The Hon. (Dr.) Ramanathan Archchuna

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Speaker!

¶ 02 My question of privilege relates to the Standing Orders and the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament. With regard to Parliamentary business and matters that occur within the Chamber, any sharing of videos through media channels, other than through the official Parliamentary mechanisms, constitutes a breach of the Standing Orders and of the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges) Act.

¶ 03 Yesterday, 18.02.2026, within the Chamber, while I, an Opposition Member and a Leader of a party in the Opposition, was conversing with the Hon. Leader of the Opposition, it was recorded on a mobile phone from the Government side and telecast on a private media channel called Capital TV. It portrayed me wrongly and in a negative manner. I wish to raise this as a privilege issue before this august House.

¶ 04 This video must have been recorded by a Government-side Member of Parliament. That video has been shared on social media in a cheap manner. As an Opposition MP and a party leader in the Opposition, I wish to inform this august House that the Government side has stooped to the level of recording my conversation with the Leader of the Opposition and releasing it for political gain. Such actions bring great disrepute to you, Hon. Speaker, as the representative of the Government side in presiding over this House, and to this august House. Therefore, I humbly request that you review this using the cameras within the Chamber and refer this matter to the Committee on Ethics and Privileges.

¶ 05 Thank you!