KOTA KINABALU – The Sabah assembly has decided to restrict press attendance for the sitting that begins on Thursday to only official government media.
With just three days to go, news outlets are in the dark on whether they will be allowed into the state assembly building.
An Information Department source told The Vibes that only government-owned news agencies will be permitted to cover the sitting, which will see debates on the state budget for next year.
Ruling coalition Gabungan Rakyat Sabah is expected to table a RM5 billion budget.
“Yes, the sitting will start this week, but no media personnel are allowed to attend. At the moment, they can watch via livestreaming,” said the source.
The state speaker has not issued circulars on the sitting, but it is believed that the decision to limit media attendance is to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Kota Kinabalu has more than 5,400 active cases, with 135 new ones reported yesterday. Most of them are in prison clusters.
For the Sarawak assembly sitting that began today, 74 journalists assigned to cover the proceedings were earlier required to test negative for the coronavirus in a swab test. – The Vibes, November 9, 2020
