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SINGAPORE – Parliamentary proceedings were broadcast live for the first time on Monday (January 4).
In a statement, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) announced that the live broadcast will begin during the session on Monday, which began at 1.30 p.m.
It will be available to the public through MCI’s YouTube channel, both in the original language and in the English translated version.
The public can also access parliamentary proceedings through video clips of all speeches and exchanges, which are recorded and uploaded online within hours of each session.
They can also choose to read the Hansard, a written record of all parliamentary proceedings, online or attend the sessions in person.
During Monday’s session, Ms. Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson) asked how the government could mitigate concerns about the potential impact of live broadcasting on the quality and tone of the debates.
In response, the Minister of Communications and Information, S. Iswaran, said: “Ultimately, the responsibility rests with all members of this House, present and future, who must continue to maintain high standards of conduct and decorum as we participate in the cutting and pushing the parliamentary debate “.
Mr. Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC) asked if sign language would be available on the live stream.
Iswaran said that while no such provisions existed at this time, YouTube broadcasts would have automatic captions to make them more accessible to the hearing impaired.
In September 2020, the Government agreed for the first time in principle to broadcast the proceedings live.
Iswaran said then that the government has so far been reluctant to implement live streaming for practical and political reasons, including the risk that deputies will play in the gallery rather than seriously debate national issues.
But he acknowledged that global trends have made online streaming common, and legislatures in other countries also broadcast the proceedings live. Therefore, the Government would study how to implement live streaming, in the spirit of interacting with Singaporeans, he said.
Iswaran’s announcement came months after former House Leader Grace Fu said no to calls from former MP-nominee Anthea Ong and Workers’ Party MP Leon Perera for Parliament to be broadcast on alive.
Perera also raised the matter in 2017, and then-Minister of State for Communications and Information Chee Hong Tat said in response that there was little demand for live streaming of parliamentary proceedings.
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