The decision to stop live telecast was implemented during the third session by the NA members. “This time, however, the decision was taken by the assembly speaker, Tshogpon Jigme Tshultrim,” said the national assembly’s secretary general, Nima Tshering, during the co-ordination meeting with the media on November 17.

The decision to stop live telecast of parliament proceedings created a huge debate in the media and public forums. Parliamentarians had said that live coverage made it difficult to concentrate and unnecessarily prolonged discussions.

In an earlier interview with NA spokesperson, Haa MP Ugyen Tenzin said the decision to stop live coverage was taken mainly to have “short and brief discussions”. “With live coverage in the past, NA members couldn’t concentrate or contribute to the discussion of bills, but were instead focused on pleasing the viewers,” he said.

The fourth session will deliberate on the civil service, standards, and tobacco control bills, and the royal monetary authority (and the marriage (amendment) bills. The Assembly will also ratify the SAARC convention on mutual assistance in criminal matters.

BBS had proposed to the ministry of information and communications (MoIC) that they would telecast the whole session of the national assembly. They had also proposed that the national council’s session would be recorded in the morning and broadcast in the afternoon. “MoIC wants us to submit a proposal for NA coverage and we did it,” said the general manager of BBS, Tashi Dorji, adding that they are yet to hear from the ministry.

“It’s an issue between MoIC, the speaker and BBS. But, in case of any joint sitting, BBS will be allowed to telecast it live,” said Nima Tshering. Like in the past, the media will be provided press releases everyday.

The assembly secretariat has also done away with refreshments for the media during the morning recess. The winter session ends on December 11.