The Ministry of Information in the Maldives has said it will allow private broadcasting by 3 May, World Press Freedom Day. Under the government’s ‘Roadmap for the Reform Agenda,’ the proposed completion date for the tabling of a bill on private broadcasting was 31 October last year. The Bill was tabled on 29 October, but has still not been debated.
The government blames the delay on the November 10 national protest called by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which was aborted at the last minute due to internal dissent in the party. The Ministry of Information now says that as the MDP has abstained from any further ‘revolution attempts,’ private broadcasting will be granted. “The situation has since then improved dramatically. Launching private broadcasting in the country is again being seriously considered by the Government,” says the Information Ministry.
The Ministry of Information’s web announcement has been met with some scepticism. Six comments have been left below their article. All of them express concerns that private broadcasting will prove unsustainable and ultimately not offer any plurality of opinion in the media.
Read the full story from Minivan News
(R Netherlands Media Network Weblog)