PNC parliamentary group declares 'full support' for media bill

Parliamentary group leader of the ruling Progressive National Congress (PNC), Ibrahim Falaah, has announced full support for the government’s Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill.

Speaking during Wednesday’s extraordinary sitting of Parliament, Falaah, the MP for Inguraidhoo constituency, said he fully endorsed the bill and did not believe it posed an obstacle to media operations.

“If you explain this bill in detail, a person who works well should not be afraid. It is not because there is a media bill that journalists were imprisoned in previous governments,” he said.

Falaah defended the legislation by citing personal experiences, saying he had been subjected to defamatory content spread by the media. He referred to a video circulated portraying him falsely, which, he said, caused distress to him and his family.

He argued that those who spread false information should face legal consequences and described those opposing the bill as working against the country’s interests.

Falaah also commended Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Abubakar, who introduced the bill, and said it could be amended during the committee stage if journalists presented constructive input.