SUZANNE VOS MP (IFP), BROADCASTING AMENDMENT BILL NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2009
If ever there was proof needed that South Africa requires strong and principled opposition political parties, the amendments to the Broadcasting Amendment Bill forced on the ANC-alliance here today is a shining example.
If ever there was proof that South Africa needs a strong and principled President of the Republic willing return legislation supported by his own party which he decides is problematic, here (yet again), is an example.
We thank the Hon President K Motlanthe for considering the petition of the IFP, DA and Freedom Front Plus not to assent to signing the Broadcasting Amendment Bill into law, and for sending it back to require his Parliament to effect crucial amendments, which have now been effected.
We thank the Chief Whips of these parties for making it possible for expert legal opinion to be obtained - at considerable cost - to assist the President in his deliberations.
This Hon. House perhaps needs reminding that former President Nelson Mandela also returned the first version of the Broadcasting Bill back to Parliament in the early 90's when the IFP and the DA petitioned him to do so, due to its then quite clear unconstitutionality before correction - at that time we also appended expert legal opinion.
So, there is a history to the ANC-alliance wanting to control our public broadcaster and the Broadcasting Amendment Bill before us today was, yet again, a direct and deliberate attempted assault on the independence of the SABC as the public broadcaster, which the ANC tried to ram down the throats of the opposition in the Parliament and the people of South Africa. It failed, yet again.
While the IFP supports the amendments to allow due inquiry before the Board of the SABC can be sacked ("due inquiry" which the ANC alliance vigorously resisted in the communications committee), we nevertheless do not support the intention of the Bill - which is to give the ANC an opening to turn the SABC back into an apartheid-style state broadcaster controlled by its own ANC political hacks.
Issued by the Inkatha Freedom Party, February 17 2009
