Parliament sets record straight on barring of Right2Know members from precinct

31 Mar 2011

Parliament wishes to set the record straight regarding this week's barring of entry to the precinct of Right2Know members wanting to attend a meeting of the Ad-hoc Committee on Protection of Information Bill. 

In February, members of Right2Know entered the precinct ostensibly to observe a meeting of the Ad-hoc Committee, However, during the meeting, Right2Know members staged a demonstration which disrupted proceedings.

The February demonstration by Right2Know was particularly unseemly because the coalition had had the opportunity to make its concerns about the Protection of Information Bill heard - by way of submissions - to the Ad-hoc Committee and, generally, public input on the bill has been encouraged

Besides being disrespectful, the demonstration was also in contravention of the law. 

Parliament is a National Key Point and in terms of the Powers and Privileges of Parliament Act 2004, demonstrations are prohibited on the precinct.

The Act makes it a criminal offence for a person to improperly interfere with or impede the work of Parliament, including its committees. Section 11 of the Act says that any person who takes part in any disturbance may be arrested and removed from the precinct.

These are justifiable limitations in an open and democratic society and are necessary to ensure that the national legislature is able to fulfill its important constitutional obligations. 

When members of the Right2Know coalition tried to gain entry to the precinct to again attend a meeting of the Ad-hoc Committee on Protection of Information Bill on Thursday, Parliament's security officials took precautionary security action by denying entry.

Parliament wishes to reaffirm that the institution is committed to being a people's Parliament which facilitates public involvement in its work. The practice of opening committee meetings to the public, which started with the establishment of our first democratic Parliament in 1994, is aimed at facilitating public participation in Parliament's law-making and oversight activities.

However, it is our shared responsibility, in spite of whatever differences we may have on specific issues, to respect and to defer to accepted rules and procedures aimed at ensuring that ours is a functioning democracy.

Statement issued by Parliament of South Africa, March 31 2011

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