Gaye Davis
THE media are in danger of becoming unwelcome guests in Parliament. Speaker Dr Frene Ginwala has ordered an inquiry into the justification for the R1-million paid out by taxpayers each year to accommodate journalists in its precincts.
Attempts by the Mail & Guardian to get a copy of the report on the investigation, carried out by secretary of Parliament Robin Douglas, have so far proved unsuccessful. Ginwala’s spokesman Lawson Naidoo said the speaker had only a preliminary report and was awaiting a detailed memorandum from Douglas. She had undertaken to pass the memorandum on to the Press Gallery Association (PGA) after scrutinising it.
PGA members were surprised to learn last month that the provision of free accommodation, subsidised meals and the media’s role in Parliament as a whole were being examined by the Parliamentary Transformation Committee, set up to oversee parliament’s restructuring. The PGA is not represented on the committee, although other stakeholders are.
At a meeting with PGA members last month, Ginwala said the committee did not view the media as part of Parliament, according to PGA chair Manas Tshungu.
“For the PGA the concerns that were raised were numerous, and central to these were the fact that such an important exercise was being undertaken without the media being notified. The PGA found it significant that the media were not seen as an integral structure of Parliament,” Tshungu noted in a reportback on the meeting.
However, she had said the exercise was not aimed at removing the media from parliament or making their continued presence untenable. The exercise involved a fresh look at parliamentary structures and procedures and affected MPs, workers and the media alike.
In a statement issued on June 21, Ginwala said concerns that the press might be asked to vacate their offices in Parliament could have been prompted by a comment to this effect made during a meeting of the Senate Rules Committee.
“I am assured by the President of the Senate that this was not even seen as a proposal and therefore does not even appear in the minutes,” she said.
“I wish to reiterate my statement that any proposed changes in press arrangements will be discussed thoroughly with your members.”
The PGA and Ginwala are expected to meet again once Parliament reconvenes in August.