OPINION. Your government is again trying to get the Secrecy Bill passed, meaning I won't be able to tell you everything I know.

The South African government is again trying get a highly misguided law passed that will give the South African government such sweeping powers that it could potentially prevent me as a journalist and as a writer covering South Africa's broadcasting and television industry, to tell you what I find out and hear and want to tell you.

In fact, you won't even know that you don't know. I won't be able to tell you that I'm not allowed to tell.

You will just be under the impression that there isn't news happening about a certain topic or subject. There might be, but if the Secrecy Bill is passed next Monday and Wednesday in parliament, you as a South African citizen will remain blissfully unaware about something that I as a journalist might know, but might be prevented from telling you.

A ''in the public interest'' clause will not form part of the highly controversial Protection of Information Bill the government is trying to get passed once again after the previous failed attempt in September.

It means that journalists like me, would not be able to argue that we have and can write about something the government ''outlaws'' because it's still in the public interest. The Secrecy Bill, in my view, infrige on my and your right to information and for journalists to do their job and provide that information. At least the inclusion of this clause would have protected journalists somewhat if they could prove that the news - although outlawed, was in the public interest.

If passed, the Protection of Information Bill will take away my freedom of the press, and therefore take away your freedom to be informed, to get the full truth, and all the facts. The current ANC led government wants to silence the press in certain aspects through curtailing the freedom of civil society.

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