MP Nazil: Press being suppressed to hold on to power; all ‘useless’ laws will be repealed

The Parliament’s minority leader Ibrahim Nazil has accused the People’s National Congress (PNC) administration of suppressing press freedom and dissent in an attempt to hold on to power, vowing that “all such useless laws” will be repealed once the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) comes back to power.

On Monday, Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakr, an independent lawmaker aligned with the government, submitted a new bill that seeks to dissolve the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom), replacing them with a single regulatory body — the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC).

According to the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Regulation Bill, the new seven-member commission will be composed of four members elected by the media and three appointed by the President with parliamentary approval, with the President also given the authority to appoint the commission’s head. It also empowers the MMBC to impose major penalties against media outlets as well as individual journalists, including during the investigative stage.

In an episode of SSTV’s ‘Baaru Hathareh’ on Tuesday night, Nazil alleged that the PNC administration has stopped a lot of services and projects the people want. He believes that this is the reason why the administration was forced to amend laws in order to extend the deadline for completion of nationwide water and sewerage services.

Nazil alleged that the administration “controls” the officials who provide public services, and is now attempting to “control” the press in order to suppress news articles regarding such cases.

“They are controlling the people who are there to provide public services. And now, they are trying to suppress the media outlets that are therefore to inform the people regarding this. These are all typical acts by people who want to hold on to power for a long time,” he said.

“The truth is clear to all. It is clear to many of the Maldivian what the reality is.”

Nazil, the representative for Addu Hithadhoo constituency, said that the recent trip by MDP’s parliamentary group to the Rasmale’ project site was a fact-finding mission by the party to show the people the truth.

He said the state has spent around MVR 500 million on reclamation works for the project.

“It is deeply concerning if media outlets get suspended and individual journalists get sanctioned in response to what they report,” he said.

Nazil said that this is something that the people who support the incumbent administration must also think deeply about.

Think about whether you would still want these laws in place if the government changes and another party comes to power, he said.

Nazil said that all such “useless” laws will be repealed once the MDP returns to power.

“We have been always saying that we will repeal all such useless laws when or if we return to power,” he said.

The new media control bill follows a similar one submitted by Hannan back in November 2024, which was later withdrawn following pushback from media outlets. The new bill empowers the proposed commission to impose major penalties against media outlets as well as individual journalists, including during the investigative stage. This includes:

• Fines of MVR 5,000 -25,000 against journalists for failure to comply with the commission’s instructions.
• Fines of up to MVR 100,000 against media outlets and magazines for legal violations.
• Temporary suspension of registrations during ongoing commission probes.
• Permanently revoking registrations through the courts.
• Blocking websites during ongoing probes.
• Ordering the cessation of broadcasting.

But while the MMC, the Maldives Journalists Association and the opposition protest against the new media bill as a threat to press freedom, it is backed by the government, which insists the legislature is designed to empower the press and protect press freedom.