Live airing of House proceedings will show up MPs - Speaker

Sandasen Marasinghe, Irangika Range and Disna Mudalige

Parliament is keen to facilitate live broadcasts of Parliament proceedings with the intention of building a close relationship between Parliament and the people, Speaker Chamal Rajapaksa said.

Addressing a workshop on 'Parliament and the Press; Building an Effective Relationship' for Parliamentary journalists organised by the Parliament Secretariat at the Parliament complex yesterday, the Speaker said live broadcasts will enable the public to see how their representatives behave and speak in the House and thereby judge whether they have elected the right persons to the House.

Speaker Rajapaksa said the mechanism followed in the Lok Sabha in India on live broadcasts are being studied presently.

He said the facilitation of live broadcasts will also help balance reporting.

Leader of the House and Irrigation and Water Resources Management Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva said the correlation between journalists and politicians is essential for the democracy of the country.

The minister said instances where media freedom have been abused have been reported after the withdrawal of the Criminal Defamation Law and therefore some are now questioning whether the expected outcome has been reached by the withdrawal of this law.

He said live broadcasts would bring positive results adding that this proposal has been extensively discussed at present.

Opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe also observed the necessity for facilitating live broadcasting adding that the media is the link between Parliament and the people.

He also requested a Parliament debate on this proposal.

He observed that frustration has set in about the entire political system among contemporary society adding that this matter should be further discussed.

Parliament Secretary General Dhammika Dassanayake and Parliamentary Journalists' Association President Daya Perera also addressed the inauguration ceremony.

Chief Government Whip and Water Supply and Drainage Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, Chief Opposition Whip John Amaratunga, Deputy Chairman of Committees Chandrakumar Murugesu, Deputy Secretary General of Parliament Neil Iddawela, Additional Secretary General Kushani Rohanadheera, Heads of Departments of Parliament and parliamentary journalists were present.