Sir, without these instruments, you end up with a paralysed opposition and a cosmetic democracy. Today, we start on this road.
Mnr die Speaker, natuurlik het elke land wetgewing wat staatsveiligheid en militre geheime beskerm. Ons is nie daarteen gekant nie, maar die VF Plus gaan teen hierdie wetgewing stem, omdat ons glo dat hierdie wetgewing baie verder as dit gaan. Ek wil 'n belangrike beroep op die ANC doen om met 'n belangrike saak soos hierdie sy parlementslede toe te laat om elkeen vrylik volgens sy gewete te stem. Hulle argumenteer dat die doel van die wetgewing nie is om korrupsie toe te smeer of die media te muilband nie. Ons is oortuig dat hierdie wetgewing presies dit gaan doen. (Translation of Afrikaans paragraph follows.)
[Mr Speaker, of course each country has legislation that protects government security and military secrets. We are not opposed to that; however, the FF Plus will be voting against this legislation, because we believe that this legislation goes much further than that. I would like to make an urgent appeal to the ANC to allow its Members of Parliament to vote freely according to their conscience on an important matter such as this one. They maintain in their argument that the aim of the legislation is not to cover up corruption or to gag the media, yet we are convinced that this legislation will do exactly that.]