President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's recommendations for appointment to the now-vacant position of Information Commission have been sent to review to the Parliament Committee on Independent Institutions.
The President recommended three names for the appointment, ranked by preference.
The names of those preferred for the position by President Solih are as follows;
1. Uz. Shiham Mohamed Waheed / Male' Registry No. 5143
2. Uz. AHmed Ahid Rasheed / H. Guruva
3. Mariyam Aleem / G. Dhaasthaan
The names were sent for approval in order of preference by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the Parliament Committee on Independent Institutions.
The position of Information Commissioner had been made vacant after former Information Commissioner Hussain Fiyaz Moosa resigned from office on 21 March 2021. Fiyaz was appointed as the Information Commissioner by President Solih on 31 October 2019, and is reported to have resigned from his position in order to run a private news publication.
Information Commissioner’s Office was established by the president on 13th July 2014 with the approval of the People’s Majlis under the Article 29 of the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives.
The Information Commissioner’s Office was established to uphold the right of the public interest of acquiring and dissemination of the information, in addition to encouraging the enforcement of open governance among the state institutions. Apart from this, the Information Commissioner's Office also enforces the Right to Information Act and administers the regulations that come under the RTI Act.
Prior to his resignation, Hussain Fiyaz Moosa had, in his capacity as Information Commissioner, appealed to the public in January to familiarize themselves with the rights afforded to them under the RTI Act, and said it would be a key tool in holding government institutions accountable and ensuring transparency in the use of public funds.
