I am responding to Michael Ng's letter . I am totally in agreement with Ng's suggestion that parliamentary sittings/debates be telecast live. Parliamentary debates are very important occasions as this is how new bills are introduced by our policy makers.

By making telecasting parliamentary debates live, we would be able to know how the debates are being conducted and of new laws being introduced.

I also see this as an opportunity for the government to become more transparent especially in policy-making that affects every citizen of Malaysia. It will boost the confidence and self-esteem of our leaders as the people would realise that parliament sittings need a lot of hard work and dedication.

When constituents see that their leaders stand up and present his/her arguments in parliament, they would know whether they have chosen the right person to represent them. Making parliamentary debates too exclusive would not benefit anyone. It is time for our leaders to take parliamentary debates seriously.

As a Malaysian Studies teacher at a private institution, I also see the practicality of showing parliamentary debates over our television. All this while, I rely on reference books and mock parliamentary debates in my class to expose students to the Malaysian parliamentary system.

I see that my students are very eager to learn more about what is happening in our parliament. They must be exposed to the real situation and this would make their Malaysian Studies more enjoyable.

So, in terms of education and learning wise, a live telecast of parliamentary debates is very useful and practical.

Lastly, I would like to appeal to the Information Ministry to re-consider its decision not to telecast live parliamentary debates because I don't see any harm for the government to do it.

The so-called high cost factor should not be an issue. Many other programmes aired over TV1 and TV2 are relatively costly but give very little benefit to viewers.