COMMENT 'Tis not the presence of journalists that tarnishes Parliament's dignity, but the grasping hands of the executive, which seeks to drag the People's House, under their thumb and shadow's lee.

The little Napoleans that seek to instruct how and when, journalists can ask questions and to whom they can speak beforehand. If only to safeguard their bosses from embarrassing moments, for being caught without their figurative pants on, in flagrante delicto.

Brandishing around arguments of "I used to be a wartawan", only to fail to remember the duties that journalists need to do. Forgetting that the media should not answer to those in power, but to the people who are sick of political shiznits and demanding to know more.

They were and have been, but far from representing our kin, some would even say traitors masquerading, working to silence journalists' dissent. What more and herein, they are perhaps no more but wolves and tigers "tunjuk taring", pushing journalists to wear sheep's clothing,

Tis' not the presence of journalists that tarnishes Parliamentary decorum, but the inability of its powers that be, to ensure ministers are present in Parliament, and give proper answers to elected representatives' questions.

It is the inability of the overseeing power to ensure MPs' attendance, not to mention his or her lack of ability to pressure the right honourable elected ladies and gentlemen, to act within the dignified confines of their borrowed positions.

It is the failure of Parliament to assert its rightful place as the embodiment of the people's mandate, and overseer to the executive of state, instead of becoming in the eyes of many only pak turut (yes men), office boy and runner for executive rubber stamping.

Tis' not the presence of picnicking journalists that tarnishes Parliament's scenery, but the discordant signages of "wartawan tidak dibenarkan", and the restrictive regulations being used to tie and bind them.

As arbiters of the Fourth Estate, journalists must be able to keep tabs upon the People's House representatives, and even when it is in the loo, ministers too slow to zip or wash up notwithstanding.

Perdition be to officials and ministers who cannot stand the heat, it's not their lot to feel comfortable in the People's House of state, but to sweat under their stiff upturned collars, for the hanky panky they do when toying with the people's mandate.

The Parliament is not there to be their personal private palazzos, to walk around in comfort and take in the air as it were. They are paid to be there and elected to be the people's representatives, they better make time for those whose duty is to ensure they are held to account.

'Tis not the presence of journalists that pollutes Parliament's purity, but it is these attempts to co-opt the House and all that its supposed to stand for. Far from posing problems, it is the presence of journalists that needs to be reinforced and entrenched, for we are the eyes and ears of the rakyat.

HAZLAN ZAKARIA is a member of the Malaysiakini team.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.