THE Protection of Information Bill will raise serious impediments to the conduct of academic research, the SA Association of Political Studies says.
The bill had no clear public interest override, and the definitions of "national security" and "national interest" were widely drawn, Saaps said in a statement.
Further, there was little in the bill to limit needless and wide-ranging classification, and researchers and students might easily access and use classified information unknowingly.
"Placing the onus on researchers and students to judge the security status of government documents is unreasonable," it said.
Combined with mandatory custodial sentences, the effect would be to render a wide range of legitimate research activity impossible to those not granted state security clearances.
The study of important areas of politics and public policy - including corruption, maladministration, intelligence systems, foreign policy, justice and security, public health, HIV-Aids policy, gender policy, environmental management, and the management of government information itself - might become in effect impossible.
Section 32 of the Bill of Rights provided that "everyone has the right of access to any information held by the state", limited only in ways reasonable in an open and democratic society.
"We strongly urge government to reconsider the proposed legislation, in view of the aforementioned constitutional provisions," Saaps said.
The association is South Africa's official body for scholars of political science and international relations.
Bill will hinder research - group
THE Protection of Information Bill will raise serious impediments to the conduct of academic research, the SA Association of Political Studies says.
The bill had no clear public interest override, and the definitions of "national security" and "national interest" were widely drawn, Saaps said in a statement.
Further, there was little in the bill to limit needless and wide-ranging classification, and researchers and students might easily access and use classified information unknowingly.
"Placing the onus on researchers and students to judge the security status of government documents is unreasonable," it said.
Combined with mandatory custodial sentences, the effect would be to render a wide range of legitimate research activity impossible to those not granted state security clearances.
The study of important areas of politics and public policy - including corruption, maladministration, intelligence systems, foreign policy, justice and security, public health, HIV-Aids policy, gender policy, environmental management, and the management of government information itself - might become in effect impossible.
Section 32 of the Bill of Rights provided that "everyone has the right of access to any information held by the state", limited only in ways reasonable in an open and democratic society.
"We strongly urge government to reconsider the proposed legislation, in view of the aforementioned constitutional provisions," Saaps said.
The association is South Africa's official body for scholars of political science and international relations.
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