Dear comrade Dowelani I noted your posting with regard to US media urging our president to withdraw legislative proposals and subsequent questions you're posing in this regard. Firstly, I do not know of any grounds for anyone to pose this question: "Is this heading Zimbabwe way?". Maybe those who know better must tell us how they arrive to this conclusion. Secondly, I cannot understand why would a parliamentary process to investigate the Role and Need of the Media Appeals Tribunal which will involve a broad participation of interested parties in the country to be equaled to "interfrerence into internal matters?" That's purely disingenous and faulty argument. Thirdly and lastly, there is no substance to all of this except a cynical attempt to undermine our sovereignity. In the world there is a Choice of Law - what applies in US will not necessarily apply in RSA. I therefore suggest to those US media outlets to follow the debate and contribute to public discourse. Other than that, they deserve to be ignored seeing that they want to be spectators with capital interests driven by the agenda to stifle the debate on the ownership, content and diversity issues. The debate has begun and we're in order as a ruling party and the Alliance to engage parliament to put measures in place to safeguard our country's human rights culture in the promotion of the Bill of Rights. Electronic media is regulated in South Africa and there is no proof of government having trampled on freedom of the media and expression. So, what is this fear about the tribunal? Unless print media project itself as self-righteous and want to approach the debate with a holier-than-thou attitude. It will never fly! We have every right to debate the role of the media and look at issues which put citizen's right at risk and suggest a corrective action mechanism within the context of our constitutional democracy. Let me end by reiterating what ANC president Jacob Zuma said on the ANC Today, we will use our right to express what we think. And we should not be silenced by claims of "threats to press freedom". I remain, Morgan Phaahla
"Sometimes, if you wear suits for too long, it changes your ideology." - Joe Slovo --- On Tue, 8/17/10, Dowelani <[email protected]> wrote: From: Dowelani <[email protected]> Subject: [YCLSA Discussion] Fwd: MEDIA To: [email protected] Date: Tuesday, August 17, 2010, 4:21 AM ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dowelani <[email protected]> Date: 17 Aug 2010 10:20 Subject: MEDIA To: [email protected] Is this heading Zimbabwe way? Is this interfrerence into internal matters? Do they have a point really -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
