00:00An anti-corruption group and a lawyer have cautioned against live broadcasts of high-profile
00:05corruption trials, as the broadcast may do more harm than good if deeper issues in the
00:09judicial system remain unresolved.
00:12Anti-corruption activist Pushpan Murugia said, the proposal raises serious concerns over
00:17privacy, fairness, as well as the risk of media sensationalism.
00:22He also said secretive decisions behind the scenes were of greater harm to public trust
00:26in Malaysia's judicial system than by court proceedings themselves, citing practices
00:30such as the use of letters of representation to drop or amend charges.
00:35Pushpan suggested it would be more practical to grant public access to court documents in
00:39criminal trials as with civil cases.
00:41However, lawyer Rajesh Nagarajan said new statutory provisions or detailed practice directions
00:47would be required to protect privacy, regulate recordings and dissemination, and ensure fair
00:52trial rights are not compromised.
00:55Rajesh said media coverage and public opinion could pressure judges or distort the legal
00:59process and further questioned whether the public would fully understand what they were
01:03watching given the complex legal jargon and procedures often involved.
01:08Both Rajesh and Pushpan also said live streams could even backfire, either causing witnesses
01:12to self-censor out of fear or turn trials into public spectacles.
01:17Donash Rajesh Reza, FMT.
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