Abdullah Shahid, president of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and former foreign minister, characterized September 16th as a day that led the entire parliament towards ruin.
This statement followed the passage of the controversial media bill by the 20th parliament, which is dominated by a supermajority from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).
Speaking at the MDP National Assembly on Wednesday evening, Shahid, who also served as Speaker of the 17th Parliament, asserted that the government had misinformed the public at every stage of the media bill's progression, beginning with its introduction. He highlighted the government's claim that the bill was initiated by an independent member.
Shahid referenced the statement made by Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Ahmed Nazim, on Tuesday during the media bill's vote. Nazim had stated that the bill was moved "on behalf of the government,  by the independent member of Thulhaadhoo constituency, Abdul Hannan Abubakr."
“The President had stated directly that he had no knowledge of the bill before its submission. The ministers were saying that this was a bill submitted by an independent MP and they would make all the necessary changes. In the end, the cat came out of the bag when the bill was finally put to vote,” Shahid elaborated.
Referencing the media forum held on September 13th, Shahid noted that government officials who attended the forum attempted to persuade the public that the bill would not impact the activities of the public or social media.
However, Shahid recalled the derogatory remarks made by PNC Parliamentary Group Leader and Inguraidhoo Constituency Member Ibrahim Falah during the debate on the bill’s report. According to Shahid, these remarks revealed to the public that the media bill was passed with the intent to commit an great atrocity.
Consequently, Shahid urged President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu to reconsider ratifying the media bill.
MDP president and former foreign minister Abdullah Shahid speaking at the party's National Assembly meeting on September 17, 2025. (Photo/MDP)
He argued that the bill infringes upon constitutional provisions related to freedom of expression, freedom of the press, freedom of access to information, and freedom of information, emphasizing that the constitution includes clauses safeguarding fundamental rights.
Shahid stated that Article 16 of the Constitution mandates the safeguarding of any rights or freedoms to the extent they can exist in a free and democratic society, while also allowing for the retention of rights to protect and maintain Islamic principles. He further stated that the President would not find any provisions exceeding these limits.
According to Shahid, the optimal approach to address the issues within the bill is through informed and intellectual discourse.
"As my predecessors said just now, the bill was passed in violation of all the rules of the Parliament; given 27 minutes to provide amendments to the bill, the bill was tabled for one minute," he stated. "Then, following that path, this Tuesday was the day that our most honorable institution walked the path of ruination.”
Therefore, Shahid advocated for the immediate withdrawal of the bill and for the government to return to the principles of the Constitution.
He also referenced the repeal of the Defamation Act, which was passed by the former President Abdullah Yameen’s government and subsequently repealed by the previous MDP government's majority parliament. Shahid asserted that if the current media bill were to become law, the next MDP administration would similarly repeal it.