Photo credit: the council of Europe
Yes, I believe we really do need to guard and guide our rights and freedoms jealously. We need to do it the way our grannies used to keep their chinaware!
We were under the jackboots of the military for so long. I bet those people who were of age then would, despite the wastage of these times, prefer democracy to military rule.
It therefore came as a surprise to me that the acting president in one of his outings, declared that the government will soon make a law concerning hate speeches.
In the first instance, the phrase, ‘Hate speech’, is very subjective. It is in the sense that what is hate speech to Mr A could be love speech to Mr B.
Second, are there no relevant laws to cater for defamatory statements? I guess there are laws for even treason and treasonable felony.
We should be very wary of any government plan to silence the opposition. The ruling party today was once in opposition. If we had had any regulation against free speech, I doubt if the present rulers could have won so easily.
Like I mentioned earlier, our statute books already have provisions for defamation and libel.
What our people need now is a government that will satisfy their yearnings. This is especially necessary at these times that our cash cow, crude oil, is facing perilous times in terms of sales. Meanwhile, the Western world is looking forward to a zero use for our oil products.
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