Speaker’s Decision: Brandishing Private Photos And Documents Is Now Prohibited In Parliament

The decision was taken by the Speaker and announced this morning at the opening of the sitting. Sooroojdev Phokeer said he had noticed that it had become a habit for MPs to display or exhibit private photos and documents to illustrate their arguments. He added that it was “very delicate” for the Presidency to judge their veracity or authenticity. For him, elected representatives should be able to describe what they have to say to make their speech understandable when read in Hansard. As a result, he said, it is now forbidden to hold up private photos and documents in Parliament.