- POSTAL PACKETS AND TELECOMS BILL
There are serious concerns over, what has been termed, the “Spy Bill”, but the President chose to make no mention of it. Officially, the Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunication Messages Bill, 2015, is intended to intercept postal packets, telephone and other electronic or cyber space communications for the purposes of protecting national security and fighting crime. Essentially, this Bill gives the State unfettered, discretionary access to the private correspondence of individuals. It poses potentially a major threat to individual freedom of expression and privacy. This law should not be passed, and the Minority has already signalled its opposition to the bill in Parliament. The irony is that the Right to Information Bill, which, on the other hand, will rather enhance individual freedoms and good governance, by providing further access to public information, all in the spirit of transparency and accountability, has rather been put on the back burner. Obviously, it is not one that excites the President because it provides sunshine on corrupt practices.
More to come............
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