If Tuesday’s shambolic proceedings at Mamelodi and Sharpeville are allowed to pass as “public participation” on the Protection of State Information Bill, our democracy is in trouble.
Public participation is a constitutional requirement before such legislation is passed.
The ANC is making a mockery of the process by skewing events to suit a deliberate political agenda.
In Sharpeville, Nosipho Ntwanambi, ANC whip in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), used her chairmanship to silence and ridicule opponents of the bill, while showing every indulgence towards critics of the print media, regardless of whether their points had any relevance to the bill.
It is clear from this and other interactions that an instruction has gone out to ANC functionaries: support the info bill and don’t entertain any arguments about a public interest clause, which is the main request of the bill’s opponents.
What we are asking is for public interest to be used as a legitimate defence when contested information is received, published or passed on in other ways.
It’s not an unreasonable request. There could scarcely be a higher calling than public interest.
Yet, as the bill stands, people could be imprisoned simply for having such information.
Instead of allowing legitimate arguments along these lines, the NCOP travelling roadshow is letting people vent other forms of grievance against the media which have no direct bearing on the bill.
Regrettably none of this is surprising.
Such irrational behaviour is not uncommon amid the heckling and jeering that passes for debate in Parliament.
Now it’s transposed into public forums, where folk vent service-delivery complaints.
The bill already threatens our democracy. Farcical hearings add to the dangers.
- Citizen
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