After getting adverse national and international public notoriety at the controversial May 7 assembly sitting and the forced removal of Pakatan Rakyat speaker V Sivakumar, the BN government went into high gear to ensure that the episode was not repeated during yesterday's state budget assembly sitting.

NONE BN took drastic measures that were unprecedented, including denying or reducing press passes to the new media, especially Malaysiakini , which is being seen as the main culprit in highlighting the chaotic May 7 sitting.

BN-appointed speaker R Ganesan and other state BN leaders have blamed Malaysiakini for the adverse publicity on that eventful day which saw all assembly procedures thrown to the wind in a desperate attempt to seize control of the House.

Prior to the assembly sitting, when asked for media passes, Ganesan was quick to accuse Malaysiakini of making matters worse by saying "It was your video recording that gave the wrong picture of us during the May 7 sitting."

r ganesan 130509 He became agitated and added, "No! No! I will not allow cameramen or video shooting by the media during the state budget on Oct 28."

As the deadline for the sitting neared, the fate of the three media passes promised to Malaysiakini seemed uncertain and the figure started to drop to two and finally came down to one, which was what most new media got.

Many others did not even get one.

‘No place for all media'

The reason for the reduction in media passes, according to Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir press secretary Nizamuddin Mat Isa, was not enough "place in the assembly to accommodate all the media".

However, the mainstream media were given passes ranging from two to three or even more, depending on their BN's "media ranking" and track record.

NONE During yesterday's budget sitting, Ganesan had set up recording equipment on the third floor in the public gallery of the assembly to keep an eye on the movement of Pakatan assemblypersons in the House.

"I want to monitor the conduct of the assemblymen during the sitting to ensure that they toe the line and obey the law," Ganesan had reasoned.

However, Malaysiakini has come to understand from a police source that the live telecast recording is connected to the state police headquarters and Bukit Aman for the monitoring of the activities of the opposition assemblypersons.

NONE On Tuesday, there was concern in the state DAP headquarters that the device (transmitting gadget) erected by police at the back portion of the state secretariat was either being used to eavesdrop on the Pakatan meeting or as a jamming device to prevent Pakatan assemblypersons from operating their mobile phones in the assembly.

However, it turned out to be the transmitting pole ( right ) for the assembly live telecast by BN.

The police had also mounted video recording devices at the front and back of the state secretariat to keep track of the movement of people into the state government building.

Private parts grabbed in public

Ganesan had also banned Pakatan assemblypersons from bringing in their mobile phones, cameras or video equipment into the budget assembly sitting to prevent any recording of events in the House.

Another of his directives was for all the Pakatan politicians to undergo metal detection screening and a physical body-checked.

NONE These two directives were sore points with Pakatan assemblypersons as they see it as an infringement to their privacy and a threat to their democratic rights as elected representatives of the people.

Pantai Remis assemblyperson Nga Kor Ming ( photo, far right ) received the wrath of the police when he resisted the attempts to a body search.

Nga claimed that a police officer named "Khairul" had grabbed his private parts during a body search.

Yesterday, he lodged a police report against the police officer at the Ipoh police station.