Arms deal likened to the golden calf

Cape Town-120427-Terry Crawford-Browne (Challanged the Arms Deal) raises a banner on the side of the Methodist Church in Green Market Square in aid of Freedom Day. Photo:Ross Jansen

Cape Town-120427-Terry Crawford-Browne (Challanged the Arms Deal) raises a banner on the side of the Methodist Church in Green Market Square in aid of Freedom Day. Photo:Ross Jansen

Published Apr 28, 2012

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A huge banner criticising South Africa’s controversial multi-billion rand arms deal has been hung on a wall of the Central Methodist Mission on Greenmarket Square to mark Freedom Day.

Campaigner for the truth about the deal Terry Crawford-Browne put up the banner, which says: “The arms deal is SA’s golden calf”, yesterday.

Reverend Alan Storey said it was erected in honour of Crawford-Browne for “consistently holding the government accountable” over the arms deal.

He has been fighting since 1999 for a proper investigation into the arms deal. In September, President Jacob Zuma appointed an inquiry into the deal, which has been dogged by accusations of corruption.

Storey said the banner was specifically erected on the 18th anniversary of Freedom Day to convey the message that “if we’re serious about freedom, we should be serious about investigating the arms deal”.

As in the Bible the Israelites worshipped a golden calf while Moses was up Mount Sinai collecting the 10 commandments, people were concocting the arms deal while the Constitution was being written in 1994.

”The Constitution is the crown jewel of our freedom, yet the arms deal has betrayed (it). Every cent spent on the arms deal has stolen our freedom. We don’t face a military threat, but we face the threat of poverty and lack of education and health care,” Storey said. - Weekend Argus

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