Three rand. That’s the cost of the government’s radio, TV and print advertising campaign for the controversial Protection of State Information Bill.
The campaign, which the State Security Department paid for and described as “a public awareness campaign”, came as the countrywide public hearings, including last week’s final presentation to the parliamentary ad hoc committee dealing with the bill, were wrapping up. “It is public knowledge that various surveys showed low levels of awareness in some sectors of society (about the bill) and this campaign is one of the interventions aimed at raising public awareness,” said State Security ministerial spokesman Brian Dube.
“The adverts are part of a public education campaign on the part of government, which as some presenters have quite correctly observed during their parliamentary presentations, has a duty to educate the public about the contents of the bill.”
Dube confirmed the campaign had come with a R3m price tag and been produced by the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS): “We invite those civil society organisations to join hands with us and help educate the public.”
GCIS head Jimmy Manyi was not available to comment further, nor was ad hoc committee chairman Raseriti Tau. This is the latest fallout over the controversial draft law, dubbed the Secrecy Bill, which has been widely criticised by civil society and labour for undermining not only journalists and researchers, but also whistleblowers because there is no public interest defence for the possession and/or disclosure of classi- fied information.
The ANC decided last September to roll out public hearings countrywide after unhappiness about the draft law was raised at a meeting of its national executive committee.
However, it appears these public hearings in each province may have backfired: residents used the platform provided by the parliamentarians to raise local issues like the lack of service delivery.
The Right2Know campaign, an umbrella body of civil society organisations opposed to the bill in its current form, has complained about bias in the public hearings – and submitted affidavits to this effect to Tau.
“R2K submits that there’s a growing body of evidence that the provincial consultations were organised and chaired in a manner not fitting a presiding officer of Parliament, and which fostered partisan and unfair practices, undermining the principles of public participation,” it said.
In this week’s skirmishes around the bill, the DA made it clear it would have none of the advertising campaign.
The party’s parliamentary leader, Lindiwe Mazibuko, wrote to National Assembly Speaker Max Sisulu, saying it was “unacceptable” for the government to launch the campaign while Parliament was still dealing with the matter. In addition, the campaign focused on a very narrow aspect of the proposed law – the protection of personal information in birth and marriage certificates and drivers licences.
“This campaign has seriously undermined the role of Parliament and the separation of powers the constitution envisages as the bill is still under the jurisdiction of the National Council of Provinces,” Mazibuko wrote in a letter dated April 4.
This followed an official complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority of SA on the basis that the adverts breached three good conduct provisions: adverts should not abuse the trust of the consumer, not play on fear without justifiable reason and not mislead consumers. However, the ANC chief whip dismissed this.
“It is silly for the DA to regard this exercise as a violation of the principle of separation of powers. The department is merely educating South Africans on the facts around the bill, not influencing or meddling in the parliamentary process,” said chief whip Mathole Motshekga.
The ad hoc committee, where the ANC holds a majority, will report back on the bill to the NCOP on May 17. If it is passed – it has already been approved by the National Assembly in a vote of 229 against 107 and two abstentions – several civil society organisations, political parties and labour federation Cosatu have promised to take it to the Constitutional Court. - Sunday Independent