Komandoo Constituency Member of Parliament and MediaNet Executive Director, Finance Ahmed Nashid (ADK Nashid) has fired back at President of Broadcasting Commission Mohamed Shaheeb.
Speaking in a ceremony in Champa Central Hotel Thursday evening, Nashid said the Commission must become more responsible and accountable prior to imposing heavy fines on broadcasters.
Shaheeb and some members of the Commission were in attendance at the time.
Speaking in the ceremony, Nashid said he was calling for the Commission to be more accountable. He added that his grievances were not over the issue of the penalty, adding that the company will pay the fine.
Noting that broadcasters in the country fulfilled their mandates in spite of significant challenges, Nashid said they needed the support and assistance of the Commission. However, he said the broadcasters only got hefty fines and called on the Commission to develop and strengthen the sector.
Referring to the Defamation Laws, Nashid said broadcasters were not aware of how they had defamed an individual. In such situations, he said that Broadcom took a very regressive stance, choosing to penalize rather than protect broadcasters. This, Nashid said must be stopped.
He noted that Defamation Laws severely curtailed freedom of speech. Nashid said this was deeply concerning, adding that he was speaking of this not just because Broadcom members were in audience, but also in his capacity as a Parliamentarian.
Shaheeb had not responded to the comments.
MediaNet on Tuesday was fined by the Commission by MVR 500,000 for rebroadcasting Al Jazeera’s ‘Stealing Paradise’.
Speaking to Raajje.mv, a member of the Broadcasting Commission confirmed the news adding that MediaNet had brought content on their channels that impacted on national security.
The Commission had also ordered MediaNet to issue a formal apology in addition to the fine.
MediaNet Head of Administration reported to Raajje.mv that the company is yet to be formally notified of fine.
Created by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, Stealing Paradise uncovers a $1.5 billion money laundering scam involving the country’s president and then vice president. The government of Maldives has denied the allegations made in the documentary. The documentary broadcast on September 7,2016 recently picked up an award for Corruption Reporting.
