Ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) parliamentary group leader and Inguraidhoo MP Ibrahim Falah has assured that the government has no plans to regulate social media platforms under the proposed Media Regulatory Bill currently under committee review.

The bill, submitted by Thulhaadhoo MP Abdul Hannan Aboobakur, seeks to establish broad government oversight over media, defining “media” as television, radio, CDs, websites, newspapers, publications, and other registered and unregistered sources of news and information.

This has sparked public concern that the law could be extended to cover social media, threatening freedom of expression.

In a post on X, Falah defended the bill, emphasizing that it contains no provisions for regulating or restricting social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, or X.

Commenting on an upcoming opposition rally scheduled for October 3, Falah alleged that the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) was organizing the event in response to ongoing investigations into corruption by senior officials of its previous administration.

His remarks come at a time of heightened criticism of the Media Regulatory Bill from journalists and media groups.

Earlier this month, during a committee session to hear media representatives, all journalists present expressed concerns about the bill.

The Maldives Journalists Association (MJA) has also petitioned both the Parliament and the President’s Office to reject the bill, submitting signatures from more than 150 journalists.