Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts Ibrahim Waheed has stated that there is no reason for journalists to be concerned about the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill passed by the Independent Institutions Committee of the People’s Majlis. The Minister said this while speaking at the “Media Forum” held regarding the Media Bill passed by the Majlis yesterday. Speaking at the “Media Forum”, Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts Ibrahim Waheed said that all concerns raised by journalists about the Media Bill were heard, and amendments were made to address those concerns after consulting with the Attorney General. As such, the Minister said that the bill passed by the committee would address all concerns of journalists.
The Minister noted that even after submitting the amendments, he spoke on the phone with some journalists who expressed concerns against the bill, and those journalists also said they had no further concerns. However, the Minister pointed out that those journalists requested to delay passing the bill, and he noted that there was no reason to delay if there were no concerns. “I spoke to journalists asking what solution should be brought. But journalists say to park the bill. What should we park it for? All the amendments they asked for have been made. Journalists said that while investigating media issues, media licenses should not be suspended. We’ve removed that clause too. Now action will only be taken after the investigation is completed,” the Minister said.
At the “Media Forum”, opinions were expressed by individuals who have worked in Maldivian journalism for a long time. Adam Haleem (Mundu), who has served in the field of journalism for many years, said that solutions can only be found through differences of opinion and that ultimately everything should be done within certain limits. He said that journalism should also be done within certain boundaries and that there are no obstacles to practicing journalism. Adam Haleem said that there are now much more opportunities for free journalism compared to before. “Previously, if it was news about the judiciary, we had to go to court to proofread the news. After proofreading, we had to go back to court to show the headline. We had to show it to the court before going to print,” Adam Haleem said.
Mohamed Shaheeb, who has served in the field of journalism for more than 35 years, said that no matter how much freedom journalists have, they should not infringe on someone’s dignity. He also said that monitoring media for this purpose is not a violation of press freedom. “If human dignity can be stripped away through journalism, we need to question whether that’s the most just way. Journalists also have responsibilities. They need to fulfill those responsibilities,” Mohamed Shaheeb said. Murushid Abdul Hakeem, who has worked in the field of journalism for more than 10 years, said that after having 7 members appointed by the President to the Broadcasting Commission, it is a great advancement for journalism that independent journalists will be appointed to the Media Regulatory Commission created with the new bill. He also questioned whether those who are talking about this as a step backward are doing so to achieve a specific agenda.
“In my experience, this is the government that works most strongly for press freedom and journalists’ rights. Previously, as soon as you sat down, they would tell you that you could only ask 1 or 2 questions. They would give the microphone and then take it away. However, they gave the opportunity for journalists to ask whatever questions they wanted. They give the opportunity to ask questions in front of the President’s Office. There is no bill submitted to the Majlis that anyone needs to be worried or concerned about,” Murushid said. The “Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation” bill currently submitted to the Majlis is a bill proposed to promote and develop the freedom of journalism in the Maldives, maintain press freedom, prevent the spread of false news, and to establish principles for media and journalists to operate in a way that ensures responsible use of rights granted by the Constitution.
