Gov’t Has No Plans to Regulate Media or Internet, Says Spokesperson

The Spokesperson at the President’s Office, Heena Waleed, said today that the government does not plan to introduce a bill to regulate the internet or the media.

This statement was made in response to rumours circulating after the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and parliamentarian for Dhiggaru constituency Ahmed Nazim said in an interview with an online media in the Maldives that he is working on a bill to regulate the internet and media. In the interview, published on YouTube on Friday, the legislator said this was a personal project, and most of the legwork on it was done. He noted that once the parliament reopens for the term, he plans to submit it to the parliament.

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In a post on X, Heena said in Dhivehi, that the government has no plans to introduce such a bill and neither do they have any plans to introduce one in the future.

“As previously mentioned, since the media became deregulated, the government’s stand is to allow for the media to self-regulate,” she said on X.

ނޫސްވެރިކަމާ އިންޓަރނެޓް ރެގިއުލޭޓް ކުރާ ބިލެއް ތަޢާރަފް ކުރާކަށް ސަރުކާރުން އެެއްވެސް މަސައްކަތެއް ނުކުރޭ. ސަރުކާރުގެ ލެޖިސްލޭޓިވް އެޖެންޑާގައިވެސް އެފަދަ ބިލެއް ހިމެނިފައި ނުވާނެ. ކުރިއަށްއޮތް ތަނުގައިވެސް އެފަދަ ބިލެއް ތަޢާރަފް ކުރުމުގެ ވިސްނުމެއްނެތް. ކުރިންވެސް…— Heena Waleed (@MvSpokesperson) January 26, 2025

She asserted that the freedom of the press has been a policy priority since they took office.

President Mohamed Muizzu said on November 13 last year that it is not the government’s policy to regulate the media. This statement was made when a similar bill was submitted to the parliament that day proposing the dissolution of the Maldives Media Council (MMC) and the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (Broadcom) in order to form a proposed Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission.

Nazim’s Proposed Bill for Media Regulation

MP Nazim said he had looked into similar bills proposed globally to build upon the bill for media and internet regulation. He believes that Broadcom and MMC have overlapping responsibilities. His vision is that instead of having separate ones that carry out similar responsibilities, they should have a singular one under which they all fall.

He said he looked into the multi-media model used by Malaysia when writing this bill. 

Nazim said it is important to regulate the internet as well, citing the need to regulate social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and the messaging application Telegram.

“America went so far as to ban Tiktok for a reason as well, right?” he said in Dhivehi, referring to the United States’ Tiktok ban on January 19. The ban lasted less than 12 hours before it was reinstated. 

He said he hoped this bill would be something the media can accept and the government would support.