Lets not forget that beating, harrassing, imprisoning and even killing political opponents, real or imagined, were introduced to independent Uganda by one Milton Obote and his party, the UPC -- as was the involving of security forces (police & army) in politics, as well as politicizing the civil service.
Refer to Grace Ibingira's account of the Nakulabye Massacres.
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Subject: ugnet_: We Were Beaten By State House - Ruzindana
Date: Wed, 10 Mar 2004 18:42:36 EST
We Were Beaten By State House - Ruzindana
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The Monitor (Kampala)March 10, 2004
Posted to the web March 10, 2004
Emmanuel N. Mugarura & Elias Biryabarema
The Parliamentary Advocacy Forum, Pafo, has accused State House of
engineering the chaos in Jinja last Friday."We got information that certain State House
operatives had been sent to Jinja to beat us," said Rukiga County MP, Jack
Sabiiti, a member of the group.
He accuses a senior member of Cabinet of co-ordinating the "thuggery" in
Jinja.
He said this yesterday during a Pafo press conference at Parliament after a
mob of pro-government youths disrupted a workshop they had organised in
Jinja.Some Pafo members, which group mainly comprises Members of Parliament opposed
to a third term for President Museveni, were assaulted in the scuffle."We were
beaten and pushed down the stairs, we were badly humiliated; they kept beating
us to get out," said Ruhama MP, Augustine Ruzindana, who is also Pafo
chairman.Ruzindana accused government of failure to protect people and MPs.
"Where we have reached now, the democratisation process has stalled;
everything is going back to zero," he said."If 50 MPs can't be allowed to talk; if
MPs can't speak, who will speak? We are in real trouble, serious trouble," he
added. Ruzindana warned that the days of tolerance could be over and the public
should brace itself for the worst."The time when different views could be
heard and tolerated is over; what is coming to all of us started in Jinja. You
either tow the official line or you suffer," Ruzindana warned."What you have seen
is not the last, it's the beginning, a lot more is coming," he said.
Pafo also accused government of trying to humiliate Mr Eriya Kategaya in
Jinja."We got information that they wanted to beat and embarrass Kategaya, they
mistook me for him and I was beaten," Ruzindana alleged.Pafo used the same
conference to dismiss President Museveni's reference to the opposition as empty
tins. "We are not empty tins.
We would like to assure the public that empty tins do not attract attention
of people, why then should the president bother?" asked Ruzindana."Our methods
are peaceful and we shall continue to show superior moral virtues," Ruzindana
said. "That is the usual Museveni language, we shall not comment," he
said.Fifteen MPs, including Maj. Gen Mugisha Muntu, of the East African Legislative
Council, attended the press conference.
However, the acting Presidential Press Secretary, Onapito Ekomoloit dismissed
the claims as "diversionary.""Pafo is now very aware that their message is
not selling and they are just trying to get at the President using all
fictitious arguments," he said. "Not everyone who supports the President and NRM works
in State House. It is like saying like that all Catholics are being sent by
the Vatican," he argued.
"The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the
people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It
thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to
repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by
extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the state."
- Dr. Joseph M. Goebbels - Hitler's propaganda minister
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