Chair, this Bill has received unprecedented opposition from opposition parties, civil rights organisations, the media and the public at large. The reason for this is simple. It is widely accepted that the Bill in its current form can be used as a tool to hide corruption and other wrongs perpetrated by the state.
Thomas Hobbes appropriately referred to the state as the Leviathan, a monster that can influence and dictate all spheres of life, whether public or private. In modern terms it is the constitutional democracy that provides the mechanisms to reign in the Leviathan. In this respect one of the principal tenets of constitutional democracy is the free flow of information that provides the energy to establish organisations and movements to counter the might of the Leviathan. Therefore, any attempts to stifle the flow of information must be seen as inherent undemocratic acts.
In die lig hiervan is dit onsinnig dat die ANC hardnekkig weier om die openbare belang-verweer in die wetsontwerp te erken, tensy die ANC in der waarheid in wese 'n ondemokratiese organisasie is. Dit sal ons uitvind wanneer die wetswysigings wat ingedien is deur die Vryheidsfront Plus en die IVP weer aangehoor word. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Considering this it is senseless for the ANC to doggedly refuse to acknowledge the defence with reference to public interest in the Bill, unless the ANC is in fact an undemocratic organisation. This we will get to know once the legislative amendments submitted by the Freedom Front Plus and the IFP are considered again.]
The system of relationship between the state, media and the public is a complex one. And what we know of complex systems is that they generate unintended consequences. One of those consequences relates to media diversity. Electronic media allows for the proliferation of new newspapers and publications in various languages. For many of those new businesses to survive and grow, they will need quality current affairs content. However, this Bill directs such newcomers to apply to court, as a last resort, to possess and publish classified information. Due to the huge legal costs involved, it will only be the existing large media houses that will be able to challenge classification in terms of this Bill, thus eroding the growth of media diversity.
Daarom het die VF Plus wysigings tot die wetsontwerp ingedien waarvan een die openbare belang-verweer is. lndien ons die staatsmonster in toom wil hou, mag ons nie kompromie maak ten aansien van die vrye vloei van inligting nie. Die ANC sal dus nou moet besluit of hulle ware demokrate is, of net in naam. Dankie. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[For that reason the FF Plus submitted amendments to the Bill of which the defence with reference to the public interest is a point in case. Should we wish to reign in this monstrous state, we cannot compromise at the cost of the free flow of information. Therefore, the ANC now has to decide whether they are true democrats in the true sense of the word, or in name only. Thank you.]