Team Oommen Chandy prefers opacity

The chief minister Mr Oommen Chandy is quite cool about the 24/7 webcast of his office, but his ministers have not warmed up to the idea that much.

While the excise minister Mr K. Babu is not quite at ease with the idea of live webcast for the fear of controversial liquor barons visiting his office, his colleagues are apprehensive about the consequences of exposing their offices and chambers to public scrutiny.

A fortnight after the inauguration of the live webcast of the chief minister’s office, not even a single member of his Cabinet has ventured to do something on the same lines.

The most worried of all is Mr Babu who holds the sensitive excise portfolio. His major concern is that as part of his official duty, many abkaris, some even controversial, may visit him for official work.
If these persons are spotted on webcast, there is every possibility of his political adversaries using it as a weapon against him.

Many of his colleagues share the same concern as they say that they have no idea at present about who all would visit them.

Sources say the labour minister Mr Shibu Baby John, who had planned to webcast his office and chamber initially, has backed out for the moment.

The ministers, however, want their website to include all other features like petition filing, YouTube videos and press releases concerned with the department.

Many say that the ministers are losing sight of the huge possibilities of the technology.

Since the inauguration, the chief minister’s website www.keralacm.gov.in [1] has had nearly 2 crore hits and about 3 lakh visitors which is a record of sorts.