Not for Kadir to reject live telecasts: Kit Siang
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"When did the new cabinet of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi decide against live telecasts of parliamentary proceedings? Or has Abdul Kadir arrogated to himself the sole power to decide on behalf of the cabinet?" Lim asked in a press statement today.
He said it was shocking for Abdul Kadir to reject his proposal without the benefit of the views of the cabinet.
Yesterday, Abdul Kadir (
photo
) told reporters that the government has decided not to provide live telecasts of parliamentary sittings as it was "too costly and time consuming."
According to the new information minister, it will cost Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) RM100,000 just to telecast an hour of the sitting alone.
Lim's proposal was earlier rejected by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz who claimed that the opposition would use the live telecasts as a platform to play to the gallery.
Reform programme
When calling on Parliament Speaker Mohamed Zahir Ismail last week, Lim proposed that the newly-elected 11th Parliament should initiate a parliamentary reform programme to restore meaningful parliamentary democracy.
His proposals included, among others, a live telecast of parliamentary proceedings; a daily two-hour question time; an opposition MP to head the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the establishment of Parliamentary Select Committees to monitor each ministry.
To Kadir's and Nazri's (
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) negative responses, Lim said the statements by the two ministers were a direct opposite of the call made by Abdullah to end the Malaysian malaise of 'First world infrastructure, third world mentality.'
"The negative and antediluvian (old-fashioned) responses of Kadir and Nazri to proposals for parliamentary reforms like live parliamentary broadcasts mark them out as the neo-cons (neo-conservatives) in the new Abdullah cabinet representing the 'First world infrastructure, third world mentality' faction," he said.
"Let me inform Kadir, Nazri and the first Abdullah cabinet that without live broadcasts of parliamentary proceedings, the Malaysian parliament, despite a RM50 million renovation, will remain the very epitome of 'First world infrastructure, third world parliament.
"No first world Parliament does not have live broadcasts of its parliamentary proceedings, either through television, radio and the Internet or in some cases via all three," said Lim.
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