Let’s say no to political brutality
Violent arrests are part of what defines political brutality
What you need to know:
- A case in point is the recent pelting of Bebe Cool with stones, broken bottles and throwing of chairs at him during his performance on stage by revellers purportedly because he does not subscribe to their political beliefs.
President Museveni, in part, was right. There is blame to go around for the violence that ensued in the aftermath of the by-election in Arua Municipality. The by-election came with the so-called Bobi Wine Wave when the Afro-beat singer turned into a king maker of sorts! With the ruling party unsure of a win, tension ensued as the President went to campaign for the NRM flag bearer.
On the last day of the campaign, chaos erupted leaving in its wake one person dead. A car in the Presidents’ convoy was allegedly stoned, journalists were beaten and MPs were arrested and allegedly tortured. Why all this violence? There is fear, intolerance, demonisation and growing hatred between supporters of ruling NRM party and the opposition.
But in spite of what President Museveni said and has written since the tragic events, the brutality meted on members of the public and journalists remain a worrying matter. Some observers say the President was misinformed on many accounts regarding the violence.
Many peace-loving Ugandans and civil society organisations have strongly condemned the actions of security agencies for using excessive force in their response to the situation.
Emotions often rise during elections and this is not unique to Arua or Uganda. Therefore, there is need to observe restrain by all the parties involved in an election. Besides, leaders should not allow themselves to get embroiled or associated with extremist positions even of their own supporters.
A case in point is the recent pelting of Bebe Cool with stones, broken bottles and throwing of chairs at him during his performance on stage by revellers purportedly because he does not subscribe to their political beliefs. The revellers were chanting “People Power, Our Power”, hence we can say they were part of the anti-establishment voices and given the fact that Bebe Cool is a known supporter of President Museveni and the ruling NRM party.
Yet unsurprisingly, the Ugandan elite, who make the loudest noise in defence of human rights and democracy when it comes to criticising the government, all went silent. This is the biggest disservice to our country - that none of the elite - whether religious leaders, lawyers, journalists, human rights activists and other pundits really believe what they say or should we say they are all partisan?
The use of democracy and human rights only as a convenient tool to score political points, but not to advance them, is also a danger to our struggling democracy. Let’s all say no to political violence, hooliganism, hatred and political intolerance.
[email protected]
