In the wake of the media siege that saw truck-loads of gun and
tear gas wielding police officers invading media houses and courts of law
attempting to compel reporters to reveal their sources, one wonders whether
Uganda is a true democracy or a banana republic. Over the years, the media has
suffered threats, police brutality, closure of premises (thrice in the case of
Daily monitor) as they attempt to carry out their roles. The government has often employed the "whip them
into line" approach whenever they feel uncomfortable about a story that appears in the media, advancing the popular rationale of media risking to compromise “national
security”.
First of all, we need to de-mystify this term called “national
security”. The government should organise a seminar for media houses and explain the issues
that are entailed in national security and topics that should not be discussed,
broadcast or published in a bid to avoid threatening the same because clearly, the government, the media and the citizens hold different perspectives about what is entailed in national security.
The media is the fourth estate and as seen in developed
democracies, its major objective is to keep the three arms of government in check. We
have heard our president many times over going on about how committed he is to
the fight against corruption in this country. It is perturbing therefore, in a
country where stories are first discovered, investigated and published by the
media before government agencies whose mandate is to do the same take the
initiative, to see media houses closed for more than a week after publishing a
serious allegation made by a high ranking army general who has not denied doing
so.
The citizens' way of thinking in any country is largely influenced by the media. One wonders whether this is what the government is fighting by constantly gagging the media and breathing down their neck. One "mis-placed" statement and your place of business is closed. The gist of creating an environment where people can think freely and share opinions in different fora has been lost at the risk of grooming a population that can not think or freely express themselves.
Journalists risk their lives every day doing the work of the
Inspectorate of government, the CIID, the Solicitor General, Accountant General, name it. All because they understand their informatory and investigative roles as the fourth
estate but partly also because the institutions mandated to do that are either malfunctioning
or deliberately look the other way as government offices are abused, taxpayers
money plundered with impunity and the country going to the dogs each passing
day.
Any supporter of free media and freedom of expression ought be worried after a senior government official say that, "the government and the Monitor Publications have agreed to interface regularly to ensure that the undertakings made are respected and implemented" as part of the conditions to lift the siege on the media houses. If you have lived in Uganda long enough and followed vocal politicians who get ministerial appointments, you will know what this means. Whether Daily monitor will follow the same path, time can always tell.
The same government official was quoted saying that many top politicians were “tired” of Daily monitor and that they should close them
until they learn their lesson. If there is any lesson to be learnt here, it is
for the government to understand the role of the media in democratic
governance that this country claims to have.
It will be a major blow to the media in Uganda and the citizens if the
government through their courts manages to compel the Daily monitor reporters
to reveal their sources. In a country where the state has been accused of
getting rid of their opponents, an allegation they vehemently deny,
investigative journalism will be buried if this prevails because not a single soul is willing to
risk their lives to give useful information to the media. Journalists have a common saying the "No story is worth dying for." This will be
detrimental for a country like Uganda that is yet to achieve middle income
status of development.
The role of the media to protect their sources and its
independence must be respected and supported if the current leadership of
Uganda or any subsequent ones have any interest in developing this country, stamping out corruption and developing quality citizens. The government's self preservation should always come secondary to the interests of its citizens.
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