“I intend to write a letter to the Speaker so that our media friends can have access and operate in other parts of the building,” he said at a press conference.

“We (MPs) have nothing to be afraid of, and we will speak with facts.”

However, Fahmi said the freedom to roam was contingent on members of the media behaving appropriately if given the opportunity to venture beyond the media centre.

“The media should be able to function as one of the democratic pillars in this house,” said Fahmi, who is MP for Lembah Pantai.

He said the freedom to roam was in line with a “loosening of restrictions” allowed by the Speaker, Johari Abdul, who had announced today that MPs could choose not to wear neckties with their formal suits when attending tomorrow’s meeting.

Roaming the grounds of the Parliament building is a departure from the current practice which only allows access to the press gallery and media room.

Coverage is also sometimes limited to certain media organisations, depending on the Speaker’s discretion.