ANC slams Zille over lobbying

2010-08-09 19:26

Johannesburg - If DA leader Helen Zille had confidence in her party's MPs to convince the public against the Protection of Information Bill, she would not find it necessary to "secretly lobby" ANC MPs against the bill, the ruling party said on Monday.

"Indeed, if Zille had confidence in the capability of her party's MPs to convince the public on her party's position on this Bill, she would not find it necessary to engage in secret liaisons with our individual MPs in an attempt to influence their decision," the ruling party said in a statement.

The Office of the ANC Chief Whip said it noted with interest Zille's plan to lobby individual ANC MPs secretly to vote against the Protection of Information Bill, which was currently before parliament.

"In line with our commitment to the principle of participatory democracy, the ANC has always remained open to any engagement either inside or outside parliament on critical issues affecting our society."

It was for this reason that the party had been leading public discourse and consultations on the Protection of Information Bill to ensure that the views of all stakeholders within the society were taken into consideration when the Bill was tabled before parliament for voting.

"Her (Zille) publicly announced plan to influence a parliamentary decision through secret deals with MPs under the cover of darkness sounds much like a product of an overzealous propaganda.

"It is interesting that Zille herself seems to believe in this propaganda," the ANC said.

- SAPA