Besigye Petitions On Adverts

Feb 13, 2001

PRESIDENTIAL candidate Kizza Besigye's task force has petitioned the Electoral Commission over what they called "negative" advertisements in The New Vision.

By Felix Osike PRESIDENTIAL candidate Kizza Besigye's task force has petitioned the Electoral Commission over what they called "negative" advertisements in The New Vision. The petition said the February 10-13 adverts by Museveni's team on the alliance with Hajji Nasser Sebaggala was a distortion of Besigye's image and messages intended to confuse voters. "This is to formally express our deep concern over persistent negative adverts against our client by the Yoweri Museveni task force and The New Vision newspaper," said the petition signed by campaign co-ordinator Louis Otika. In a separate letter to The New Vision board chairman, Ateker Ejalu, Otika urged the board and the commission to stop the paper from publishing such adverts. But managing director William Pike said the adverts did not breach the company's guidelines that bar the paper from publishing defamatory adverts or those of personal attacks. "The adverts may not be to everybody's taste but they are justified," he said. Pike said the advert on the alliance was not a personal attack and did not contain any falsehood. He said the company rejected one of Besigye's advertisements because it contained "unsubstantiated" information. The task force had complained that Pike rejected one of their adverts on election violence. "We will be happy to receive advertisement from Besigye task force as long as they are not defamatory or contain personal attacks," he said. But Pike said if the Electoral Commission advised against the advertisement, the company would oblige. The New Vision legal officer, Robert Kabushenga, said the company was aware of the provisions in the Elections Act about defamatory statements. Dick Kizito, the commission's public relations officer, yesterday said, "The commission has to look at the legal implications and we shall give our opinion tomorrow (today)." Ends

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