Basajja’s violence explains exodus from NRM
By Elijah Tumwebaze
13th Sept 2010
Dr. Kizza Besigye, Gen. Mugisha Muntu, Amanya Mushega, Jack Sabiti, Augustine Ruzindana, Major John Kazoora, Wycliffe Bakandonda, Sam Njuba, and many others left the NRM complaining that it had abandoned the original ideals that had brought them together in the first place.
The NRM, as expected, wasted no time in dismissing the concerns raised by Besigye et al as usual sour grapes expected from “disgruntled NRM cadres”. Many of us recently estranged NRM supporters had believed every word that the party had told us to believe. And we energetically echoed the “disgruntled NRM cadres” party line chorus. How stupid we were!
But that was then. Now, The New Vision newspaper, of all things, has finally come out strongly to condemn an alleged assault on one of its Journalists by city tycoon Hassan Bassajjabalaba; the Chairman of the ruling NRM’s Entrepreneurs League no less. But it had to take an assault on one of its own for The New Vision to finally see sense.
I never heard The New Vision utter any condemnation when 23 innocent civilians were massacred in cold blood during the “Kayunga Riots” last year. I never heard The New Vision condemning the murder of 3 innocent Baganda youth by Museveni’s bodyguards as Museveni bulldozed his way to the site of the burnt out Kasubi Tombs. I never heard The New Vision condemn the “Kiboko Squad” for canning Dr. Kizza Besigye, the leader of the biggest opposition party in the country?
I must now applaud The New Vision for finally coming out to condemn these acts of brutality against Journalists who are, after all, merely doing their jobs. And in my view, the most important point of all was nicely laid bare in The New Vision’s own editorial. Listen carefully. It said:
“When the NRM came to power in 1986, it guaranteed freedom of speech and that right is enshrined in our Constitution. The media is the fourth estate because of the presumption that it acts in [the] public interest in holding leaders accountable. The media, therefore, plays a crucial role in furthering democracy and the rights of journalists must be guaranteed by the Government and respected by the public”.
Who am I to add to that? If The New Vision, a government owned newspaper can say that, then clearly there has been a fundamental departure from the sacred ideals that the likes of Besigye and Muntu say they fought for in the jungles of Luwero triangle against a tough customer like Lt. Col. John Ogole; the then commander of the UNLA Special Forces in Luwero.
Like many, I am convinced too that that feeling of betrayal explains the relentless exodus from the NRM that we have seen in the last ten years. Impunity, it seems, has fully taken root in Uganda. Like The New Vision said, “…unfortunately, the city tycoon is not alone in perpetuating such despicable acts against journalists”.
The other day, the paper said, “…it was Juuko Kasiita, a deputy RDC in Kanungu, slapping Dismus Buregyeya, yet another New Vision journalist”. Throughout the modern world, freedom of speech and expression is acknowledged as a fundamental human right. And because of that, it is in fact protected with the force of law. And not only that! It is also said to be one of the things that define the vitality of any democratic society.
I know many former NRM supporters like me who are sitting on the fence right now. The majority of us are not sure whether we should go back to the NRM, or join the exodus from it. We are simply lost.
And we are lost because the opposition parties have simply not given us good reasons to join them. NRM’s corruption, dictatorship, nepotism, and whatever else you might want to say are not good enough reasons for someone like me; because I already know that. While the NRM can afford to forget about us and perhaps even call us “disgruntled cadres”, there are certain things I hope it will take more seriously.
For example, if as a party the NRM still has any face saving ambitions, then its leader Museveni must come out strongly on the side of the rule of law. Bassajjabalaba’s guilt or innocence must be decided in the courts of law. Anything less than that will simply not suffice. END. If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent. Never miss out again!
