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Africa-Press – Uganda. We express shock and disbelief at yesterday’s vicious and unprovoked assault on journalists at the Forum for Democratic Change’s headquarters in Najjanankumbi, Kampala.
The appalling scenes aired on the lunch time television news must be denounced unreservedly and whomsoever was behind this degeneracy should be consigned to the dustbin of political infamy.
All media present were not trespassing on the party’s private property, they did not present any threat. They had been invited to a press conference to be addressed by FDC’s national chairman, Mr Wasswa Birigwa. There was absolutely no reason to set thugs upon them.
In the performance of their duty to society, journalists are innocent bystanders. Their professional interest in the current outbreak of yet another dispute inside FDC, is to inform the public about what is unfolding without bias.
Where politicians lash out at soft targets in a futile attempt to deflect attention, where they flirt with militancy, we fear the Rubicon of rational and responsible engagement has been crossed. It usually ends badly in cases like this.
History is replete with examples of this regrettable resort to violent intolerance, which often leads to a tyrannical absolutism. Resorting to unwarranted brutality against opponents; real and perceived, is to open the door to other even more nefarious forms of that undesirable state.
Our collective responsibility as conscientious objectors to small-mindedness is to speak for the universal democratic principles, which include freedom of the press.
Sadly and rather ironically, the Najjanankumbi outrage occurred on the doorstep of a political party whose declared raison d’etre is to uphold the rule of law, accountable government and the protection of our inherent human rights and freedoms as envisaged in a democratic polity.
Democracies thrive when the masses are well informed and fully understand the issues of the day, which allows them to make sensible choices about politicians and politics.
In this matrix, the press (media) is the body that informs by reporting, accurately, upholding the truth and providing a platform for the dispassionate interrogation of issues. The freer the press, the better informed the people will be. In effect, the media serve a very useful watchdog function, ensuring that our leaders stay true and accountable to those from whom they seek the mandate to govern.
The perpetrators of the bloodiness at FDC headquarters failed the first test of accountable government – which is to accept public scrutiny as a legitimate and necessary fact of politics. They failed the constitutional test too.
Objective No.2 of the National Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy in Uganda’s Constitution directs that: “All political and civic associations aspiring to manage and direct public affairs shall conform to democratic principles in their internal organisations and practice”. There was nothing democratic about yesterday’s attack.
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