DA candidate list: media partisanship, planting agents and tokenism!
Our country prepares for the 5th general elections since the collapse of the white minority government and political parties of different ideologies are revealing their policies and preferred candidates for public office. The 5th general election will continue to deepen our democratic gains and to protect freedoms that are guaranteed in our Constitution.
The Constitution provides checks and balances to safeguard our democracy, including free press and other independent institutions. The Revolutionary Alliance of the ANC, SACP and Cosatu fought for these gaurantees and entrenched them in the supreme law of the land, the Constitution. It is therefore upon every South African to protect these hard won democratic gains from any abuse and manipulation.
The demise of white minority government did not automatically translate to disapearance of white minority monopoly interests; to the contrary, they continue to subvert the democratic gains. The Democratic Alliance became the bastion and agent of monopoly capital for perpetuating the legacy of apartheid using the media and ramnants within the post-apartheid administration.
While the liberation movement has championed media and State transformation to reflect the aspirations of the poor marginalised majority population, the remnants of our past continue to undermine these institutions. In pursuit of their narrow party political interest and the broader neo-liberal agenda, the DA plants its agents to these social structures in a manner that poses danger to our young democracy.
The media as one of the most important social instruments is expected to play a critical role in informing and educating the public in a manner that is neutral, balanced and non-partisan. This neutrality can only be protected if those in the newsroom do not habour any political agenda in conducting their work. This ethical requirement and expectation is a key pillar in promoting the integrity of journalism.