Intimidation aimed at silencing opposing views unacceptable – Steenhuisen

The Democratic Alliance leader John Steenhuisen (DA) claimed on Monday that the government was working hard to “shut down the growing wave of dissenting views in the scientific community” following the announcement of Glenda Gray’s ban from the media.

Steenhuisen said the “censoring” of scientists by the (South African Medical Research Council) SAMRC was a mockery of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s statement on Sunday when he said: “We appreciate the diverse and sometimes challenging views of the scientists and health professionals in our country, which stimulate public debate and enrich our response.”

“Along with a grovelling apology issued by its board chairperson, Professor Johnny Mahlangu, to Health Minister Zweli Mkhize is a mockery to the president’s statement,” he said.

Steenhuisen said the “gagging and grovelling” follows a campaign of bullying of Gray after she spoke critically in an interview of aspects of the lockdown response.

“The bullying culminated in a letter sent from the acting director-general of the health department, Dr Anban Pillay, to the MRC on Friday instructing them to investigate Gray.

He said the actions of intimidation aimed at silencing opposing views were unacceptable in a democracy, and particularly not in the circumstances of a pandemic response that required constant updating and amending.

“We need a wide range of views to be heard. Now more than ever the principles of transparency and accountability are of critical importance. We cannot tolerate the authoritarian censorship of those who raise their concerns.

“President Ramaphosa was being disingenuous when he said on live on TV that government welcomes challenging views of scientists. The exact opposite is true. Government is doing everything in its power to shut down the growing wave of dissenting views in the scientific community,” the DA MP said.

READ: Glenda Gray banned from speaking to media as SAMRC apologises.

Steenhuisen said SAMRC members should have the freedom to express their opinions, even if their opinions did not align perfectly with those of the government.

“There is no point in co-opting 50 scientists onto government’s Ministerial Advisory Committee if they are all expected to hold and express the exact same view on all aspects of the Covid-19 response.

“Minister Mkhize was entirely within his rights to disagree with Professor Gray, which he duly did in a rebuttal piece.

“But for the director-general of his department to write to the SAMRC instructing an investigation into her conduct, along with veiled threats of revealing other unnamed issues from unnamed sources, is simply unacceptable.

“It is equally unacceptable that the SAMRC capitulated the way they did before government’s bullying,” he said.

The DA leader said government had already lost credibility in its Covid-19 response by failing to supply the model and data on which it based its decision to place South Africa in the longest hard lockdown in the world

“This is a decision that will cause untold suffering for an entire generation of South Africans. Gagging dissenting voices in the scientific community will certainly cost it whatever credibility might be left,” he concluded.

(Compiled by Molefe Seeletsa)

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