From: hllhar01@uctvax.uct.ac.za
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african,sanet.talk.politics
Subject: Re: unity and other myths
Date: 29 Aug 92 06:25:40 +0200
Organization: University of Cape Town

Lucio de Re writes:

> brendt@dip1 (Brendt Wohlberg) writes:
> 
> : No doubt you think the seventy years or so of Soviet rule without freedom
> : of speech was a mere trifle, but people who suffered under the system, I'm 
> : sure, reserve the right to differ. I suggest you read Solzhenitsyn's 'The Gulag
> : Archipelago' for some stories of the abuses by the "democratic" Soviet
> : Government (where there were, of course,  excellent reasons for restricting
> : freedom of speech).
> 
> What are you getting at? I have read, probably with more horror than you,
> the Gulag Archipelago. No, I do not approve of curbs to freedom of speech
> as a _democratic_ principle, I believe that it may be necessary to restrict
> the activities of troublemakers to attain peace (which is not the same as
> democracy). Unfortunately, I remember that in 1976 many troublemakers,
> whose view I happened to share, got restricted by our present government,
> for peace purposes, so I have a problem with the "quis custodet custodes"
> that goes with it.

So you read Gulag Archipelago "with horror" eh? I'm impressed, yes I am.

You want to restrict the activities of troublemakers...and who gets to decide
who these people are? You perhaps? Maybe the ANC? Of course then there is the
question of what activities you want to restrict. Waving the SA flag, I'm sure.
Disagreeing with the ANC perhaps? Wearing a khaki safari suit? We can quite
easily see where stupid ideas like these lead - totalitariansm! I'm afraid
freedom of expression is and will always be essential - especially the freedom
to express unpopular ideas!

> I agree with you that the ANC ought to be aware of the dangers of
> curbing freedom of speech, but do you think that if a law was passed
> to fine the use of the word FUCK in public, it would impinge on _real_
> _democracy_?

The ANC simply has no business tampering with freedom of speech....period. If
they impose any restrictions on freedom of expression, they'll end up being
just as bad as any government this country has seen. You say "The ANC ought to 
be aware of the dangers of curbing freedom of speech" as if when the ANC does
restrict freedom, it will do so in a "responsible" way - fatuous
bullshit...take a hike Mussolini!

We can easily extend your little example...suppose we decide simply to remove
*your* freedom of expression, it really won't make any difference to *real*
democracy. I mean, you're just *one* little Italian - hardly gonna make any
difference! Also, your opinions are hardly very valuable, so by and large,
we're not losing anything if we don't hear from you anymore. The point is where
does this stop? Once you establish a precedent of removing liberties, what's
to stop you removing more and more of them? Also, what gives you, or anyone
else, the right to deprive people of freedom? Who are you (or the ANC) to
decide what people may and may not say or do? 

Everybody in this country must realise that freedom of expression is absolutely
essential, because if a future government attacks it, the "new" South Africa
will be still-born.

Hardy Hulley
UCT