Ministry welcomes extension on the Protection of Information Bill

23 Jun 2011

The Ministry of State Security welcomes the decision by parliament to extend the life of the Adhoc Committee that is processing the Protection of Information Bill.

This decision vindicates the Minister's position that there is no truth to allegations of the bill being ‘bulldozed by the ANC in parliament', a claim made by those who are vehemently opposed to this bill.

We reiterate the call for a sober deliberation and public debate on this bill which accurately reflects the totality of opinions and positions from all sectors, particularly the ANC and government.

We note with concern repeated attempts by those who are opposed to this bill to undermine the work that has been done, since the bill was introduced in the public domain. The Adhoc Committee has made considerable progress on a number of issues that have been raised and continue to be raised by civil society organisations and critics of this bill.

That the committee is now on ‘Working Document no 8' provides testimony to this fact. To therefore call for this bill to be scrapped shows total disregard to those who have contributed to this process. It further seeks to undermine the work of parliament, a democratic institution founded by our constitution and this cannot be allowed.

We are confident that the committee will remain seized with the contentious issues and that through its collective wisdom will work towards resolving these and produce the kind of legislation that our democratic dispensation will utilise in strengthening the state's ability to effectively discharge its duty and mandates as directed by the Constitution. 

Statement issued by Brian Dube, Department of State Security, June 23 2011

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