Media Commission seeks SG for MVR 35,000 salary

Civil Service Commission (CSC) has made an announcement seeking a secretary general for 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).

CSC has opened application for a secretary general for MMBC.

Prospective applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree in journalism, broadcasting, policy planning or management, or they must have at least five years of experience in the media field.

They must be 30 years all and shall not be a member of a political party nor the head or an editor at a media outlet.

The secretary general is appointed for a term of five years and will receive a salary of MVR 35,000, accounting for MVR 25,500 in basic salary and MVR 15,000 in allowances.

Application forms must be submitted to CSC office before 14:00pm on next Tuesday.

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.

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.

Parliament gave approval to the three candidates out of the 10 applicants who passed the interview after scoring above 75 points on Wednesday.

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.