KUALA LUMPUR – Lawmakers are no longer allowed to use their mobile devices to livestream Parliament proceedings, as MPs must direct their speeches to the speaker’s chair, not an online audience.
Announcing the ban during the start of today’s sitting in the lower House, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul said MPs who have been livestreaming their speeches in Parliament are violating Standing Order 35(1) as their attention is on “communicating with their audience”.
“Modern technology and information technology is a good thing, but we already have livestream of Parliament sessions on our official YouTube channel as well as on RTM and other media channels.
“If any MPs want to use their speeches for any reason, they’re welcome to pick up (the recording) from such livestreams and modify it from there.
“When you (MPs) have your own livestream going on, your attention is not in the Dewan. You are communicating with your audience, this is very bad.”
Johari’s ruling, however, did not sit well with opposition figures, namely Bersatu’s Datuk Seri Ronald Kiandee (Beluran-PN), who claimed the speaker’s explanation on the decision was “unreasonable”.
“The excuse given (behind the call to ban devices) is that MPs are not looking at the speaker. This is a simplified excuse to prevent MPs from using their devices… it’s unreasonable.
“We are in an era of sophisticated media, we should be moving forward instead of backwards.”
Kiandee also alleged that it is “too extreme” for Johari to claim that lawmakers who have their own livestream setup are not paying attention to the proceedings, pointing to how MPs tend to look “here and there” when delivering their speeches.
In response, Johari said MPs who have any issues with his ruling are welcome to write to the House Committee, to propose amendments to the Standing Order in question.
“I am not preventing (Parliament’s) YouTube and RTM from livestreaming our proceedings, they’re free to carry on. But, what do I do if six months from now, MPs start bringing in bigger devices for their livestreams?
“Parliament has already provided all the necessary facilities, please discuss with me if there is a need for more sophisticated gadgets.
“But, (such technology) should not be for personal use by certain individuals. All MPs should be able to enjoy information technology services in Dewan.”
Responding to PAS’ Misbahul Munir Masduki’s (Parit Buntar-PN) question regarding lawmakers who look at their written text when delivering their speeches, Johari said the Standing Orders only prohibit the reading of newspapers and other documents unrelated to Parliament business.
“Maybe the MP is not as fluent in speaking as others. I’ll allow it,” he quipped.
Besides that, Johari announced changes to the Minister’s Question Time (MQT) every Tuesday, during which MPs pose queries to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Tambun-PH).
Instead of three questions, Anwar will now answer two queries during the session so as to allow “more space and opportunities” for MPs to raise supplementary questions.
“Under Standing Order 24(5A) and 24A(7), I have decided to allow the prime minister to answer two questions during MQT on Tuesday, with 15 minutes allocated for each question. This will take effect starting tomorrow.” – October 16, 2023