Chairperson, hon Minister, members, members of the public, as well as departmental staff of the Government Communication and Information System, GCIS, and others, the GCIS is no doubt a well- structured department under the leadership of an experienced team headed by deputy chief executive officers with vast experience and a very skilled and resourceful financial officer. A truly experienced and professional leadership team. Not surprisingly, Chairperson, it is a strong team of women that is rally forming the backbone of the GCIS. [Applause.] So truly, proverbially, it is the reverse: not the woman behind the man, but the man behind the women. They really structure and give a backbone to this department.
Although the strategic plan is an excellent document and in many ways sets a good example for other departments to follow, and I thank the Minister for that because ultimately he has to set the example ... [Applause.] ... in many ways. We have to mention some concerns as they relate to the confusion of roles between an organ of state, the GCIS, and the ruling party. I will come to that in a while.
As we as Cope understand it, the role of the GCIS is correctly captured on page 41, and I quote from the document:
The GCIS is primarily responsible for providing strategic leadership and co-ordinating a government communication system that ensures the public is informed and has access to government programmes and policies that benefit them.
They need to know where to turn to in order to access state-funded services.
Chairperson, the problem is, Sun Tzu, a fabled Chinese strategist, said many moons ago, and in fact I think it was about 3000 years ago, that "he who controls communications shall control the battlefield". If it was true 3000 years ago, how much more so today, the main difference being that in our case we have a modern democracy, with a Constitution, with constitutional rights, with constitutional principles, with Parliament and supposedly a professional Public Service, as well as freedom for the media and freedom of access to information.
No government in the world can control access to information. Even former Egyptian President Mubarak had to learn the hard way, and he has to pay for it now. News and information move at the speed of lightning. It doesn't matter if you try to turn down communication with the short message service, SMS, or Twitter; it moves.
Government communication is, therefore, a highly sensitive operation that requires the highest standards of professionalism to ensure relevant proactive and reactive communication and dissemination of information. But, when the impertinent hot head in the ruling party blows a fuse deep in Luthuli House, it does not stay there; it is world news within nanoseconds. Events and utterances are recorded, and there is no place to hide.
The Government Communication and Information System is a vital department, which should create positive perceptions as a platform to facilitate investor confidence trade and tourism for the country and as a primary department promoted by the relevant departments and agencies, as well as the private sector. It is also intended to inform the broad public about government services, as indicated before. Whatever the target audience, the message should be consistent and authentic; otherwise, government loses credibility that it can never regain.
As said earlier, the GCIS has a solid financial and administrative record for which it is commended. It operates like a well-run ship, ready to take on the challenges of wind and weather. However, the performance of the most efficient battleship is determined by the quality of leadership on the bridge. If the captain is prone to emotional reactions, or becomes involved in crew politics and internal brawls, or engages arrogantly with the media, the ship could be heading for the rocks. Unfortunately, in recent months, under the leadership of the chief executive officer, some disconcerting signals started to flash. It is common wisdom that when the chief spin doctor needs a spin doctor, or when the newsbroker becomes the newsmaker, things go from bad to worse.
One such a signal is to be found on page 9 of the strategic report in a seemingly innocent little paragraph where the department states that government communications must support the delivery of government's electoral mandate by intensifying communication to key stakeholders in this area. This is a clear indication, Chairperson, of the tendency to use state communication to become a taxpayer-funded mouthpiece for the ruling party. This is not what the Constitution is about. In fact, Chairperson, I would like to ask the Minister to again look at the fundamental principles of public administration which should be unbiased. It is in section 195 of the Constitution, basic values and Principles governing the administration of the Constitution.
Together with plans to establish a state-funded newspaper, the bulldozing through Parliament of the Protection of Information Bill and plans to co- ordinate communication right down to municipal level, the signals are clear that the intent is to turn the "Good Ship Government Communication" into the "SS Goebbels", and it is there for all to see.
While we welcome, in particular, Cosatu's strong voice joining in against the severe impact on freedom of information if their election partners ram through the Protection of Information Bill, it will be up to a vigilant opposition, an active citizenry and unabated support from the powerful fourth estate and ultimately the Constitutional Court to ensure that SS Goebbels never gets launched in the waters of our democracy. Cope wishes the department all the best for the task ahead. Thank you.