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Bill would hinder fight against graft

29 Mar 2012

According to the Cape Argus, during public hearings that started in Parliament, civil society, legal and media bodies argued that if the Protection of State Information Bill is passed in its present form, the fight against corruption will become insurmountable, whistleblowers and journalists would face unjust jail sentences, and the poor will have less chance of access to the services to which they are entitled.

A key thread among the arguments put forward was the call to strike the correct balance between the need to protect information in the interests of national security and the values of transparency in the constitution - as well as the need for a public interest defence.

Corruption Watch director David Lewis warned that the bill in its present form would seriously impede the fight against corruption. "Information is the key ingredient in fighting corruption, all corruption," Lewis said. "[Without information] these crimes against the public will not be treated with sufficient seriousness and the perpetrators will not be treated like the common criminals that they are." SA Human Rights Commission deputy chairwoman Pregs Govender said without access to information, addressing issues that affect the poorest would be severely hampered.

Media lawyer Dario Milo said the journalists who wrote about suspended national police commissioner Bheki Cele's R26 million World Cup tender would have faced prosecution under clause 43 which relates to the offence of disclosure and clause 44 which relates to possession of classified documents, the Cape Argus reports.

Read the full article on www.iol.co.za.