MMC writes to President asking not to ratify media bill

The 20th Parliament, which has a clear majority of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), passed the media bill on Tuesday, and the Maldives Media Council has sent a letter to President Dr Mohamed Muizzu on Wednesday, asking him to not ratify it.

The MMC wrote in its letter voicing concerns on how the bill was passed by parliament on Tuesday despite concerns voiced by the Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom), Human Rights Commission of Maldives (HRCM), Bar Council, journalists, Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) and international organizations advocating freedom of the press.

MMC also noted how it had from the beginning called for a broader consultation and a more participatory research process if the government truly wanted in good faith to find a permanent solution to media-related issues.

However, the parliament, which concluded its second session this year and went on leave in mid-August, proceeded with the bill at a quick pace conducting extraordinary sittings, and MMC said that this will cause further problems to stem from it.

"If this bill becomes law, it will control the media instead of regulating it. It will restrict freedom of the press and allow for the introduction of tools that can be used to silence critical voices”, MMC said.

Noting how important a part the media plays in every democracy, the MMC also added that the bill would curb investigative and accountable journalism powers as a watchdog against corruption and abuse of power.

The result of such a law would be a significant decline in Maldives' ranking in the global press freedom index.

Noting that MMC will be abolished once the bill is passed, the council wrote in its letter that the spirit of free journalism will remain nonetheless.

The 20th Parliament, dominated by a clear PNC majority, passed the media bill on Tuesday during an extraordinary session. The bill, introduced by pro-government, but independently elected MP Abdul Hannan Abubakr from Thulhaadhoo, faced significant opposition from a large number of journalists.

Protests initiated by MDP members at the start of the session led to the removal of several party members from Parliament. Following these removals, the PNC's supermajority proceeded to pass the media bill as it had been approved by the committee.

Sixty members voted in favor of the bill, with only Velidhoo MP Mohamed Abbas casting a dissenting vote.

A petition signed by 151 journalists was rejected by the parliamentary committee, which maintained that the concerns raised had been addressed through amendments to the bill. Furthermore, PNC members and the government have promoted the bill as a 'reputation protection' measure.

Despite amendments to the bill, journalists continue to protest over various concerns. As such, journalists have been calling for the bill to be withdrawn. Despite their voices, the parliament passed the bill, and now they are appealing to the President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to not ratify it, so that it becomes law.

Speaking during a program broadcasted by state media on Tuesday evening, Ibrahim Waheed (Asward), who previously worked as a journalist, acknowledged that the bill contained “controlling” characteristics when it was initially submitted by Hannan. He affirmed that these provisions have been removed from the bill to transform it to a legislature aimed at regulating the media.

He said the day he first saw the the original media bill was a mix of the most recent bills formulated by Maldives Media Council (MMC) and Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom).

He noted that he met with journalists regarding the bill, during which numerous concerns were brought up. He added he had assured them those concerns would be addressed before the bill is passed, provided he remains in office.