President-Elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said on Monday night that he would propose the allocation of pledged state funding for the media to parliament's budget review committee.
Muizzu pledged to allocate a percentage of the state budget to develop the media and resolve financial constraints.
However, the funds were not allocated when the state budget for next year was proposed because discussions had not taken place with journalists, he said.
Muizzu also pledged to develop a media village in the Male' region to provide office space to operate media outlets.
He added that he did not have any intention to keep any information confidential in his government.
"I said there won't be anything for my government to hide. A person who comes to serve the public should not have anything to hide from the public. If the public asks for something, it should be clearly explained. God willing, I have formed a courageous team who would work with that philosophy. People who have the courage to work with that mindset would be in the cabinet and as heads of companies as well," he said.
"So what you should be certain of is that the government that begins on the 17th will be a government that would work transparently with you to answer all questions posed by journalists and provide all the information requested. I provide full assurance of that to you."
The media is in a state of "slavery" due to the dependence on sponsorship funds issued by government companies, Dr. Muizzu said on September 14 at a rally in Alif Dhaal Mahibadhoo during the presidential election campaign.
