Charles Dickens observed in his novel Oliver Twist: "The law is an ass, an idiot." This phrase has endured because some laws seem to make no sense at all. It is amusing to note laws passed long ago that are technically still legal.

Did you know that "All English males over the age 14 are required to carry out 2 hours of longbow practice every week and said practice should be supervised by the local clergy"?

Or in Chester you can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight? The following is illegal in some American states:

• To shower naked (Florida)
• For a chicken to cross the road (Georgia)
• For a man with a moustache to kiss a woman in public (Iowa)
• For a woman to buy a hat without her husband's permission (Kentucky)
• To sell donut holes (Nebraska)

It was not so funny, however, to witness idiot rules with sinister intent that were recently adopted in the Gauteng Legislature. According to a new rule, during a debate members are not allowed to "distribute any unauthorized document in the House". So you can't pass an interesting article to your colleagues, or send correspondence across the aisle.

The intent was to curb distribution of press statements by opposition members to the press gallery. When I was suspended from the Legislature last year for five days the ANC was incensed that my statement on a health debate was handed out to journalists.

They were even more angry when a colleague read out the speech I would have given if I was not suspended.

So another idiot rule is that a suspended member is not allowed "to have his/her speeches or parts thereof read on his/her behalf in the House or any of its Committees".

Even worse, a suspended member loses "the right to speak on his/her official capacity as a Member of the Legislature or any of its Committees". This is pure ugly censorship that takes away the constitutional right to free speech.

The Speaker has new power to suspend members without even conducting an inquiry or referring it to the Privileges and Ethics Committee.

An outspoken politician better be careful because there is another new rule with the Orwellian title "Statements impairing on the dignity of a Member and the Integrity of the Legislature".

It reads "Should allegations made in the media be found to have lacked substance and as a result be untrue, such alleging party, if it is a Member, may be ordered to retract those media statements and offer public apology to the injured party and the Legislature".

Hendrik Verwoerd must be smiling in his grave at the opportunities this offers for abuse.

Who determines what is untrue? Defense Minister Lindiwe Sisulu would love this in her efforts to silence DA MP David Maynier who has embarrassed her with his assertions.

If you refuse to apologise you will be suspended.

If you speak out during your suspension you will be suspended further and then you had better keep absolutely quiet just in case.

This is how authoritarian control sneaks in through the back door.

Jack Bloom is a DA member of the Gauteng legislature. This article first appeared in The Citizen.

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