Academy of Science South Africa 2005/6 Annual Report

A short history of how the ASSAf came to beASSAfPromote innovative andindependent scientific thinkingMindful of the failure of previous attempts to develop an Academy of Science for South Africa, the groupdecided to seek informal consensus on these questions and then developed the issue in a wider context.This informal group did not aim for a scholarly analysis of the situation, but viewed itself rather as agathering of ‘concerned citizens’ whose goal was the rapid facilitation and stimulation of further actionsand processes that might be needed.The group concluded that ‘a new Academy of Science would be most valuable at a time when thereare better prospects than ever before for commonality of purpose amongst South Africans and when thepotential for good and effective action by such an Academy is especially great; this applies to both theinternal and external terrains of scientific activities’. The mission of the Academy, as defined at the time,would be ‘to apply the highest level of scientific thinking in the service of the nation and especially tothe instrument for conveying considered scientific opinion and advice to government, the people and theworld at large’.To enable the ASSAf to fulfil its mission, the Plan Document contained the following outline of anenabling organisational structure.The position and structure of the AcademyWith respect to the optimal form of an Academy of Science of South Africa, the group believes thatthe new body should be centrally placed in the system of science in the country; it should not adaptto other existing organisation, but the latter should rather be encouraged to adapt to it in a synergisticmanner. The Academy should be autonomous and independent of government control. (Note: this doesnot exclude an enabling parliamentary Act that would clearly define the powers of the Academy to electits own members and office bearers, to operate its own financial affairs and to speak its mind at anytime on any matter within its competence, limited in all instances solely by codified civil and criminallaw). The Academy should elect its members on the basis of general as well as special scientific abilities,since the intention is to create a body of persons who will be activists in the good sense of the word.Annual Report 2005/0689