Ku Li backs live telecast of Umno meetings
Malaysiakini.com
Nov 24, 2006
Bede Hong

Umno will be making a mistake by pulling the plug on future live television telecast of its annual assembly proceedings, said ex-party strongman Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah.

He said that despite the negative public reactions from this year’s telecast, the party should continue with the live televised arrangements.

The live feed from the proceedings through Astro’s Channel 94 - a first for Umno party assemblies - provoked fears in the public for the racially sensitive speeches made by Umno delegates.

Former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh said that the live telecast was a first step towards an era of openness.

He asserted that the issues raised by the Umno delegates in the week-long meeting was nothing different from those raised in the meetings of other Barisan Nasional coalition partners.

“Why shouldn’t it be continued? Why not think of this even before allowing full coverage for the whole assembly,” said the former Umno vice president at a Hari Raya function in Kuala Lumpur last night.

“Why should it only be given consideration after the fact. It can’t be that the cause and effect was not taken into consideration.”

“This is an era of openness, so what’s wrong, even if they express matters that might be considered sensitive. MCA is also like that. MIC (too). Why can’t Umno televise their opinions,” said the parliamentary representative of Gua Musang of nearly four decades.

“We can’t have openness and then try to control things. We have to accept this. This is process. There is no halfway to this,” he said.

A different of assembly

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on Monday said that the government was reconsidering the decision to provide live coverage for future party meetings.

"Sometimes, inexperienced speakers tend to get carried away by the occasion. They were playing to the gallery but they should realise that when they speak, the others outside the party were also listening to their speeches,” he said.

Commenting on this, Tengku Razaleigh said Umno delegates were just raising issues pertinent to the Malays.

He added that the party general assembly was the only appropriate place for the Malays to say their piece on matters concerning their race.

Asked on what he thought of the recently concluded assembly, he said: “Different. It was different last time. Unity looks good. There was no one opposing during the debates.”

The racially-charged speeches, watched live on television by many, had caused some concern and disquiet in many quarters.

Opposition party DAP had lodged several police reports, asking for a probe on what they say were emotionally-charged seditious and racial speeches by the delegates. 
    
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