IDASA adopt "Right To Know" campaign.

[Nothxkbi]

The , South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) yesterday announced a coalition, made up of media, civil society and big business, to lobby the government to reconsider limits on media freedom, writes Chantelle Benjamin for Business Day

MORE than 180 civil organisations and individuals will today announce a major campaign and a week of protest against the Protection of Information Bill.

Journalism schools yesterday added their voice to criticism of the bill and the proposed media appeals

Link

 

[TonyHawk]

It seems appropriate and a good counter measure... but lets hope it has an effect.

Lets face it... if the ANC puts it through... it will be a ticking time bomb to their own destruction... now there's nothing bad in that

 

[Balstrome]

Don't these guys remember what an underground movement can do? Beat on the press now and you will drive them underground and then the count down for your exit begins. Bloody clueless fatcats.

 

[Ronjay]

It seems appropriate and a good counter measure... but lets hope it has an effect.

Lets face it... if the ANC puts it through... it will be a ticking time bomb to their own destruction... now there's nothing bad in that

Or it might just be the beginning of another dictatorship ala Robert Mugabe style.

 

[TonyHawk]

Or it might just be the beginning of another dictatorship ala Robert Mugabe style.

Hey I doubt it... we don't have morons like they did/do in Zimmy... either business (fat-cats)... the international community... the right-wing or even the church... one of them will get through... IMO

If all else fails... we will have a civil war and the Western Cape will break away (sorry to bring that up again... )

 

[Ronjay]

Hey I doubt it... we don't have morons like they did/do in Zimmy... either business (fat-cats)... the international community... the right-wing or even the church... one of them will get through... IMO

If all else fails... we will have a civil war and the Western Cape will break away (sorry to bring that up again... )

Yeah, maybe. But I can't help having an ominous feeling that I've seen this all before.....

Just Eleven years ago, people would never have believed that ZIm would be like it is now. Granted, the country was an authoritarian, single party state with a very poor economy to start with but still.....

The formula to set up a dictatorship in africa is pretty simple.

1) Secure the 2/3 majority seats in government by any means. The ANC fall just short but at one time they were trying to get as many seats as possible through that lovely bit of legislature called 'crossing the floor'. Remember that thieving idea of theirs? thank goodness that was put aside. But I think they will figure out some other little plan to pinch seats soon. It's funny how people think that a 2/3 majority has to be voted in when such legislature can easily be made to steal seats if necessary.

2) Intimidate opposition and any other threat. I don't know about you, but I think allowing youth leaders to incite to violence through singing war songs about killing a certain group is pretty intimidating.

3)Make your police service a military force. There's nothing like martial law to insure the man in the street is kept in his place. We've already seen the shift in policies such as giving the police military rank and kill regardless of consequences to innocent bystanders. Is this only the beginning?

4) Muzzle the media. If you are wanting to kill off a threat, you don't want reporting on it do you? Best way to insure a violent put down of opposition is not going to be on international telly, is just not allow journalists to do any journalism.

5) Once you have 2/3 majority in government, outlaw all opposition and you can pretty much do as you like. Even change the constitution to suite your needs and wants. Hell, the way the system is, you don't even really need to outlaw the opposition anyway. But most dictatorships do, it just makes more sense if you are looking for absolute control.

6) Once the constitution isn't much more then a piece of paper that you can use to wipe your @rse with, just make sure you are ruler for life.

There, how many of those are the ANC already ticking off the list? If this legislature goes through we would already be on number 4. The biggest threat to democracy is the government that cries democracy at every turn but then does everything in it's power to piss on it. And right now, our democracy is starting to smell like a public urinal at an old pub. Oh well, lets just hope you're right.