The price of going against a ruling party
We have heard of many people suffering at the hands of the ruling party directly or indirectly for either crossing them in one way or the other or even refusing to carry out a task for the ruling party.
Cross them once and you might never get back on your feet, we have heard of many stories of people who have lost their social footing, and some wealth just because they turned their back- take a pick at the case of Amama Mbabazi when he tried to run for presidency against his former boss.
It’s quite absurd that this ranges from all sectors and applies to almost all people from all walks of life especially in a period when elections are looming, and tensions are high.
Just like one Radio journalist from Hoima District said, “the media today in Uganda is more like public relations reporting. If you stick to real issues, you may not remain in the profession. You’ll be in danger.”
The most affected freedom being the freedom of expression, the government has in the past used various tactics to stiffle the existence of this freedom through use of violence, threats, harassment, bureaucratic interference, and criminal charges to perpetrators or persons that fail to rise up to the job of doing their bidding, such as being the ruling party’s spies in other political party camps.
Although use of these tactics was very dominant in the during the political unrest in September of 2009, and towards the 2011 election, it was not much different during the run-up to the 2016 elections.
That’s not all, in recent years, there has also been records of torture and brutal arrests of different leaders. One would ask themselves if they can do that to a leader, what would they do to a mere civilian?
Those torturing people ought to remember the bad publicity the late President Idi Amin Dada generated because of his government’s atrocities. I have visited a number of countries and Idi Amin remains the most known Ugandan, even in death.
Although Uganda ratified the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment in 1986, some of these crimes still go unnoticed is very many situations.
