Right2Know Statement: what Wikileaks teaches us about SA’s Secrecy Bill
Make fewer secrets, less often…
The leaking of secret diplomatic correspondence by Wikileaks serves as a warning to all who wish to hide information from the public. As the South African Parliament considers passing the draconian Protection of Information Bill (POIB), they should stop and consider the lesson of Wikileaks: Technological developments with a democratic impulse have forever undermined the ability of states to keep secrets as they have in the past
The keeping of secrets is a precarious business requiring increasing human and financial resources. The POIB will have significant financial implications for all spheres of government that the current Bill does not cater for.
As the Right2Know Campaign fights the battle against the Secrecy Bill that would shroud our society in darkness, we take note of another Wikileaks lesson: Governments which mire themselves in secrecy can quickly become enemies to their own people. There can be no doubt that publishing much of the information on Wikileaks is in the public interest – even if it is not in the interests of governments. It is for this reason that we continue to demand that the scope and definitions of South Africa’s Secrecy Bill must be narrow in their remit.
The US government and their allies have attempted to frame these leaks as a criminal act. The Right2Know Campaign firmly believes that an institution like Wikileaks is an inevitable response to a system that is overcome by dark and embarrassing secrets. If governments wish to condemn Wikileaks to oblivion, they can best do so by making fewer secrets, less often. In short, they can adopt the sort of open and transparent governance demanded by the South African constitution.
The Right2Know Campaign draws inspiration from the courage and dedication of the team that built and maintains the Wikileaks service. As long as there are people like them committed to exposing the wrongdoing of governments and businesses, no securocratic laws can stop the free flow of information.
For comment:
National Coordinator: Mark Weinberg, 074 103 6704
Gauteng Convener: Ayesha Kajee, 083 500 7486
Western Cape Convener: Hennie van Vuuren, 082 902 1303
Kwazulu Natal Convener: Desmond D’Sa, 083 982 6939
Visits the new Right2Know Campaign website: www.right2know.org.za
ABOUT THE RIGHT2KNOW CAMPAIGN
The Right2know Campaign, launched on the 31st August 2010, is a broad civil society coalition of over 450 organisations concerned that the Protection of Information Bill – also known as the Secrecy Bill – currently before Parliament will fundamentally undermine hard-won constitutional rights including access to information and freedom of expression. R2K is an umbrella campaign representing a broad front of civil society groups.
Some supporters of the campaign include Afesis-Corplan, Anti Privatization Forum (APF), African Network Constitutional Lawyers, Alternative Information and Development Centre, Alliance for Children’s Entitlement to Social Security, Amnesty International (Durban), Biowatch South Africa, Black Sash, Ceasefire Campaign, Centre for Civil Society Environmental Justice Project (UKZN), Centre for Constitutional Rights, CIVICUS, Clairwood Social Forum, Coalition Against Nuclear Energy, Cooperative and Policy Alternative Centre, Democracy Development Programme, Desmond Tutu Peace Centre, Diakonia Council of Churches, Earthlife Africa, ECOPEACE, Environmental Monitoring Group, Equal Education, Global Campaign for Education, Greater Cape Town Civic Alliance, GroundWork, Gun Free South Africa, Health-e News Service, Historical Society of Southern Africa, Human Rights Watch, Idasa, Institute for Accountability in Southern Africa, Institute for Justice and Recociliation, Institute for Security Studies, Durban University of Technology, KhoeSan Womens Circle, KZN Inter-religious council, Khulumani Support Group, Lesbian and Gay Equality Project, M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism (amaBhungane), Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-SA), Media Monitoring Africa, Muslim Judicial Council, National Welfare Forum, Open Democracy Advice Centre, Open Society Foundation- South Africa, Palestine Support Committee (Durban), Parliamentary Monitoring Group, Pelindaba Working Group, Poetry International- South Africa, Politicsweb, Professional Journalists’ Association, Peoples Health Movement (PHM) South Africa, Public Service Accountability Monitor, Rape Crisis, Section27, Social Justice Coalition, Social Movements Indaba, Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa, South African Education and Environment Project, South African History Archives (Freedom of Information Programme), South African Labour Bulletin, South African National Editors Forum (SANEF), South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, Southern African Faith Communities Environment Institute, St Martin’s Anglican Church, Students for Law and Social Justice, The AIDS Consortium, The Centre for Applied Legal Studies, Treatment Action Campaign, and the Unemployed People’s Movement.
Over 11 000 individuals have endorsed the campaign statement including Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nadine Gordimer, Prof Kader Asmal, Zakes Mda, Prof. Max Price, Prof. Jonathan Jansen, Zackie Achmat, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Mary Burton, Mazibuko K Jara, Prof Hoosen Coovadia, Max Du Preez, Andre Brink, Pippa Green, Breyten Breytenbach, Cathi Albertyn, Andrew Feinstein, and Zapiro.
