| KOLOLO
PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has threatened to close Ugandan newspapers
for allegedly compromising regional security.
Museveni, the chief
mourner at yesterdays joint funeral service for the fallen Sudanese
Vice President John Garang, his entourage and seven Ugandans, who died
in a helicopter crash a week ago in Southern Sudan, said his tolerance
of newspaper reports about security matters had worn out. I am the
President of Uganda. The people elected me. I therefore have the
ultimate mandate to run their affairs, he said.
Now I will no
longer tolerate a newspaper which is like a vulture. For them the misery
of many is their joy.
His remarks attracted cheers from government
and army officers in the pavilion. Any newspaper which plays around
with the regional security, I will not tolerate. I will simply close
it, the President said.
The national mourning ceremony was held
at Kololo Airstrip. Garang, the President of Sudanese Peoples
Liberation M ovement (SPLM) and the Sudanese First Vice-President, died
in the Ugandan presidential helicopter near New Site. On board were his
commanders, Lt. Col. Ali Maxen, Lt. Col. Amat Malual, Maj. Deng Majok,
Lt. Juma Mayen, and Capt. Oboki Omor, who all perished.
The
Ugandans who died include; Col. Peter Nyakairu, the presidential chief
pilot, Maj. Patrick Kiggundu, flight engineer, Capt. Paul Kiyimba,
co-pilot, Lt. Johnson Munanura, jet officer, Cpl. Hassan Kiiza,
signaller, Ms Lilian Kabaije, presidential airhostess and Mr Sam
Bakoowa, the State House protocol officer.
Museveni did not cite
any specific case where local newspapers had compromised national or
regional security.
But government officials had earlier in the week
condemned a local tabloid, The Red Pepper, for reporting that Garang was
shot twice in the head by possible hijackers. The same paper had also
reported earlier that Rwanda was involved in a plot to bring down the
Ugandan presidential chopper in whic h Garang was travelling.
The
President did not initially point at the Red Pepper in his assault on
the press until the audience shouted out its name.
Instead, he
singled out Daily Monitors political editor Andrew Mwenda, who has
written some critical analyses of the relations between Uganda and
Rwanda. I have been seeing this young man Mwenda writing about
Rwanda...he must stop, Museveni said.
He claims he has minutes
of SPLM meetings, this meeting, the other, he must stop completely.
Daily Monitor on Tuesday published confidential minutes of a stormy SPLM
meeting last November/December, at which Garang was attacked by his
senior colleagues, for among others, eliminating opponents, promoting
nepotism, and treating the Movement like his own property. Museveni
then descended on the Weekly Observer, which he blamed for writing about
the military. He warned the paper to stop.
After the shouts from
the audience: What about Red Pepper? Museveni said, Th is Red Pepper,
I thought these are confused young boys, dealing with naked girls, now
that they have gone into security; they must stop. All newspapers must
stop or we shall stop them.
About Daily Monitor, the President
added, I have already spoken to Dr Martin Aliker (board chairman of
Monitor Publications). If they want to continue doing business in
Uganda, they must stop writing on security.
Museveni said newspapers
should write about security only after they have consulted the military.
These newspapers must stop or else I shall stop them, he said.
Its the least of my problems.
This is not the first time
Musevenis government is threatening to close newspapers. On October 10,
2003 the government closed The Monitor for a week, over a story that an
army helicopter had crashed in northern Uganda while fighting Joseph
Konys Lords Resistance Army (LRA)
rebels. |
