PKR's Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar today condemned Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia for banning media from the Parliament hallway.

She said reporters gather at the hallway not to "picnic" as accused by the speaker, but to do their duty as journalists.

"I am disappointed with Pandikar’s unsubstantiated and irresponsible allegations that the media has turned the lobby into a “picnic area”.

"Diligent reporters frequent the Parliament every sitting day, regardless of the legislation debated or the issue trending.

"That the media crew members spend their working hours at the corridors, as opposed to a fully-equipped media centre, only highlights the impracticality and ineffectiveness of the Parliament’s current facilities," she said in a statement.

Pandikar yesterday imposed the ban, arguing that reporters were harassing passing members of Parliament with unwanted questions and were "picnicking" at the hallway.

He also said no other Parliament in the world allows journalists to doorstop ministers...