Media ends Parliament boycott

Journalists have called off their boycott after regaining access to the Parliament lobby, which was cordoned off yesterday.

This morning journalists were able to move freely in the Parliament lobby and mingle with MPs after being barred from the area.

Backbenchers Club chairperson Tiong King Sing also told journalists that they will not be stopped from carrying out their duties in the lobby.

"The situation is back to normal," reported a senior Malaysiakini journalist.

This was in contrast with the situation yesterday when more than 100 journalists found that they were not allowed into the lobby area which was barricaded with red tapes and manned by security staff.

Speaker: Stick to your ethics

In a press conference held this afternoon, Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia was non-committal to questions whether the ban imposed on the media has been totally lifted.

"I would be seen like a loser if I said the ban is lifted," he said.

He however added that the press was free to move around the Parliament lobby but they have to draw a line in "accordance with the media ethics".

"You are free to do your job, but do your job wisely in the means of comfort between the MPs and (yourself). It's not the question of banning the access, (but) is it rude to intermingle with their (privacy)", he told reporters.

Pandikar also explained that he would not compromise with security and it would be a security breach if the press ‘hindered' their job as MPs.

"Do you think they (MPs) would like that? Some of them might not be comfortable," he stressed.

Parliament secretariat had said that the barriers were up for the sake of security.

The barricades have restricted the journalists from moving around freely in the lobby to interview parliamentarians.

The lobby is used by MPs as a meeting point and they often call impromptu press conferences in the area.

The journalists subsequently decided to organise a boycott, deciding only to cover the debates in the House's chamber.

PM, DPM affected by boycott

As a result, several press conferences called by opposition as well as BN MPs were not covered by the journalists.

The protest by the journalists has affected scheduled press conferences called by the Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as well as Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

The barriers which prohibited the journalists from entering the lobby area were physically removed by several backbenchers led by Bung Moktar Radin (BN-Kinabatangan) yesterday afternoon.

This morning the barriers were not put back, and security staff did not stop journalists from entering the lobby area.

No more guests at lobby

Pandikar also did not clarify if the five quota policy - where a media corporation is only allowed five representatives in Parliament - will continue to be in effect.

He however said that it should not be an insult to the press if the quota was imposed as the lobby was not big and it should only be a facility for the ministers and the MPs.

"(But) if you do your work and you need do a wide coverage (on a news story), please, I want you to do something to yourself (by) not compromising security".

Pandikar further stood his ground that he would stop events that are ‘unparliamentary' as Parliament as an institution was not suitable for NGO gatherings and birthday celebration as held during the last parliamentary proceedings.

"The parliament is a place to discuss and debate laws, not political issues. I'm raising this not just for the oppositions, but to the ruling government too," he said.

He added that MPs who intend to bring their guests to the Parliament will be allowed to meet they guests at the ground floor only.

"If they want to meet their MPs, then the MPs have to go down and see them," he added, saying that this will be part of his mission to make a ‘first world Parliament'.

Nazri: BBC's unbecoming behaviour

Meanwhile Minister in Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz lambasted the BN Backbenchers Club (BBC) members who removed the barricades yesterday.

"I do not condone their action. Even though they are from BN, they have no power to do that. Who are they to take down the barricade? It's a bad example of them," he said today when contacted by a Star senior journalist.

He further added that the power instead lied on the hands of the speaker and they should wait for the decision to be made.

"It's the speaker's power, he's in charge. It's unbecoming... don't think you are a BBC member, you can do what you like, is this a gangsters' club? They better know where they are placed in the house," he lamented.

The minister also dismissed the allegations that he was behind the media ban, as reported in Malaysian Insider.

He however gave credit to the opposition for raising the matter in the house yesterday.