Monitoring the Majlis

The majlis, or parliament, met today and I went with Rilwan and Toofah to observe how the legislature is covered by TVM and VOM.
The first problem was getting in. Despite the huge population of NGO and foreign observers here, not many non-Maldivians visit the Majlis. The fact that a foreigner wanted to come in threw the security into a tailspin. After short wait I was finally given a badge, but the guards kept a pretty close eye on me. Toofah and I tried to observe from the gallery, but since you are not allowed to do anything in there but breathe, we were constantly hassled by security guards and finally asked to leave because we were carrying purses (that had been through the metal detector). The distinct feeling that I was unwelcome may explain why so few foreign observers are here to see the debate -- and lack of action -- on the issues the NGOs care about. Along with Rilwan and the technical crew, we squeezed in to the closet sized booth where TVM records the feed of the proceedings. There is a similar booth for radio.
The Q and A session with the Justice minister was broadcast live. Then there was debate on a number of bills that had to be delayed for anywhere from three to six months. Important topics like rights of the accused, the penal code, tsunami relief, and resort development. The reason was that members are not attending the committee meetings to get the bills ready for a vote. A couple of members made agitated speeches about the poor attendance. This debate is taped for broadcast after midnight on TVM, but Rilwan told me he is not allowed to use any soundbites on the news. This makes no sense to me. It's the public business on the public floor of the legislature!
Rilwan and crew have a pretty good relationship with the Majlis security, so they invited us to join them for "local breakfast," spicy fish and the "roshi" tortilla bread with some delicioius tea.
As I always say, you can't make good TV on an empty stomach.
Update: After checking around I learned that the restrictions were imposed after some members felt their soundbites from the floor debate were "taken out of context" on TV. After all, if the president's press releases were read in their entirety, why shouldn't the nation have to listen to every single word of the debate and not just the newsworthy part? Those days are over! I now can reassure Rilwan and all the other reporters that they can use the newsworthy soundbites from the floor in their packages and need not fear reprisals if they edit the remarks in a responsible way. Update: The next day, the Majlis adjourned for lack of a quorum so we showed the names of the members who were there in the morning but failed to show after the "interval." Also had soundbites from both sides of the aisle. For this, we gave Rilwan the "top tuna" award.