Azalina: Journalists can work from Dewan Rakyat lobby

PETALING JAYA: Journalists covering parliamentary proceedings can continue to work from the Dewan Rakyat lobby.

They will not be totally relocated to a temporary building as yet, said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said who is in charge of parliamentary affairs.

She said journalists will not be barred from occupying their usual spot at the left side of the Parliament lobby.

“The temporary building seems to be an inconvenience for the media due to its distance from the main building.

“We also have to consider factors such as rainy weather.

“The media shall be placed as usual on the left side of the Dewan Rakyat lobby, while the right side would be allocated to the government officers, researchers, and officers to MPs,” she said in a statement yesterday.

However, Azalina said the media room at the temporary building would be maintained, as it was needed to accommodate the large number of people and officers coming in, especially for the Budget.

The Dewan Rakyat will have its third sitting starting from Oct 19, the final one for the year.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will table the Budget 2016 on Oct 23.

“The plan to relocate the media was due to space constrain.

“It is still currently in the preliminary stage of discussion, so it will be premature for me to make any statements on the matter,” she said.

It was recently reported that a circular had been issued by the Parliament’s corporate communications division on Oct 1, which stated that journalists would be based in a separate building away from the Dewan Rakyat.

A few MPs had criticised the alleged move.

They said that it not only limited the media’s access to lawmakers, but made it harder for MPs to hold press conferences.