President Dr Mohamed Waheed has said that today, no media was under the control of the government, and the freedom of expression was being fully observed in the Maldives.
The President made this remark, while addressing the local media personnel today on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day. Noting that this was the first time in the history of the Maldives that there was no state owned radio, TV station, newspaper, or magazine, the President said that following assumption of office, one of his first priorities was to hand over the state TV and radio stations to the Maldives Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), as per the constitution.
In his speech, President Waheed reiterated that this government would give importance to fully empowering all the institutions to ensure an ideal democratic system in the country.
Highlighting the broad extent of the freedom of expression in the country, the President said that when expressing one’s views, the freedom should not be misused in a way that others’ rights are neglected. The President also noted that there was ample scope for improvement in the democratic system of the Maldives as it was still at a very early stage.
President Waheed expressed his appreciation to the media personnel for their professionalism in passing on information to the people, and conveyed his sincere greetings on the occasion of the World Press Freedom Day.
