Free press ensures good governance, says President Solih

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that a free media ensures good governance.

In a statement commemorating World Press Freedom Day, the president shed light on the importance of a free press, to democracy and good governance.

Going on to highlight that many issues assisting the government in several ways had been brought under the spotlight under the media’s vigilant reporting over the past three years, the president urged journalists to continue practicing reliability in reporting.

With this being said Solih has called on journalists to run thorough investigations into their stories, as well as rely on credible sources when reporting to the public.

Further noting that the scope of journalism goes beyond entertainment, the president said that media is responsible for providing fact-driven and accurate information to the public.

In this regard journalists have been urged to exercise their freedom with caution and practice avoiding defamation and slander when upholding their journalistic duties.

In his statement the president described journalism to be a national service and asked media to continue in the spirit of bringing progress to the country.

Highlighting that the most important drive for journalists should be leading the public furthest from false narratives and detrimental actions, the president noted that the Maldives media was in a “crippled” state earlier.

As such, Solih noted the progress Maldives made in the World Press Freedom Index since he assumed office in 2018, during the time Maldives was ranked 120 in the index. However, swift action by the Solih administration to ensure legislative freedom and ensure a conducive environment for journalists to work in had taken the country’s media to new heights, with Maldives climbed up to the 72nd position on the global index.

Recalling the many sacrifices made by Maldives journalists in their journey to achieve democratic freedom, the president acknowledged the lives lost in this pursuit.

One of President Solih’s first acts as president upon assuming office in November 2018 was to repeal the Anti-Defamation Act and form a presidential inquiry commission, the “Commission on Deaths and Disappearances”, tasked with investigating unresolved murders and disappearances, such as the murder cases of Minivan News journalist Ahmed Rilwan and blogger Yameen Rasheed.

Now incarcerated Former President Abdulla Yameen’s defeat by Solih during the 2018 presidential elections had risen hopes with President Solih's specific pledges to “improve press freedom” from the hostility to press freedom observed during Yameen's tenure.