Fayyaz: Best defense against slander is sincere service, not suppression of free speech

The best way politicians can protect themselves from slander is by providing sincere service, not by suppressing free speech, says Fayyaz Ismail, the chairperson of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

In his address at the National Day reception earlier on Sunday, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu expressed concern over the loss of age-old values such as respect for one another – values that he said were crucial to preserving Maldives’ national identity. He added that all rights and freedoms have limitations, and that no one has the right to say or write whatever they want.

The remarks came as his administration faces criticism for backing a new media bill that both local and international media agencies slam as a threat to press freedom in the Maldives.

Fayyaz took to social media platform X to criticize the remarks on Sunday afternoon, commenting that it is the dream and goal of all leaders who aspire to rule as dictators to ensure that the people do not learn of the wrongdoings they commit.

“Suppressing political dissent in the name of protecting national identity and reputation is a tactic such leaders use,” he said. “What protects a politician from slander is their sincere service, not suppressing freedom of speech and freedom of the press.”

Fayyaz vowed that all laws aimed at suppressing freedom of speech and free press will be repealed when the MDP returns to power.

“Autocratic and deceitful leaders will shut down journalists and news outlets that report their wrongdoings and corruption, and violate the rights of the people. All laws passed by the Muizzu administration to suppress freedom of expression and lock up journalists and media outlets will be repealed by the next MDP administration,” he said.

Fayyaz also referred to alleged attempts during former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to suppress press freedom.

“We saw a leader attempt to do the same thing in the past. God willing, this current attempt will also fail,” he said.

The remarks come as President Muizzu’s administration faces criticism for backing a contentious media control bill submitted to the Parliament last week by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakr, an independent lawmaker aligned with the government.

The bill that seeks to dissolve the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom), replacing them with a single regulatory body — a seven-member Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC), composed of four members elected by the media and three appointed by the President with parliamentary approval, with the President also given the authority to appoint the commission’s head. It also empowers the MMBC to impose major penalties against media outlets as well as individual journalists, including during the investigative stage.

But while journalists' associations such as the MMC, the Maldives Journalists Association and even the International Journalists Assocuation protest against the new media bill as a threat to press freedom, it is backed by the government, which insists the legislature is designed to empower the press and protect press freedom.