MJA to boycott media commission polls, form self-regulatory body

The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) has announced that it will boycott the election of members to the newly created Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC), established under the Media Regulation Act ratified on Thursday. The association also said it will move ahead with forming its own self-regulatory committee.

President Mohamed Muizzu ratified the bill on Thursday despite repeated calls from journalists, local media, and international organisations to withhold approval.

Following the ratification, the MJA held an emergency meeting with members and constituents, where participants agreed on several measures in response to the new law.

Key decisions included:

A five-member committee has been appointed to begin work on the proposed self-regulatory system.

Participants in the meeting also discussed continued public action against the law. The MJA announced that a rally titled Fulstop will be held at 8:30 pm.

With the new Act in force, the Broadcasting Commission (Broadcom) and the Maldives Media Council (MMC) have been dissolved. Under the law, the MMBC will regulate the media and will consist of seven members — three appointed by Parliament and four elected by the media. However, Parliament retains the authority to remove the four media-elected members.

Until the MMBC is formally constituted, the Civil Service Commission has been tasked with running a temporary five-member interim body.