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More criticism for SABC board
23/12/2007 16:42 - (SA)
Johannesburg - The SACP strongly condemned the decision by President Thabo Mbeki to appoint the new SABC board, it said in a statement on Sunday.
"As we said before, this is a board that has no broader working class and civil society representation, thus flouting the very Broadcasting Act it is supposedly serving under."
"We are particularly disturbed at this unilateral action, especially after an SACP national officials' delegation had strongly raised this matter directly with the previous ANC officials," the statement said.
It was unfortunate that the board would - in the eyes of many - be an illegitimate board, foisted on the country and based on a list imposed on the ANC study group on communications, the SACP said.
"This imposition was made by an unmandated factionalist grouping of past leaders of the ANC.
"It is precisely such behaviour that led to the ousting of many of these leaders at the ANC conference in Polokwane.
"One would therefore have expected President Mbeki to be sensitive and listen to the many concerns raised by, amongst others, the ANC caucus itself and the alliance partners, about both the process leading up to the selection of this board and its representivity," the SACP said.
The party reiterated its belief in a strong, and predominantly state-funded but independent public broadcaster.
"It is for this reason that we are expressing our displeasure at the appointment of this board.
"We call for an immediate review of this decision and for the process to revert back to parliament so that we can have a truly representative board."
The SACP said it would further raise the matter "very strongly in the alliance", and with the incoming ANC NEC.
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