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Hush, the session is on
It goes without saying that policies and programs concerning the welfare of the people are discussed, debated and passed in the Assembly and even as the first Monsoon session of the 8th Assembly went into motion from July 4 the attention of the people have been drawn towards the proceedings of the House.
Apart from discussing the address of the Governor, Ministers are expected to answer questions from MLAs, particularly from the Opposition bench, on matters pertaining to the development of the State and concerning the welfare of the people. Quite naturally the acute financial condition gripping the State and the steps taken up by the Government to tackle the fiscal health will come up for special discussion and it only natural that the people as a whole will be keen watching the proceedings of the Assembly.
While it is the duty of the press and other Government machinery such as the Directorate of Information and Public Relations, the All India Radio and DDK, to inform the people of the every day proceedings of the Assembly, this whole concept is reduced to a farce if the first day of the current session is anything to go by. Due to faulty sound distribution system, the discussions and debates held at the Assembly were barely audible at the Press Gallery inside the House.
Though the authority concerned has already assured that the matter would be looked into and the fault remedied, one disconcerting point that stood out like sore thumb and left many of the media persons perplexed was the failure to provide the answers of Ministers questions raised by MLAs and the Opposition. Yes, the answers were given to DIPR, AIR and the DDK but the print media was left high and dry on the first day, casting serious doubts over whether the local media would be able to effectively convey the proceedings and discussions the Assembly to the people. This was quite a departure from earlier precedents when the answers of the Ministers were provided to the media persons.
What is more galling was the somewhat pompous stand taken by one key official of the Assembly that there is no such rule that the answers should be made available to the media persons. We fully agree that there may be no such rule but then again we would like to ask whether there is any rule that says that the answers should not be provided to media persons. What the Assembly official conveniently forgot was the point that the media persons were not after some classified information but proceedings and answers replied by the Ministers to questions raised by the MLAs and Opposition.
Copies of the answers sought by the media persons were not meant for private consumption but to be delivered at the door of the public through the newspapers and here we would like to add that since the proceedings of the Assembly concern the people directly the people have every right to know what is being discussed at the Assembly. If the proceedings of the Assembly cannot be delivered to the public or the media then why are press passes issued in the first place? Or should the press keep quiet because, 'silence the Assembly is in session’?
Though the Assembly authority assured that the answers would be made available to the media later in the evening, it did not materialize which is again a damning proof of the lethargy and inertia gripping all Government Departments in the State. The newspaper business will survive without the answers from the Ministers but the question here is disseminating information which concerns the welfare of the people. The importance of letting the people know of the policies and program pursued by the Government need no elaboration.
The least Chief Minister O Ibobi can do is to ensure that press men are not put to unnecessary inconveniences when the go to the Assembly to cover the proceedings and yes ensure that meaningful discussions and debates held at the Assembly reach the people.
(Courtesy: The Sangai Express)
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