Parliament picks Farushath for appointment as head of Media Commission

The Parliament on Monday voted in favor of appointing Mohamed Farushath as head of 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 Thursday, the Independent Institutions Committee, which vetted the seven members of the MMBC, recommended Farushath for appointment as the president of the commission.

The Parliament took the floor vote on his appointment on Monday.

A former member of the Civil Service Commission and former secretary-general of the MMC, Farushath passed the floor vote with a majority vote of 49-9.

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.