Daily News Editorial

The pros and cons of that Live telecast

The pros and cons of that Live telecast

The pros and cons of that Live telecast

09th October 2015 

The pros and cons of that Live telecast

Parliamentary proceedings were to be telecast live from yesterday. At the time of writing, the action was yet to go on air and we could not venture an opinion on the form the proceedings are going to take, with the new development. In fact we had Live broadcasts of Parliament proceedings in the past. But these were in fits and starts. Perhaps the Governments of the day preferred not be overexposed in their misdeeds, brought to the public domain by the Opposition, in the House.

But a sample of what is to come was witnessed on Tuesday, when a group of UPFA MPs led by Wimal Weerawansa kicked up a ruckus over the delay in granting the Opposition request for a debate on the UNHRC resolution. The situation became tense when a banner was held aloft by the protesting MPs drawing the Government members into the melee, forcing Deputy Speaker Thilanga Sumathipala to suspend sittings.

Now, with sittings broadcast Live, more of the same could be expected, with the likes of Weerawansa, with a penchant for cheap publicity, taking his antics into new dimensions. Which begs the question whether the Speaker had draw up guidelines on the conduct of members during the Live broadcasts. Or, is it going to be a free for all as is the norm. Under normal circumstances the Speaker orders the deletion from the Hanzard any unparliamentary language used by members and also slanderous comments targeting individuals such as Government officials, the Attorney General or even Supreme Court Judges. But in the event of a Live telecast of sittings this will be an impossibility, with cameras already focused on the MP on his feet.

In other words, the damage will be already done before the deletion from the Hanzard. Hence, care should be taken to rein in overenthusiastic members who may go overboard knowing he/she has a wider audience. There is also bound to be a degree exhibitionism and bombast which may not be all that bad for noon day viewing (proceedings commence at 1 p.m.), providing they are not carried to extremes.

Live telecasts of Parliamentary proceedings could also bring about mixed results. It could tame some of the hitherto bellicose members into behaving themselves. On the other hand this could also motivate these very members to go on the rampage with added vigour. Many were the instances in the recent past where school children in the Public Gallery having to be shooed away by Parliamentary staff, due to violent scenes in the Well of the House, replete with choice language. Will the same scenes now be played out in the open to the entire country, with the Live broadcast. Are there going be scenes where MPs storm the Speaker's podium and run away with the Mace pursued by the Sergeant-at-Arms? And now, will the parents of schoolchildren have to shoo their children away from the television screens rather than the Sergeant-at-Arms during a vituperative cross talk laced with the worst kind of expletives, as we saw the other day from Vasudeva Nanayakkara.

The Live telecast of Parliament proceedings is also not without its positive side. It will show off the true interest of the MPs towards their constituents who sent them to Parliament. It is often reported that the Parliament is sparsely populated at any given time and the Quorum bell has to be rung several times during sittings to summon MPs. There is also the case where MPs who ask Oral Questions are often absent during the time allocated for Oral Questions that has mostly to do with the problems faced by the electorates or a particular community in such electorates. No MP will now play truant and ruin his/ her reelection prospects, thanks to the Live telecast of Parliamentary proceedings. By the same token Government Ministers too will now not have the luxury of evading giving answers to questions raised by Opposition MPs to do with the people's welfare without incurring public opprobrium. There are also reports of MPs dozing off during proceedings and no doubt they can bet their last buck that the TV cameras would mercilessly focus on the MPs who are in the land of the noddy, while sittings are in progress.

It is sad that Sri Lanka had not come of age technologically to have provided Live telecasts of Parliamentary in the hay day of Parliamentary Government, decades ago. That was a time when Parliament was adorned with the likes of Dudley Senanayake, J.R. Jayewardene, Felix Dias Bandaranaike, Dr. W. Dahanayake, Peter Keuneman, N.M. Colvin and SA, the Marxists trimuverate known as the golden brains. The Parliament Galleries were packed with professionals, authors, University dons, students and people from different walks of life, to listen the pearls of wisdom that fell from the lips of these intellectual giants. The contrast with today is mind boggling indeed. Our people would have been a better educated and cultured lot had they been closely exposed to these great politicians. Nevertheless, Sri Lankan TV audiences who are been regularly fed with a diet of third rate soap operas will have a welcome diversion - the real life drama enacted by their own representatives. Whether this too will turn out third rate only time will tell.