Appointment of Media Commission President sent to Committee

Parliament has referred the appointment of a President for the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission to the Committee on Independent Institutions for review.

It was sent to the committee during today's Parliament sitting, for the committee to vet an individual and reach a conclusion.

Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC) will have a total of seven members, with three being appointed by Parliament, and four being elected via vote by the media. 

Parliament approved the appointment of three members: former member of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) and former Secretary General of the Media Council Mohamed Farshath, former President of the Broadcasting Commission Sofa Shafeeq and former member of the Broadcasting Commission Aiminath Sarahath Izzath.

The President's Office announced that these three members have been officially appointed today.

Although the remaining four members were meant to be elected by media vote, the low number of applicants eliminated the need for an election, resulting in automatic selection. These four members are Zam'ath Ahmed Waheed and Abdul Azeez Ibrahim from the broadcasting sector and Hussain Sageef and Simaha Naseem from the online media sector.

One of the seven commission members will be appointed by the committee as the President.

The Media Commission Bill was initially passed and applications announced amid protests from journalists and media organizations. Journalists fear the bill hands media regulation and oversight directly to the government.

Other concerns include that the parliament can appoint three members to the Media Commission, and that they hold the authority to dismiss all and any members of the commission.