Info minister rethinking live Dewan telecast

By TEH ENG HOCK and MANJIT KAUR
KUALA LUMPUR: Information Minister Datuk Shabery Cheek is thinking of scrapping the live telecast of the proceedings in Dewan Rakyat after the circus-like atmosphere in the first sitting of Parliament.
“That is the problem with live TV. People tend to play to the gallery. I will have to seriously reconsider whether to continue, or to stop it,” he said at the Parliament lobby on Wednesday.
Shabery said he would not allow the proceedings to be telecast live in full until the Opposition MPs start behaving like “first class MPs”.
“They act like third class MPs, which was proven today, and I feel that to broadcast it in full would be a waste of taxpayers' money. Maybe some people like to see the circus, but Parliament is not a circus,” he said.
Shabery said he was disappointed with Wednesday’s proceedings.
“What was supposed to be more substantial about Parliament - democracy and the people - has been sidelined.
“If I extend the live broadcast, then it would be like this (chaotic) all the time,” he said.


Doesn't the rakyat have the right to know how their elected reps. are doing in the house? If it is a circus, then let them know what kind of jokers that they elected to the House. To stop the live telecast would not change the quality of these jokers in the House while the live telecast would show these jokers how well they look on live TV.
The BN government has not learnt anything from the march 8 general election and thought that it controls everything including the state-run media. However, if it refuses to let the live telecast of parliament session, then it will have to deal with another political revolt from the rakyat. The Abdullah administration is shaky as it is now and god knows what will happen in the near future.

David Wong
30-04-2008