Opposition MPs complain about eavesdropping at Parliament

Members of the Parliamentary opposition yesterday registered indignation at what they said was an incident of eavesdropping and the broadcasting of private conversations by their members, within the confines of their private room in the precincts of parliament at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.

In a statement last night, they said “This egregious breach of trust strikes at the sanctity and the very heart of parliamentary decorum”.

During yesterday’s live broadcast of the 2024 Budget Consideration of Estimates & Expenditure around 8 pm, the opposition said it came to their attention that members of the Opposition, namely Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, Ganesh Mahipaul and Cathy Hughes, were heard on the parliamentary live feed discussing sensitive matters in the confines of what should be the inviolable space that is the Opposition’s caucus room.

“This incident represents a blatant breach of parliamentary norms and privacy. The sanctity of the Opposition caucus room, where sensitive discussions occur, has been compromised. It raises serious questions about the privacy and security of opposition members during such crucial proceedings.

“This breach of trust represents not only a violation of parliamentary protocol, but also a severe departure from the principles that have long governed our parliamentary proceedings. The inexplicable and sinister recording of private conversations of opposition members of parliament in their caucus room and its broadcast during the official livestream of the proceedings of the National Assembly is a source of deep concern. This raises legitimate questions as to the extent to which members of the parliamentary opposition are being recorded – video and audio”, the statement said.

Just a week ago, the statement said that footage recorded in the precincts of the parliament, and which ought to have been in the sole possession of the administration of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre emerged in a report of a prominent news outlet on social media. The Arthur Chung Conference Centre falls under the Ministry of Tourism, the statement noted.

The opposition MPs said that the incident has serious implications for persons’ constitutional rights, “undermines our parliamentary democracy and is unprecedented in the history of our National Assembly”.