Senior figures of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) staged a protest inside the headquarters of Public Service Media (PSM) on Monday, chanting political slogans and shouting inside the reception area in an incident staff say disrupted the operations of the state broadcaster.
According to PSM staff, members of the opposition party’s leadership entered the building and began chanting political slogans, creating fear among employees and obstructing the institution’s normal work.
The protest took place despite PSM formally informing the party that its Managing Director is currently overseas in Saudi Arabia performing Umrah and would only be available for a meeting later this month.
In a statement issued Monday, the broadcaster said the party had already been informed of the situation through official correspondence.
“Public Service Media (PSM) has responded to a request by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to meet with its Managing Director today at 13:00. Although the party was informed via a formal letter that the Managing Director is currently overseas in Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, and despite providing a clear explanation regarding the concerns raised, the MDP has continued to engage in activities that incite fear among the staff of the state media and obstruct its operations. PSM calls upon the MDP to immediately cease these actions, which hinder the functioning of an independent state media institution,” the statement said.
Earlier, in a letter addressed to MDP Chairperson Abdulla Shahid, PSM Deputy Managing Director Abdulla Yamin Rasheed proposed that the requested meeting be scheduled once the Managing Director returns to the Maldives later this month.
The letter also addressed concerns raised by the opposition regarding programming related to the upcoming national referendum scheduled to be held alongside the Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections.
PSM clarified that the programs currently aired are designed to provide technical and procedural information to the public about the referendum process. According to the broadcaster, discussions feature experienced former members of the People’s Special Majlis who were involved in constitutional processes rather than representatives of political parties.
The institution emphasized that no political party representatives have been invited to participate in these programs at this stage.
PSM also reiterated that it operates under the Public Service Media Act (Law No. 9/2015), which mandates the broadcaster to provide impartial, independent, and accurate information to the public.
The broadcaster further urged the MDP to refrain from spreading what it described as misinformation regarding the independence of the state media institution and warned against actions that could incite hostility toward its staff.
The confrontation comes amid heightened political tensions ahead of the upcoming referendum and the concurrent Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections.
