Matters Arising: Bill on Hate Speech and Regulation on Social Media

I have listened with keen interest, the heated debate on the proposed bills on hate speech and the social media, and I can’t help being perplexed that at this stage of our development as a nation, we would be wasting precious time and tax payers’ money to talk on non-issue. The bills as I understand, are seeking for ways of regulating the activities of the social media, which I understand have been thorns in the flesh of some of the leaders. While the bill on the hate speech is proposing a life sentence or is it death penalty for offenders, the other intends to muscle and shut up dissenting voices from the media and other platforms.

 I ask, is it that our distinguished senators have run out of core developmental ideas to get our economy out of the woods? Or is it simply a case of misplaced priority? Whose interests are they serving; theirs or that of the Nation?

 It is disheartening that 54 years after independence, with an economy that is almost comatose, an educational system that offers virtually nothing to its’ recipients and a country where millions of its citizens are unemployed, this issue should take the center stage of our national discourse. Are we progressing or retrogressing?

Governments all over the world exist to create conducive atmosphere for its citizens to thrive and attain their dreams. It is in the well being of the people that a nation is assessed. The government is expected to ensure that the right environment is provided in addition to the very fundamental human rights. These rights which are freedom of speech, right to education, right to life and to be cared for among other rights, which every human being is born with, are the fulcrum or basis on which government is established. And these are sacred rights which no one should trifle with; not even government.

The two proposed bills are a direct affront by government on the inalienable right of the people to express themselves and decide how they are being governed. Who is afraid of whom here? It seems to me that those who cannot stand the heat in the kitchen should simply stay out of it. A goldfish, they say, has no hiding place. Besides, without be-labouring the points that have been made by many since this topic entered the public discourse, there are inherent laws in the land to take care of the abuses that occur as a result of these actions. That is why the role of government is to strengthen the legal framework, where the aggrieved can seek redress. The blatant failure of government to perform this very simple act has led to what we now experience.

The social media have huge advantages: It has provided jobs for the youths, something the government has consistently failed to do over the years. It has made enterprising young men and women. It has also served perfectly as the other arm of the fourth estate of the realm, with its news reporting helped in checking the excesses of the leaders and making them more accountable to the people, something the traditional media houses may not have the boldness to do for fear of sanctions.

Is this what the leaders are afraid of? If it is, the solution is quite simple: be honest and transparent, then, you have nothing to be afraid of. The sanctity of the freedom of the press and freedom of expression; right to be heard and to hear must be preserved, no matter whose ox is gored.

This government must be careful how it promulgates or enacts laws that will further exacerbate the already volatile situation in the country. These laws if passed will be seen differently by different people, especially in a very divisive country as ours, where people from some sections of the country feel that the actions of the federal government have been skewed against them. They feel that there is gross injustice, inequity and unfairness in the way the affairs of this nation is run. Therefore, government, in my opinion, has an onerous task of ensuring that these basic things are put in place

Besides, we should be careful how we use the positions of power that we occupy and have now to make laws that are seemingly in our favour, because we might not always be there. It might be someone else tomorrow and that person may also use the law to his advantage and against us. We must always have it in mind to make laws and statements that can stand the test of time. And those laws  must be the ones that serve the common good. Always bear in mind that “the boot can also be on the other foot”. We know that most times these laws are made for those in the lower rungs of the ladder and not for the high and mighty even when they contravene them. This is  certainly not good.