Committee tasked with selecting head of new Media Commission

The Parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee on Wednesday was tasked with selecting the person who will head the Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC) – a new commission created under a contentious new law that led to the dissolution of Maldives Broadcasting Commission (BroadCom) and Maldives Media Council (MMC).

The seven-member MMBC is composed of three members appointed by the Parliament and four elected by registered medias – two of whom represent broadcasters and two who represent online medias. The legislative assembly is also empowered to appoint the commission’s chairperson.

And all members, including those elected by medias, can be dismissed by the Parliament, in which the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) enjoys a supermajority.

On Wednesday, the Independent Institutions Committee was tasked with vetting the seven members of the MMBC to pick potential nominees to appoint as the commission’s chairperson.

The three members appointed by Parliament:

• Mohamed Farusath
•  Safa Shafeeq, the former president of BroadCom
•  Aminath Sarahath Izzath, a former member of BroadCom

The four members elected to MMBC:

• Hussain Sageef, former president of MMC
• Zamath Ahmed Waheed, former member of BroadCom
• Simaha Naseem, a journalist at Vaguthu
• Abdul Azeez Ibrahim

Four candidates from registered medias who applied to get elected to the commission automatically won their seats on September 7 after one of the only five candidates who applied dropped out of the race. They were formally appointed to the MMBC on October 13.

While journalists continue to protest against the new law as a direct threat to press freedom and a crackdown on dissent, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu’s administration touts it as important legislature that protects people from defamation, disinformation and misinformation, and paves the path for accountability in the media field.