The parliament on Wednesday passed the amendment to the Public Service Media Act, to accord the power of appointing and dismissing members of PSM's governing board solely to the president.
The bill lobbied by Hoarafushi MP Mohamed Ismail of ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), was passed by the votes of 33 lawmakers in favour. One MP abstained from the vote.
Prior to passing the bill, Speaker Abdulla Maseeh had submitted to take the vote despite lacking the quorum. His submission was passed by 31 lawmakers.
The newly passed amendment transfers the authority to appoint and dismiss members of PSM's governing board, from the parliament to the Privatization Board, which is convened by the president. This includes the power to appoint the chairman, managing director and deputy managing director of PSM's governing board.
The amendment also dictates a change to the number of members on PSM's board from seven to five members, while decreasing the members' terms from seven to four years. However individual members can be appointed to the board for two terms.
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