SA and Mauritius 'democratic reversals'
In an opinion piece on Allafrica.com, Mauritian communication expert Roukaya Kasenally looks at South Africa's recent past as Africa's poster-child - first through its inspiring democratic emergence from Apartheid, then through international acceptance, for example, the way South Africa earned its place in the powerful BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) League of Nations.
"Unfortunately," Kasenally says, "the poster child of Africa is exhibiting a number of democratic reversals [in areas such as] information/media freedom." In that, she sees similarities between South Africa and her own country - Mauritius.
Kasenally says that the recent passing in the South African Parliament of the 'Protection of State Information Bill' is the latest example of such democratic reversals. "[T]he 'Protection of State Information Bill', which may become law [soon] ... bans the publication of classified documents even if the information could be in the public interest and allows the government to class almost any category of information as secret." Moreover, Kasenally says, anyone involved in whistle blowing or any journalist or editor involved in publishing such information could face 25 years in prison.
Kasenally sees similar intentions in her own country. "Mauritius," she says, - "incidentally another poster child of Africa" has been trying to implement a 'Media Commission Bill'. "For a number of years now, there has been a growing intolerance from the present government towards a given section of the press," she says, adding that the implementation of Mauritius' much promised Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has stalled. "[Recently], the Prime Minister made a statement in parliament saying that the FOIA is not a priority for his government." Kasenally argues that leaders should aim to learn from global political upheavals, "stop the comfort talk that all is fine in paradise and [open] consultative dialogue and exchange [...] at the constitutional, electoral or media level," she says.
Read the full article on http://allafrica.com.
