ProJourn voices "Brown Tuesday hatchet-job fears"

It is a day mournful and overcast when one of the key instruments of democracy is wielded as a hatchet with such blunt anti-democratic intent. What we will see today - if the Protection of Information Bill is to be steamrollered into law in its current form without a public interest defence - is nothing less than an unabashed act of sedition by the ruling faction of the African National Congress against its own proud democratic traditions. After this "Day of the Long Knives" what are we to expect next: newspaper burnings, the suspension of other civil liberties, or a fire set in Parliament?

The Association, in concert with all freedom-loving South Africans and concerned friends of our country abroad, must question the true depth of the "democratic credentials" of those who, in part shaped by a history of unaccountable clandestinity, and paramilitary and intelligence operations funded by Soviet totalitarianism and its proxies in Cuba and Eastern Europe, have risen from the shadows to hijack not only the ruling party - to the consternation of many ANC and COSATU veterans and loyalists - but the hard-won freedoms of our celebrated country.

This kleptocratic clique's desire to turn back the clock to the dark days of statist baasskap (mastery) over the common people in order to cloak their unprincipled activities in darkness is now openly revealed - and must be openly fought tooth and nail at every turn. We wholeheartedly support the statement issued by the South African National Editors' Forum (SANEF) which declared the Bill to be an "abomination".

We, the working journalists of South Africa, urge our vibrant civil society to rally to the [Right2Know] campaign and to support any potential Constitutional Court challenge to this evil legislation - and are prepared as guardians and enablers of the public's right to know to go further should we be called on by the public we serve to do so.