Speaker and hon President, in light of the fact that you said the Press Council was reviewing its constitution to strengthen the self-regulatory system, does the President still see the need to introduce this media tribunal? We also want to know what kind of recourse the President is referring to?
While we agree that when an apology is made, it should be visible, the President should also take into account that 37 editors have expressed their concern about the proposed media tribunal as well as the Protection of Information Bill, which, they believe, threaten media freedom in the country.
Also, the Right to Know campaign has been joined by hundreds of stalwarts from diverse backgrounds, such as the Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Professor Kader Asmal and retired Constitutional Court Judge Richard Goldstone. Even the former Minister of Intelligence, Ronnie Kasrils, has expressed severe concerns about the Bill, so we want to know, hon President, whether all these concerns are going to be accommodated, particularly because you said the Press Council is busy reviewing its own constitution. Is the review of this constitution not going to address the concerns that the President has just mentioned? Thank you.