A sad day for Maldivian democracy: Solih

Former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that with the passing of the Media Regulation Bill from Parliament yesterday, it can be said that it was one of the saddest days for Maldivian democracy.

Former President Solih stated via a social media post that freedom of press has been lost with President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu hastening the approval of the bill with the PNC Parliament supermajority.

"It is clear that the passing of the bill shows that the government has no respect for the democratic rights of civilians, all the while being aware of the concerns that journalists, political parties, media, civil societies and the common people have regarding the bill," Solih stated.

As per Solih, MDP will be working against the bill. He also said that the party will continue to work to protect the social and political rights of Maldivian civilians.

While journalists and media organizations were expressing their concerns, a 60-member for-vote saw the bill pass yesterday during an extraordinary sitting. On the day the bill is ratified, the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) will be abolished, with the Media Commission being introduced in their stead.

The biggest concern journalists had regarding the bill proposed by independent Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakuru was a penalty between MVR 5,000 and MVR 25,000 regarding complaints that can go as far back as one year. This article has since been removed from the bill as the Parliament approved it last night.

As per the article in the bill that describes steps that will be taken against media organizations and journalists, it stipulates that if any party is in violation with the described disciplinary code, they are to issue a public apology. They are also to, at a time and manner told by the commission, release a public statement where they take back what they have done or amend their mistake.

According to the bill, if any piece of information obtained from a source is deemed untrue, the party responsible must apologize upon learning of its inaccuracy. The source that disclosed the information must also come out and publicly apologize or publicly correct it themselves.

The commission-to-be will have the power to notify broadcasters or media organizations or journalists to publicly apologize if such a case arises. And if they don't comply, the commission will have the power to take further steps against them.

As per the bill, if a news publication were to violate the disciplinary code determined by the commission, action will be taken depending on the severity of the issue and whether there have been repeat offenses. The bill states that a fine ranging between MVR 5,000 and MVR 100,000 will be imposed on media organizations.

The bill also stated that if a newspaper or magazine publication is deemed a danger to religion, national security, public systems or public health, the party responsible for disseminating the information can be brought to a halt via state institutions. This article still brings concern to journalists.

With the ratification of the bill, out of the seven appointed members of the newly formed commission, the Parliament will have the authority to appoint three of them. This has also been a cause of concern for journalists. Along with that, journalists have also said that penalization of media organizations is a way to control them.

The media bill was passed as journalists were protesting the diminishing of journalism and its rights. Journalists were protesting outside Parliament from 8:30am to 7:00pm, at which time the bill was passed. The journalists then took to the streets for further protests until 8:30pm. At the same time, there were a group of other people outside the Parliament building calling for the approval of the bill. 

The American Embassy in Maldives posted on X last night regarding the approval of the bill along with its amendments and the concerns journalists have. It advocates for journalists to get freedom of expression. The embassy has called on Maldives and other countries to maintain the right to free speech.