Ukuthuthukiswa Kwenkululeko Yokukhuluma Emlandweni
KUWO wonke umlando abantu baye balwela inkululeko yokukhuluma. Kuye kwashaywa imithetho, kwalwiwa izimpi, futhi kwafa abantu ngenxa yelungelo lokuzwakalisa umbono obala.
Kungani leli lungelo elibonakala lingokwemvelo liye labangela izingxabano, kuze kufinyelele ngisho nasephuzwini lokuchitheka kwegazi? Kungani imiphakathi, yesikhathi esidlule neyanamuhla, iye yakuthola kudingekile ukulinganisela noma ngisho nokwenqabela ukusetshenziswa kwaleli lungelo?
Izimo zengqondo zabantu ngenkululeko yokukhuluma ziye zashintsha kakhulu phakathi nomlando. Ngezinye izikhathi ilungelo lokukhuluma liye labhekwa njengelungelo okufanele lijatshulelwe. Kanti ngezinye izikhathi liye labhekwa njengenkinga okufanele isingathwe ohulumeni noma izinkolo.
Njengoba umlando ugcwele ukulandisa kwalabo abalwela ilungelo lokuzwakalisa umbono obala, ngokuvamile okwaholela ekubeni bashushiswe noma babulawe ngesihluku, ukuhlaziya ezinye zalezi zenzakalo kufanele kusisize siqonde lenkinga.
Abafundi bezomlando bangase basikhumbule isazi sefilosofi esingumGreki uSocrates (470-399 B.C.E.), esasinemibono nezimfundiso ezazibhekwa njengethonya elonakalisayo ezindinganisweni zokuziphatha zentsha yase-Athene. Lokhu kwabangela isiyaluyalu esikhulu phakathi kwabaholi bezombangazwe nabaholi benkolo besigungu sabefundisi bamaGreki futhi kwaholela ekufeni kwaso. Isicelo sakhe phambi kwabahluleli esagcina simenze walahlwa icala sasingenye yezinkulumo ezivelele zokuvikela ilungelo lokukhuluma: “Uma beningathembisa ukungikhulula manje ngaphansi kombandela wokuthi ngeke ngiphinde ngiveze umbono wami ngenxa yokufuna ukuhlakanipha, nokuthi uma ngibanjwa ngenza lokhu futhi ngizobulawa, ngithi kini, ‘Madoda ase-Athene, ngizolalela uNkulunkulu kunani. Uma nje ngisaphila futhi nginamandla ngeke ngiyeke ukuphishekela ukuhlakanipha nokuyala nokunxusa noma ubani kini engihlangana naye. Qinisekani ukuthi uNkulunkulu uyala lokhu . . .’ Futhi, bantu base-Athene, ngiyaqhubeka ngithi, ‘Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi niyangikhulula noma cha; kodwa yazini ukuthi ngeke ngenze okuhlukile, ngisho noma kufanele ngife kaningi ngenxa yakho.’”
Njengoba isikhathi sasiqhubeka, ekuqaleni komlando waseRoma kwakunemingcele embalwa, kodwa yanda njengoba umbuso wawanda. Lokhu kwaqala inkathi ebucayi kakhulu ngokuqondene nenkululeko yokukhuluma. Phakathi nokubusa kukaTiberius (14-37 C.E.), babengabekezelelwa labo abanesibindi sokukhuluma ngokumelene nohulumeni noma izinkambiso zawo. Futhi kwakungeyona iRoma kuphela eyayimelene nenkululeko yokukhuluma; kwakungalesi sikhathi lapho abaholi bamaJuda bacindezela khona uPontiyu Pilatu ukuba abulale uJesu ngenxa yezimfundiso zakhe futhi bayala nokuba abaphostoli bakhe bayeke ukushumayela. Nalaba futhi babezimisele ukufa kunokuba bayeke.—IzEnzo 5:28, 29.
Esikhathini eside emlandweni, amalungelo omphakathi agunyazwe uhulumeni ayeshintshwa noma ahoxiswe noma nini, okwabangela ukulwelwa okuqhubekayo kwenkululeko yokukhuluma. Kusukela eNkathini Ephakathi, abanye abantu babefuna amazwi alotshiwe achaza amalungelo abo, kanye nemibandela yokulawula kukahulumeni lawo malungelo. Ngenxa yalokho, kwaqala ukugunyazwa okukhulu kwamalungelo obuntu. Phakathi kwako kwakukhona ne-Magna Carta, ingqopha-mlando emkhakheni wamalungelo abantu. Kamuva kwalandela amaLungelo Obuntu aseNgilandi (1689), i-Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776), i-French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789), kanye namaLungelo Obuntu ase-United States (1791).
Ngekhulu le-17, 18, nele-19 abantu abavelele emlandweni balwela inkululeko yokuveza imibono. Ngo-1644 imbongi yaseNgilandi uJohn Milton, engase ikhunjulwe kakhulu nge-Paradise Lost, yabhala ipheshana elidumile elithi Areopagitica ngokumelene nemingcele yenkululeko yemithombo yezindaba.
Ngekhulu le-18 inkululeko yokukhuluma yanda eNgilandi, nakuba imingcele yayisekhona. EMelika amakoloni ayelwela ilungelo lenkululeko yokukhuluma, ngomlomo nangokulotshiwe. Ngokwesibonelo, uMthetho-sisekelo we-Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, ka-September 28, 1776, ngokwengxenye wathi: “Abantu banelungelo lenkululeko yokukhuluma, nokubhala, nokunyathelisa imibono yabo, ngakho-ke inkululeko yemithombo yezindaba akufanele ibekelwe imibandela.”
Lamazwi aba nethonya eSichibiyelweni Sokuqala soMthetho-sisekelo wase-United States ngo-1791, esazwakalisa umbono wabasunguli boMthetho-sisekelo waseMelika ngamalungelo abantu aziswayo: “ISishaya-mthetho ngeke sishaye mthetho ngokuphathelene nenhlangano yenkolo, noma sinqabele ukuqhutshwa kwayo ngokukhululekile; noma sinciphise inkululeko yokukhuluma, noma yemithombo yezindaba; noma ilungelo labantu lokubuthana ngokuthula, nokunxusa uHulumeni ukuba uxazulule izikhalo.”
Isazi sefilosofi saseNgilandi sekhulu le-19 uJohn Stuart Mill sanyathelisa indaba yaso ethi “On Liberty” ngo-1859. Ivame ukucashunwa futhi kuye kwabhekiselwa kuyo njengenye yezinkulumo ezivuth’uphondo ezisekela inkululeko yokukhuluma.
Nokho, ukulwelwa kwelungelo lokukhuluma ngokukhululekile obala akuzange kuphele lapho kufika lokho okuthiwa iminyaka yokukhanyiselwa yaleli khulu leminyaka lama-20. Ngokwesibonelo, ngenxa yemizamo yokulinganisela inkululeko yokukhuluma eMelika, kuye kwezwakala izimemezelo ezivikela leyo nkululeko ezinkantolo, ezinkantolo ezincane kanye naseNkantolo Ephakeme e-United States.
UMahlulel’u-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., waseNkantolo Ephakeme e-United States, wazwakalisa ukuyisekela kwakhe inkululeko yokukhuluma ezinqumweni eziningana zasenkantolo. Echaza indlela yokuhlaziya inkululeko yokukhuluma, wathi: “Uma sikhona isimiso soMthetho-sisekelo okudingeka kunanyathelwe kuso ngokufanele kunanoma isiphi esinye isimiso sokucabanga ngokukhululekile—hhayi inkululeko yokucabanga kulabo abavumelana nathi kodwa inkululeko yokucabanga ngombono esingawuthandi.”—United States v. Schwimmer, 1928.
Ukusishaya indiva lesi simiso okuye kwabangela izimpi zasenkantolo ezishintshashintsha isimo phakathi kwenkululeko nokucindezelwa. Ngokuvamile umbono uwukuthi, “Mina ngithola inkululeko—kodwa hhayi wena.” Encwadini yakhe enalesi sihloko, uNat Hentoff ucaphuna izibonelo lapho abavikeli abashisekayo beSichibiyelo Sokuqala beshintsha khona isimo ngokwemibono yabo. Ucaphuna izibonelo lapho iNkantolo Ephakeme yase-United States yashintsha khona izinqumo zayo siqu, kuhlanganise nezinye eziphathelene namacala ahilela oFakazi BakaJehova nokulwela kwabo ilungelo lokukhuluma ngokukhululekile ngezinkolelo zabo ezingokwenkolo iminyaka eminingi. Ngokuqondene nabo, wabhala: “Phakathi namashumi eminyaka amalungu aleyo nkolo aye abamba iqhaza elikhulu ekwandiseni inkululeko kanembeza ngamacala omthetho.”
Abahlaziyi abaningi bezomthetho nezazi-mlando zanamuhla baye babhala okuningi ngamacala asenkantolo amaningana okulwela inkululeko yokukhuluma ekupheleni kwaleli khulu lama-20, hhayi eMelika kuphela kodwa nakwamanye amazwe. Inkululeko yokukhuluma ayiqinisekisiwe. Nakuba ohulumeni bengase baziqhayise ngokuthi banikeza abantu babo inkululeko, ingaphela lapho kushintsha uhulumeni noma abahluleli basenkantolo, njengoba okuhlangenwe nakho kuye kwabonisa. OFakazi BakaJehova baye bahola ekulweleni lenkululeko eyigugu.
Encwadini yakhe ethi These Also Believe, uProfesa C. S. Braden uyabhala: “[OFakazi BakaJehova] baye bafeza inkonzo ephawulekayo embusweni wentando yeningi ngokulwela kwabo ukulondoloza amalungelo abo obuntu, ngoba ekulweni kwabo baye bafeza okukhulu ekulondolozeni lawo malungelo awo wonke amaqembu amancane eMelika. Lapho kuhlaselwa amalungelo obuntu anoma iliphi iqembu, awekho amalungelo anoma iliphi iqembu alondekile. Ngakho-ke ngokuqinisekile baye baba nengxenye ekulondolozweni kwezinye zezinto eziyigugu kakhulu embusweni wethu wentando yeningi.”
Abantu abathanda inkululeko bakuthola kunzima ukuqonda ukuthi kungani abanye ohulumeni nezinkolo zingenqabela abantu bazo lenkululeko. Kuwukwenqabela ilungelo lobuntu eliyisisekelo, futhi abantu abaningi kuwo wonke umhlaba babhekana nokucindezelwa kwalenkululeko. Ingabe isimo sengqondo ngenkululeko yokukhuluma, ngisho nasemazweni alijabulelayo leli lungelo eliyisisekelo, siyoqhubeka sishintshashintsha? Ingabe umbono wenkululeko yokukhuluma uyosetshenziselwa ukuvumela ulimi olunokuziphatha okubi noma inhlamba? Kakade izinkantolo zishukana nalenkiyankiya.
[Isithombe ekhasini 3]
USocrates wayilwela inkululeko yokukhuluma
[Umthombo]
Musei Capitolini, Roma