Media asked to behave in parliament lobby, or risk not having access

KUALA LUMPUR: Media personnel covering the Parliament have been warned to watch their antics when "door-stopping" lawmakers or risk being restricted from the Dewan Rakyat lobby.
Speaker Datuk Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof said he noted the lobby restriction imposed by the previous Barisan Nasional (BN) government that only allowed for press conferences to be held in the media room located a distance away from the entrance and exit to the parliament.
He said he had however temporarily lifted the ruling and made several changes on July 18, including to allow reporters to be at the lobby to speak to MPs, albeit at a specific allocated space.
This was however abused by certain media personnel, he said.
"It seems like there are a few individuals who still remain in front of the dewan's door and not at the allocated spot, causing a somewhat chaotic environment when attempting to 'jolok' (doorstop) MPs.
"I and my deputy speakers are optimistic to maintain this ruling of allowing media at the lobby. But if there is no cooperation and this goes on, I'm afraid this privilege will be revoked.
"We have allocated spaces for you, so I hope the media will abide by it. I leave it to you to fix this situation and hope you appreciate what we are doing," he said at a briefing for news editors in Parliament, here, today.
Mohamad Ariff said apart from the media, there were also other individuals using the lobby, including the lawmakers, government officials and visitors, and that the antics of some media personnel would cause inconvenience to those in the area.
"Hence, I urge the media to cooperate with us. We are trying to fulfil your requests, but we hope you will also work together with us.
"It is my hope that the media understands this and ensure the area is always a conducive, comfortable and safe one for all," he said.