 49 MPs, as more than 400 Maldivians signed a petition calling for the withdrawal of the bill.
The petition stated that the bill seeks to dissolve the existing media oversight bodies, MMC and MBC, and to replace them with a new commission vested with sweeping punitive powers — including the authority to fine journalists and media organizations, suspend media licenses, block websites, and investigate past reporting.
It urged the Maldivian government, parliament, and other actors to reject this bill because it poses a grave threat to the constitutionally guaranteed rights to free speech, press freedom, and the right to information.
The proposed structure in the bill will pave the way for political appointees to spearhead the commission, and the members elected by the media can be dismissed by the parliament, raising grave concerns about independence and due process.
