Democracy Will Crumble Ifj Blasts Media Restrictions On Parliament Sitting

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The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on the Perikatan Nasional government of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to reverse its move to restrict media access to the one-day sitting of Parliament on May 18
De facto Parliament and law minister Takiyuddin Hassan said on May 8 that media access to the sitting would be restricted to official media RTM and Bernama on the instructions of Speaker Mohamad Ariff Mohd Yusof who cited safety reasons due to the Covid-19 outbreak
"By creating an information divide between government and non-government media, politicians cannot be held accountable by the public and democracy will crumble," said the IFJ in a statement yesterday
"The IFJ calls on the government to consult media organisations to inform best practices that will ensure journalists are given safe access to parliamentary sittings.”Its local affiliate, the National Union of Journalists Malaysia (NUJ) called on the government to put Covid-19 prevention measures in place without curtailing media access
"NUJ understands and appreciates the government's effort of ensuring safety during Covid-19 but it can be done in a way where the media is given access while adhering to safety standards at the same time.”The sitting will be broadcast live online
May 18 marks the first Dewan Rakyat sitting since the “Sheraton Move” political coup triggered a change in government with the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan administration led by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad
The government is planning to table four motions and two bills during the one-day sitting
Harapan has persistently called for the sitting to be extended with former minister Liew Vui Keong submitting a motion to extend it to eight days, but PN contends that prolonging the gathering of MPs could pose a Covid-19 contagion risk
Former premier Mahathir has successfully filed a no-confidence motion against Muhyiddin but with government business prioritised in proceedings, it remains to be seen if the Langkawi MP’s motion will make it to the floor before the sitting is adjourned. - Mkini

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