Media can operate as usual at Parliament lobby, says Azalina

Umno's Pengerang MP and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said says a walkabout was done around the Parliament building on Monday with relevant authorities, including MPs and Public Works Department staff to discuss the issues at hand. – The Malaysian Insider pic, October 14, 2015.Media personnel covering parliamentary proceedings will be allowed to operate as usual from the parliament lobby, minister in charge of parliamentary affairs Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said today.

This followed The Malaysian Insider report this morning that new arrangements for press personnel would isolate them in a separate building away from where legislative sittings are held, limiting the media’s access to lawmakers while also making it harder for MPs to hold briefings.

The minister in the prime minister's department said the idea to relocate the media to the temporary building was due to space constraints as Parliament is currently being refurbished and that the suggestion was at the preliminary discussion stage.

She said a lengthy discussion on this matter as well as other issues was held on Monday, including a walkabout with various stakeholders such as representatives from Parliament, Public Works department, Works ministry and the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC).

"The temporary building seems to be an inconvenience for the media personnel due to the distance, also taking into consideration other factors, such as rain," she said, referring to the other building away from the legislative building.

"The media shall be placed as usual at the left side of the Dewan Rakyat lobby. While the right side of the lobby should be allocated to the government officers on duty, researchers, and MPs' officers," she said in a statement today.

However, she said the media room in the temporary building will be maintained, to accommodate the large number of people who will be in Parliament during the tabling of the 2016 Budget by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on October 23.

"There must be workstations on both sides of the lobby to give proper and convenient work space to all personnel and officers," she added.

She said a letter dated October 12 was sent to parliament's chief administrator Datuk Awang Alik Jeman on the latest development.

The initial plan to place the media covering parliamentary proceedings in a different building had been criticised by MPs from both sides of the divide, with PKR's Batu MP Tian Chua describing it as a move to stifle media freedom and not in line with parliamentary reforms proposed by speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia.

- TMI