Opposition parties to petition president over Info Bill
The following article was published online by the SABC News
Some opposition parties are to petititon the President Jacob Zuma over the constitutionality of the Protection of Information Bill. The parliamentary committee is set to vote on it tonight.
The African National Congress (ANC) is likely to push the Bill through in its current form. The ad hoc committee is rushing against time to publish the Bill, before it is dissolved at the end of this month. It has not yet agreed on public interest as a defence for publishing classified state information.
“We will probably petition the President under section 79 of the Constitution and ask him to send the Bill back to the national assembly,” says Democratic Alliance (DA) Member of Parliament (MP), David Maynier.
“The alternative is and we trust that consideration be given to refer this matter to the Constitutional Court from parliament because of the serious constitutional concerns that the parties have,” added Steve Swart, from the African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP).
Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU) wants the public interest clause included in the Bill. The ruling party which has already rejected the public interest clause is set to use its majority to turn the draft legislation into law.
“We would ask the President to invoke his powers in terms of the constitution to refer it to the constitutional court. We are giving that a very serious consideration. So this empty threat that people will take the law to the constitutional court is like water off a duck’s back,” says ANC’s MP Lewellyn Landers.
Lobby groups say the bill in its existing form offers little protection for the informer and the reporter.
“By pushing this bill through without putting in protection for whistleblowers and protection for ordinary citizens as well as journalists who come across a classified piece of information a state secret that reveals things that the public need to know. If that bill is being used to target whistleblowers, we cannot accept it and by forcing us to take it to a legal challenge, well, so be it,” highlighted Murray Hunter, from the Right2Know campaign.
The committee is expected to vote on various clauses of the Bill before referring it to the National Assembly for debate.
Source SABC
