بســم اللّـه الرّحمـن الرّحيــم
اَلحَمْـدُ لِلّـهِ رَبّ العَـالَمِـين، وَالصّـلاة وَالسّلام علـى محـمَّدٍ وَعلـى آلـه وَصَحْبِـهِ أجمـعـين
Minister of Economic Development, Honourable Mohamed Saeed, President of the AIBD General Conference and Advisor to IRIB, Dr Abbas Naseri, Director of AIBD, Mr. Chen Jin, Chairman of the Public Service Media, Mr. Ibrahim Umar Manik, Managing Director of Public Service Media PSM our friend Mr. Ibrahim Khaleel, Deputy Managing Director and Chairman of Broadcasting Commission, Members who are present from other Countries, Organisations, Distinguished dignitaries, Ladies and Gentlemen,
السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
A very good evening to you all.
Let me join our Deputy Managing Director to welcome the sunny side of Maldives. We are always at the sunny side. We can see there is no one can tell no today, because we have seen sunny side of life today. There is no rain. There is no wind. Even the sea was as smooth as a carpet. This is where I think you should have more of this AIBD meeting. This is the best place to have AIBD meeting. I think PSM should organise such conferences again in Maldives, maybe the one that have every year. The next time maybe we should organise here.
So I am very pleased for the invitation to speak here today. It is both a privilege and an honor for me to meet the media personal of the Asia-Pacific region, and to host the 16th AIBD General Conference. This is a rear chance for me to get to meet the people from media. So I would again say this is an honor for me.
In democratic societies, the media wields much power over the dissemination of current affairs. Its clout in breaking news and influencing opinions is uncontested.
Given media’s ability to reach every nook and crook of society, especially in a technology advanced and globalized world, it has a vast potential to have a catalyzing effect on nation-building. Media enables a participatory form of democracy and governance. For this reason, very often our media people always say media is the fourth pillar of democracy. The tool of fourth pillar of democracy. So we should keep this pillar going on.
The Government of Maldives recognizes the vital role media can play in the development of this nation. Like every other developing country, Maldives is faced with challenges in creating and expanding a media platform that propagates valid and reliable information, and encourages constructive dialogue.
Social media offers a level of flexibility that traditional media does not afford. The main distinguishing feature of new media, especially social media, is the much higher level of interaction. This is an essential pre-requisite for inclusive discussions; discussions that culminate in informed decisions and holistic change, by incorporating lived experiences of people from all walks of life.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The purpose of media is not to depress and dishearten citizens, but to motivate, encourage and inspire the Nation for the society as a whole. In fact, it should pave way for the future generations.
This is I would say where intergovernmental organizations like the AIBD come into the picture. It can provide small states likes Maldives an opportunity to strengthen the efficiency of media for the betterment of the country.
While AIBD is mandated to achieve a vibrant and cohesive electronic media environment in the Asia-Pacific region, through policy and resource development, the challenges of monitoring the social media should be made a priority. How it should be made priority? I think we can discuss this in the forum.
With social media as a rapidly growing medium to disseminate information and news, the member countries should consider ways to blend in and integrate traditional media with this new media. As our DMD has mentioned we are in need to train more technical experts to attain this target. I am sure this gap which would hopefully bridge in due course of time.
I thank on behalf of Government of Maldives and on behalf of the President our heartfelt gratitude towards AIBD for the organizations’ continuous support in providing consultancy, assistance and training opportunities to build media professionals in Maldives and also in member countries. I think it is the time for to give applause for AIBD. I think this is not the time to speak much more. So I will conclude.
I hope this conference would be a very fruitful platform to discuss existing challenges and further opportunities, to bolster our efforts in creating an enabling environment for media to function freely and responsibly.
Thank you all for your attention.
والسّلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته