The Ministry of Youth, Empowerment, Information and Arts has officially revoked its controversial MVR 27.9 million media grant policy, following what inside sources describe as presidential concern over fairness and transparency in the funding process.
According to the government gazette published today, the Ministry has nullified all previous declarations under the policy (2025/G-15) and transferred future responsibility for media funding to the newly established Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission (MMBC). This decision cancels the earlier list of 18 media outlets that had been approved for state funding.
Speaking to The Standard, sources close to President Dr Mohamed Muizzu said the decision was made after the President was briefed on widespread criticism from journalists, media owners and civil society. The sources indicated that the President instructed the Ministry to revoke the list and hand over the process to the MMBC “to pave the way for a fairer, more transparent and independent mechanism”.
The Ministry’s gazette acknowledged that several media entities had raised concerns over the policy and its implementation. It stated that while the guidelines were developed in consultation with relevant institutions during the merger of the Maldives Media Council and the Broadcasting Commission, the MMBC is now best positioned to handle all media-related assistance independently.
The revocation follows weeks of growing controversy. Multiple outlets, including The Standard, Vaguthu, Sauvees, Orca Media Group and Adhadhu, had criticized the selection process, citing unclear scoring criteria and potential conflicts of interest. Public scrutiny intensified after reports surfaced that The Press, linked to State Minister Ali Shamaan, had been among the top grant recipients with over MVR 1.34 million.
