“Press freedom in the Maldives is a fast-moving work in progress”, says the President

The President today said that press freedom in the Maldives was a fast-moving work in progress. He made the statement in his keynote address at the meeting held to commemorate World Press Freedom Day. The meeting was held at Dharubaaruge this morning.

In his keynote address, the President highlighted the remarkable transformation in the media sector of the Maldives recently. He stressed that training has been one focus area in the Government’s efforts to strengthen the country’s media.

In his address, the President also made a note of his interest in the field of journalism. He said that he had written to newspapers and magazines since he was a student in Egypt. Further, he said that he had established some newspapers and magazines after returning to the Maldives and had also been the editor of one of the newspapers published at the time. The President also noted that he was still the editor of a weekly periodical, which has been in circulation for the past 20 years.

Speaking on the importance of information to human progress, the President said, “Not only do they open our minds and advance intellectual achievements, but they also provide the basis for social and economic organisation. In the area of governance, the right to information is the modern standard. Holding governments accountable, as well as advancing the public interest, requires transparency. A free press is a watchdog of the public interest.”

The President said that the media’s role in protecting the public interest made it obligatory for the state to promote media freedom. “From this, it follows that there are ethical and moral standards and values that must be upheld for a free and responsible press”, emphasised the President.

In his welcome remarks, the Minister of Information and Arts, Mr. Mohamed Nasheed said that Press Freedom Day was a day marked by UNESCO to celebrate press freedom, raise awareness on violations of the rights to free expression, remember the sacrifices that journalists around the world make and to underline the importance of media in the process of democracy and development.

Noting that this was the first time that the Maldives’ Government was celebrating a press freedom day, Minister Nasheed said that it reflected the direction of the President’s democratic reform agenda and the transformation that was taking place across the media landscape. Further, he noted that the President’s presence at the meeting paid testimony to his commitment to the democratic reform agenda and his attention to building a free and responsible media in the Maldives.

Speaking at the meeting the Secretary General of Asian Media Information and Communication Centre (AMIC), Dr. Indrajit Banerjee, expressed his deep appreciation to the President for gracing the meeting.

The Regional Director for Information and Communication at the UNESCO, Ms Jocelyn Josiah delivered the vote-of-thanks at today’s meeting.

Source: Aafathis