The powers that be would like us not to react to this proposal until it’s too late. A few puzzling legislations have been put forward this year. The first was a ban on internet pornography. Most of us didn’t object and I was one who thought it a good idea. Mainly for the reason that there is nothing that annoys me more than porn pop-ups. You go onto a site to download music and what do you know, a pair of oversized silicone tits greet you. Very annoying. So I said yes, internet porn should be banned!
And then the Protection of Information Bill (proposed section 75) crept up. In the beginning I didn’t react. I didn’t realise what was at stake. So, like all things I don’t like, I ignored it and thought the storm will pass. There is no way in hell this will be taken seriously, especially not by comrades who fought in the “struggle”. And then it hit me. Not out of the blue, mind, but through a slow building media campaign against the bill.
I listened to the debates on radio and I read the blogs and the newspaper articles and columns. And the ANC was making valid points and so was the media. But then I thought again. I thought why would such a bill be necessary? How would it affect me? And could this be the start of “Big Brother is Watching You”?
I don’t dispute that some information should be kept confidential for the security of our country. Citizens do not need to know everything. Which is why the Promotion of Access to Information Act (Act No. 2 OF 2000) exists, to ensure that confidential and sensitive information is protected. But should the mismanagement of public funds be deemed as secret information?
What bothers me with the whole debate is the establishment of a Media Appeals Tribunal. Fining journalists and throwing them in jail for publishing public interest stories is a bit extreme. As long as I pay my taxes I should know where that money is going and how it’s being managed. When I hear members of the ruling party say that journalists who write stories that don’t contribute positively to the South Africa that they are building should pay fines and thrown in jail for daring to write such stories is a little scary. Not all stories can be positive. Corrupt officials should be exposed. Heinous crimes need to be reported on.
There is information we can protect but let’s face it. Information is power. If I live under a deluded cloud that South Africa is a gun free zone, I’ll be tempted to leave my doors unlocked at night. And how will I know which party to vote for if information regarding the misdeeds of certain parties filtered?
Maybe that is the point of the bill. But think about this scenario. If it starts with journos being thrown in jail. The next stop will be you being fined for stuff you post on Twitter and Facebook. After that what you read will also be regulated. Then after that which church you go to or what you believe in, then it will be who you are in a relationship with and a before you know it you are living in George Orwell’s 1984 where the government is never wrong and everyone who dares question their decision can be thrown in jail. Sadly, that is the implication of not having press freedom in a country.
No matter how many good points the ANC comes up with for this bill and tribunal will I ever be convinced that it is the best thing for South Africa because it may not be this government, or the next government. It might not be used negatively for the next fifty years or so, but somewhere down the line someone is bound to abuse it and take us back to apartheid. It wasn’t so long ago that the only information available was propaganda, newspapers were censored, books were banned, journalists thrown behind bars and writers were forced to flee the country. Why do we want to go back there?
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