Govt transfers MVR 28 million media grant to new commission
Several media workers and members of the public had raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the process and the timing of the allocation.
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The government has decided to transfer the MVR 28 million allocated for financial assistance to 18 media outlets from the state budget to the newly established Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC).
The decision was announced on Thursday, following public concern over the earlier plan to distribute the funding through the Ministry of Youth Affairs, which announced the list of beneficiaries on Wednesday.
Several media workers and members of the public had raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the process and the timing of the allocation, given current economic conditions.
According to a gazette announcement by the Youth Ministry, the responsibility for managing the financial assistance will now be handed over to the MMBC.
The ministry stated that the rule governing media financial assistance had been developed during the process of merging the Maldives Media Council and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission to create a single regulatory body for the sector.
“The rule was formulated with the advice of relevant institutions. However, with the establishment of the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission, the Ministry considers the Commission to be the most appropriate authority to independently handle all matters related to financial assistance to the media,” the statement said.
The ministry confirmed that existing agreements with media outlets that had applied for financial assistance under the previous arrangement have been cancelled.
The Youth Ministry had been responsible for administering financial support to media organisations before the change.
According to the list released by the ministry, Sangu TV, which is associated with Youth Minister Mohamed Waheed, was set to receive MVR 3.8 million, while Sangu Online would receive MVR 1.3 million, totalling MVR 5.1 million.
The Press, owned by State Minister for Youth Affairs Ali Shamman, was also listed to receive MVR 1.3 million.
Several smaller media outlets with limited staff were also included among those approved to receive funding.
The rule governing the assistance programme was announced and opened for applications shortly after journalists launched a campaign opposing the proposed Media Control Commission Bill.
