ARAB SPRING NEEDS A SPRING CLEANING OF OLD LAWS

WE’VE had the Al Jazeera News service since the first day of the Egyptian uprising, and have been watching to see if there will ever be a revolution.

The problem with all the Arab states is that the people have been living to a discipline and code that allowed these leaders to entrench themselves to such an extent that they would eventually become oppressors. Only the social networks allowed the Arab people to compare their living conditions with those of others elsewhere, to realise their human rights were being violated.

Egypt is right back where it all started a year ago, except that Hosni Mubarak is gone.

For a real Arab Spring to happen, there has to be a separation of religion and state.

In the Western world, when this happened to Catholicism, they called it the Reformation. This movement allowed free-thinking and progress for the first time, eventually leading to the Industrial Revolution.

Democracy is quite different from constitutional democracy. In the latter, individual civil rights – irrespective of sex, religion or creed – must be respected, which cannot happen under sharia law. These laws were written a long time ago, and things have changed, so really the laws have to change. This will stop radical groups from imposing their own oppressive codes on others.

But someone has to write it; someone has to separate the religion from the state, and that person will be killed. So where does that leave the Arab Spring?

Something has to happen or all will have been in vain.

AJM Sabie

THE ENTIRE National Assembly clapped hands when President Jacob Zuma announced that fronting will be criminalised. As an ANC activist, I ask myself: if this law is passed, will our government punish Schabir Shaik for abusing the name of Thomas Nkobi for whom his holding company was named?

Nkobi was the longest-serving ANC treasurergeneral, who died soon after the first general elections. His family did not benefit from tenders won by Shaik’s company, which was able to “loan” Jacob Zuma R2.5 million.

What about fronting by politicians using relatives, partners and black people, Africans in particular?

Cosatu leader Zwelinzima Vavi is correct in saying that families of politicians and public servants should not benefit from government tenders, agreeing with the DA, Cope and some in the SACP. But SACP leader Blade Nzimande has defended the relationship between the Guptas and Duduzane Zuma, son of the president. Jeff Radebe, an SACP veteran, also defended the involvement of Zuma’s family and partners in government tenders.

The Zuma family have combined business interests in 134 companies, either in directorships or memberships of close corporations.

We all know our president can make many promises but delivers on none. BEE reforms were THE RECENT story of Soweto teenager Thato Mokoka being shot by the police is appalling.

Although we have only read about the family’s side of the story, it is nevertheless shocking to know that police shot an unarmed child.

Just because an officer is carrying a weapon does not mean he has an absolute right to use it. Although our law allows for force to be exerted when the situation arises, it is unimaginable that a child can put six trained and armed SAPS officers in immediate danger that requires them to kill the child by shooting him in the head and body.

Using appropriate force to enforce the law and protect yourself does not equate to police brutality – and being a police officer does not give you the right to use force as you like.

The matter must be thoroughly investigated.

Councillor Michael Sun

City of Johannesburg