No justification for violence

The media recently erupted with the extremely biased and subjective condemnation of the Police brutality following the arrest of Bobi Wine in Jinja.

President Yoweri Museveni has on many occasions acknowledged and taken steps to erase unprofessionalism in the Police force where it suffices.

But to what extent is the state machinery responsible for the fatalities and disruptions that have stilled progress ever since the detention of Bobi Wine and just how factually and morally right are those condemning the Police alone for this state of affairs?

Firstly, no country operates lawlessly.

Uganda is governed by electoral laws, which the candidates have a duty to abide by or face the punitive action arising from breaking them. Bobi Wine as a presidential aspirant must reasonably know that due to COVID-19 public health laws, no candidate is by law permitted to hold a gathering exceeding 200 people.

This applies to the presidential candidates. Some have claimed that other musicians in support of the NRM have campaigned for candidate Museveni holding large rallies. However, none of those musicians is assigned by the President to conduct rallies.

So, candidate Bobi Wine broke the law regardless of whether someone else broke it too or not. Surprisingly, no one seems to see that breaking the law is the raison d'etre for an arrest.

Suddenly, those that advocate the arrest of government officials who violate other people's human rights are blind to the public health rights of communities exposed to the COVID-19 virus due to one politician's disregard of the law. These are double standards which expose the dishonesty of the media and human rights activists.

Secondly, there has to be a distinction between demonstrations and riots. The People Power front of hooliganism is by itself inherently incapable of organising a demonstration. They started rioting, looting and stealing; disrupting business when their man was detained.

How on earth is that related to fighting for justice? How does stopping a taxi to rob its occupants a means of fighting for justice? We are dealing with a group whose identity cannot anymore be disassociated from violence.
The Constitution permits demonstrations.

It doesn't allow riots and looting. It would be utter negligence and a treasonous act for the Government to fold its arms as this goes on. It is the duty of the Government to use state machinery to control human vice and uphold human virtue. What we witnessed was robbery in broad daylight; People Power adherents beating up innocent Ugandans, blocking roads and threatening those they disagree with.

The media has steadily drifted from serving national interests to precipitating violence as catalysts. Media bias has to be checked, media freedoms notwithstanding. False reporting can negatively influence public opinion, forcing the State to intervene.

For instance, the media concentrated on the harm suffered by the looters when Police officers or soldiers responded in self-defence, but almost wholly ignored the attacks from the hooligans such as one that hit a Police woman with a hammer and stoned her on the head in full view of journalists.

This is the same media which is conspicuously silent on Bobi Wine's COVID-19 super spreader rallies which are a deliberate breach of our Constitution.

The President is capable of drawing masses countryside yet he seems to be the only candidate strictly obeying the COVID-19 electoral rules. The media won't highlight this, but instead, it is painting a nasty picture of the state operatives most of whom were acting in self-defence.

Unbalanced reporting is unacceptable in a democracy. No media house is reporting the beating of people dressed in yellow, the death of people who crashed while driving away from goons stoning and chasing a yellow car! It is a shame the media and other influential people are silent while rioters and social media bullies are cooking up genocidal sectarianism capable of dividing this country beyond repair.

The People Power groups are fermenting dangerous tribalism against fellow Ugandans, especially those from the west.

This is the soul of the nation under attack from Bobi Wine and his disciples.

This campaign has shown what a chaotic mess this country would turn into and what kind of primitive lawless society Uganda would descend to under a Bobi Wine presidency. At least Dr Kizza Besigye, though he has spent all his political career blaming the elite for his perpetual failure, was a more appealing candidate to a few people of reason and peace.

The Police has a role to keep law and order. We have two groups today heading into the election: the Bobi Wine group spreading COVID-19, tribalism and violence and the Museveni one which would rather protect you from the violent thugs while reminding you to keep safe and shun deathly rallies. Choose wisely.

The writer is a lawyer and the deputy RCCC of Kampala in charge of Kawempe Division