Jumat (third right) handing over a certificate of appreciation to one of the participants at the 1Malaysia Family Day at Angkasa Apartment.
KOTA KINABALU: There is no need for Sabah’s newspapers to have representatives in Kuala Lumpur to cover the Dewan Rakyat sitting, said Sepanggar member of parliament Datuk Jumat Idris.
He said this in response to the repeat call made by Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan for Sabah’s local newspapers to have representatives in Kuala Lumpur, especially during Dewan Rakyat sitting.
“Every MP in the Dewan Rakyat has their own media officers, so issues concerning Sabahans which were said in the sitting will be emailed by the officers to the newspaper companies.
“Moreover, RTM is also having live broadcast from the Dewan Rakyat in the morning and there will be a repeat at night,” he said to reporters after launching the 1Malaysia Family Day organized by Sepanggar Women at the Angkasa Apartment yesterday.
Jumat said the proposal by Rahman, urging Sabah newspapers to set up a bureau in the peninsula to provide national coverage from the state’s perspective as well as to live up to the 1Malaysia aspirations is a good idea, but the need is not that urgent.
He added what is most important is that every MP media officer must work closely with the reporters in Sabah to ensure all issues related to the state will be published in the local newspapers.
Rahman who reiterated his call at his ministry’s media appreciation night here on Saturday, said there are a big number of Sabahan MPs who have been very vocal on Sabah issues but have not received wide coverage in the newspapers.
“As we know, most of the local newspapers in Sabah are depending on Bernama (Malaysian National News Agency) when it comes to the national news, but when MPs are talking about issues in Sabah during the Dewan Rakyat sitting, the coverage seems limited.
“If we have each newspapers from Sabah covering the Dewan Rakyat, Sabah local newspapers will be able to provide national coverage from the state’s perspective. I really hope the local newspapers in Sabah will consider this,” he said.
During his speech, Rahman also expressed his appreciation to the media practitioners in Sabah for their support through his ministry and described Sabah’s newspapers as more open compared to its counterparts in the peninsula.
“We cannot have someone criticizing the Chief Minister’s statement on front page in peninsular but we always have balanced reporting in Sabah. Both government and opposition leaders will have their chance to be on front page whether to criticize or be criticized.
“I am sure the media practitioners in Sabah are responsible in their reports for the benefit of the people as a whole, no matter if it comes from the government or the opposition,” he added.