ANC to woo public with Info Bill campaign
Published
Shereen Barnes at the Right2Know vigil outside Parliament. Photo: Michael Walker Shereen Barnes at the Right2Know vigil outside Parliament. Photo: Michael Walker
ANC MPs armed with pamphlets the party intends printing will engage in a hearts and minds campaign to counter opposition to the Protection of State Information Bill when they head off for constituency work once Parliament rises.
The ANC would pay for the printing of the pamphlets, the party said.
The ruling party decided on Monday to backtrack on the bill, which may have saved President Jacob Zuma and his government from potential embarrassment.
It came on the eve of South Africa signing a high-level Open Government Declaration in New York, where Zuma is attending the UN General Assembly.
South Africa is one of eight governments on the steering committee of the Open Government Partnership that is driving the initiative with several civil society organisations.
South Africa was among the first countries to back the plan along with Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Norway, the Philippines, the US and the UK.
It aims to secure “concrete commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies to strengthen governance”.
In Cape Town last night, members of the public, activists and journalists gathered outside Parliament for a candlelight vigil, which turned into an impromptu celebration of the postponement of the bill.
Vigils were also held in Durban and Joburg.
The Protection of State Information Bill – dubbed the secrecy bill by opponents – has sparked an unprecedented outcry and criticism that it will enable those in power to avoid being accountable by classifying documents, with harsh jail terms for disclosure and no provision for a public interest defence.
It was to have gone before the National Assembly this afternoon and it was widely expected that the ruling party’s superior numbers would have led to it being passed, amid mounting protests from civil society and media bodies.
A decision that the bill be put on ice – taken by the ANC’s national executive committee at the weekend – was ratified by its parliamentary caucus yesterday.
The party’s chief whip, Mathole Motshekga, acknowledged the pressure of public opinion, but denied the ANC was divided over the bill. There were “still interested parties who need further hearing” and late submissions. He said these had been made to the Office of the Speaker, Max Sisulu.
He also acknowledged the public outcry, driven mainly by the Right2Know campaign, which counts among its members citizens living in informal settlements and backyards.
Motshekga hinted at divisions within the ANC and the governing alliance over the bill when he said the withdrawal would also allow for “further discussion internally”.
Cosatu, the ANC’s alliance partner, has warned that it would fight the legislation all the way to the Constitutional Court – a threat echoed by opposition parties and other groupings.
While Motshekga was emphatic about the party’s decision that “further engagement” was necessary, he could not give assurances that future submissions – particularly on the question of including a public interest defence – would be heeded.
Allowing for those who breach the proposed law to argue that they did so in the interests of the common good, is a central demand of those opposed to the bill.
ANC MP Luwellyn Landers, who with party colleague Cecil Burgess was responsible for shepherding the bill through its committee stage, indicated it was unlikely the party would shift on this point, setting the stage for further battles.
Motshekga also made it clear that the bill would not be withdrawn and redrafted. “The question of scrapping does not arise,” he said. - Political Bureau