MMC urges president not to ratify media bill
It called for a national-level consultation and research process with multi-stakeholder participation to address media-related challenges.
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The Maldives Media Council (MMC) has urged President Mohamed Muizzu not to approve the Media Control Bill recently passed by Parliament.
The bill was passed by the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), which holds a majority in Parliament. The MMC noted that parliamentary rules of procedure were not properly followed during the process.
According to regulations, the time and agenda of a session must be announced six hours in advance. In this case, the session time was sent to members only an hour before, and the agenda was announced less than a minute before the session began. The meeting was announced on Monday without further details, and the Parliament website remained inaccessible from the afternoon until the start of the session. Legal recommendations from the council general to the committee reviewing the bill were also not made public.
Following a meeting on Wednesday, the Media Council stated that concerns had been raised by stakeholders since the bill’s introduction. These include the Broadcasting Commission, Human Rights Commission, Bar Council, the Maldives Journalists Association (MJA), and international organisations advocating for press freedom.
The Council confirmed it has written to President Muizzu requesting that he withhold approval. It called for a national-level consultation and research process with multi-stakeholder participation to address media-related challenges. The MMC also expressed concern that the bill was passed while Parliament was in recess.
The statement warned that if enacted, the law would place media under control rather than regulation, restrict press freedom, and enable measures that could suppress critical voices. The MMC added that this could affect the Maldives’ position in the Press Freedom Index.
Journalists have expressed dissatisfaction with the amendments made in committee and during the parliamentary debate, saying key concerns remain unresolved. Among their demands are that the Media Council be composed solely of members representing newspapers and the media, and that neither government nor Parliament should regulate the press.
The bill also includes provisions extending regulation to social media and online platforms, as electronic resources continue to be defined broadly to include the internet. The MJA has requested four months to study the bill and propose amendments to the Media Council Act.
