Dewan Rakyat Speaker says media have to make sacrifices in parliamentary coverage amid pandemic

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 5): Speaker of Dewan Rakyat Datuk Azhar Azizan Harun (pictured) called upon members of the media to make sacrifices and accept Parliament's decision to restrict coverage of Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara proceedings to 15 media agencies.

Speaking in the August House today, Azhar said that the decision to restrict the number of media agencies allowed in the building to cover proceedings was made by parliamentary administrators who had studied the current situation.

“Prior to Covid-19, there were 137 members of the media who attended parliamentary sittings. The Parliament administration needed to cut that to 60 members of the media, so they handpicked which media would get to attend,” he said. 

He was responding to a question posed by Kuala Langat Member of Parliament (MP) Datuk Dr Xavier Jayakumar about why only specific media organisations were allowed to cover parliamentary proceedings.

“This was their decision (of the parliamentary administrators). I feel everyone needs to sacrifice,” he said. 

Referring to the Sabah lawmakers who had to self-quarantine for 14 days and not returned to their constituencies following the Covid-19 outbreak there, he added: "I feel bad for them, so we must sacrifice. The media must also make that sacrifice."

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