I am often perplexed by the action of our elected government and just cannot fathom some of its actions.
The Secrecy Bill has become infamous for being the veil that Government wishes to draw over the Public’s eyes, shrouding the Government in a cocoon of law that makes it illegal to tattle tale about any of their dirty laundry. This coupled with Bra JZ’s instruction to the government protocol unit to ensure that no minister is ever again obliged to put hand luggage through an airport scanner has only exacerbated this for me.
The big question for me has been why we as the People, the one’s footing the cost for just about everything the Government does, are having more of our freedom taken away and this freedom in turn given to Our elected officials (aka Government)?
To dream of a world of politics without corruption is idealistic. Politics and corruption go hand in hand. Wherever there is power, there will be those who pursue it. Like megalomaniac moths drawn the flame of burning Taxpayer rands.
The best we can do is to acknowledge this fundamental human flaw and get on with it. My concern though is that the ANC specifically is trying to cock block our freedom and constitutional rights at every opportunity and where there is not an opportunity, they try to create one. I have distant memories as a kid of this thing called the “ANC” being very important and that there were millions of people out there who they were trying to protect from “oppression”. Not they I really understood the word “oppression” back then, but it sounded like something pretty kak.
So what now? There are various groups and opposition parties fighting tooth and nail to prevent the travesty that is the Protection of Information Bill. A repetitive pattern of the ANC coming up with some new self preserving or self enriching idea and the Opposition then giving the ANC a swift kick in the balls by having said law/bill/act declared unconstitutional.
The ANC has however developed a Teflon coated face to which no egg will stick and merrily continue on their way to a better future for all those inside the inner circle of power.
It’s truly sad that by the time I was able to vote, I did not see any reason to vote for the ANC. Sure they did a lot a long time ago, but there really isn’t anything that they have done for the People in the present or recent past. And please, let’s not talk about roads being built in some forgettable little dorpie or township, or some toilet that Goggo Vilakazi got after 80 years of dumping in a hole. These are all products of a developing country irrespective of who put their brand on the toilet seat that now keeps Goggo Vilakazi’s bottom from being pricked by the long veld grass.
Has the ANC done some good? Yes, undeniably. But then again, so did Hitler. The question should be; “Is the taxpayer getting Pep store products at Woolworth’s prices?”
I think that the answer is a resounding “Yes!”
Anyway let’s get back to the point. What exactly is the need for the Government to protect “secrets”? Our government does not seem to hold any secrets to success other than those in self enrichment and self preservation. I can’t think of any Government initiatives or projects that require closed doors to ensure that our recipe for garlic and sweet potato soup doesn’t get leaked to some Imperialist Western Government. Maybe there is a covert plan to have unused submarines deployed to all our borders with Swaziland in order to protect us from the ever present threat of herders going postal and attacking SA with slingshots and sharp pointy sticks.
Of all the things I cannot understand about the ANC, it is why there is a need to protect information. Surely there is no information worth protecting, especially when that information has been paid for by you and me. Is this then not in fact our information in the first place? Are they not the elected herders of our metaphorically cattle (aka. Tax rands)? Why are they constantly trying to herd our cattle into their own kraals (aka. Swiss bank accounts)? I’m sure that back in the day if the Ancestors caught you trying to funnel off some their cattle, they would have thrown you into a river full of hungry crocodiles with laser beams attached to their heads.
So the big question has to be; “Other than corruption, nepotism, drug dealing, sexual scandals, blue light brigade abuse, arms deals, sporting scandals, tenderpreneurship and youth festivals... what other information do we actually need to protect?”
Now that I’m done bashing the ANC and starting to get into the spirit of 16 days of activism to end violence against woman and children, I’m off to take a quick stroll round the block and bliksem the first old man I meet.
Insincere regards
Buzz
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