March to Parliament to support the Protection of State Information Bill
The ANC-led Alliance in the Cape Metro has over a considerable period noted the consistent campaign of disinformation and hysteria propagated by the "Right to Know Campaign" against the Protection of State Information Bill. This initiative is dominated by foreign-sponsored NGO's and western-owned media agencies. Their links with often foreign owned media houses ensure their campaign enjoys generous media coverage, force-feeding society their liberal propaganda to undermine our government.
The campaign spreads false information to instil fear in society that the ANC-led government is a threat to our Constitution and that the freedoms that citizens, and the media, now enjoy as a result of the struggles and sacrifices of our movement are threatened. They create hysteria based on unfounded claims that the Bill will conceal corruption and that investigative journalism will be suppressed. They are arguing for the "public interest defence" and thus misleading the public with their supposition that the media is interest-free.
This is clearly misleading because the media houses are owned by foreign capital, whose interests in our country are not necessarily those of our public, its citizens. Against this background the media cannot even claim to be the custodian of "public interest" or public good. The media projects a democratically-elected government as the enemy of the very public that elected the government in the first place. By what right do they assume this superiority?
The Bill clearly provides for sanctions against people who knowingly classify information incorrectly in order to conceal corruption or any wrong doing. This ensures that there are safeguards against abuse of this legislation.
The Bill also makes provision for the courts to adjudicate in cases where the media wants to obtain and publish classified information. This is a fair process of legitimately obtaining state information for public good and it remains a mystery why the media would not want this accountability instrument. The media is not above the laws of this country and therefore should be subjected to the same laws within the republic. On other issues the media demands powers for the courts to oversee government, why on this issue do they want unfettered freedom to do whatever they want with no legal framework?
As the Alliance, we believe the government has the responsibility to protect the republic broadly against foreign infiltration and aggression as well as espionage. The state must criminalise damaging and dangerous tendencies of information peddling (such as the "browse mole report") which could plunge our country into a diplomatic crisis or political instability.
It is against this background that the SACP in the Brian Bunting District together with its Alliance partners ANC, SANCO and COSATU in the Cape Metropole will embark on a public demonstration of support to the Bill as follows:
Date: 30 March 2012 (Friday)
Time: 11h00 - 13h00
Venue: Parliament of the Republic of South Africa
Statement issued by Benson Ngqentsu, SACP, Thembelani Sakathi, ANC, and Mpondwana, SANCO, Cape Metro, March 29 2012
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