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BN, not the Opposition, should be blamed for there being no live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings
 

Media Statement
by Karpal Singh

(Kuala Lumpur, Wednesday): Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of Parliament Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, is barking up the wrong tree when saying it is the Opposition to blame for there being no live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings. On the contrary, it is the behaviour of Government MPs, Ministers and Deputy Ministers including the antics of Nazri himself which should be checked. Nazri has no moral right to blame the Opposition in there being no live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings. His temperamental and atrocious behaviour in attacking a high-ranking ACA officer recently deprives him of any right to criticize others. 

The Hansard reflects authoritatively the behaviour of Government MPs in the past including use of four letter words and sexist remarks. I challenge Nazri to meet up with me in Parliament House to peruse the Hansard which will back my allegations. 

Those who live in glass houses should draw up the curtains when undressing. I would have thought Nazri would have been well-versed with this adage. A Barisan Nasional MP is on record in Parliament to have uttered “If you see an Indian and a snake, you hit the Indian first!” When I protested, the Speaker did not order the MP concerned to withdraw the remark. 

There should be live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings so that the people can judge for themselves where the blame lies. In fact, live telecasts could well be the check against unparliamentary behaviour. Further, the people ought to know how their MPs perform in Parliament, particularly having regard to the short campaign period allowed during elections. Expense should not be the criteria. It is the public interest which demands there be live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings. A cost of RM100,000 is not too high a price to pay for what the public would want. The public response should be the criteria in determining whether live telecasts should be the order of the day, and not the opinion of MPs.

(5/5/2004)


* Karpal Singh, DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for Bukit Gelugor