Vital to help RaajjeTV for freedom of press: MDP
Media has a responsibility to bring news pertinent to public
MDP members in a Party rally: the Party had called on public to assist RaajjeTV in amassing funds to pay the MBC fine
Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has called on general public to assist RaajjeTV in amassing funds for the hefty penalty levied by Maldives Broadcasting Commission.
A statement released by the Party said it was the role of media to bring the voice of public and news pertinent to public and as such cannot be penalized for that. As such, the statement added that during this time of increased public resentment and criticism of current administration of President Abdullah Yameen, it was important there was a media that brought such issues to forefront.
Deeming such broadcasts as criminal offences and using that to penalize RaajjeTV, MDP noted, was a direct attack on the station. Therefore, the Party called on general public to assist in amassing funds for the station’s ‘Aburufulhu fund’.
MDP also criticized Maldives Broadcasting Commission (MBC) for their bias against RaajjeTV. This form of bias, the statement showed that the Commission had no integrity whatsoever.
MDP added that RaajjeTV was penalized three times over for broadcasting content that criticized the current regime and not cause of any defamation issues.
Criticism of any administration, it said, was part and parcel of any democratic nation. As such, any attempts to silence critics and criticism was sign of autocratic regimes.
Due to the attacks on RaajjeTV and other such developments, mean that there was no checks and balances in the media for the nation.
The statement added that the station was first penalized by MVR 250,000 and then by MVR 1 million. The third fine of MVR 500,000 came not even 24 hours after RaajjeTV marked four years to the arson attack on the station. This, the statement said, showed the penalties levied by RaajjeTV were unfair, biased and purely motivated by political reasons.
