Angry Reaction to Museveni's Swipe At Media
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The Nation (Nairobi)
August 12, 2005
Posted to the web August 12, 2005
Stephen Ouma
Kampala
Uganda's journalists reacted angrily to threats by President Yoweri Museveni that he would close down three newspapers if they did not stop toying with regional security.
Remarks by the President at a time when the country was moving towards multi-party democracy were unfortunate, they said.
They asked the President to allow freedom of _expression_ and to blame his officials, who avoided talking to the Press.
On Tuesday, while at Kampala's Kololo Airstrip to mourn seven Ugandans who died in a helicopter crash with Sudanese first Vice-President John Garang, Mr Museveni said he would close down any newspaper that played with regional security.
He singled out Nation Media Group's Daily Monitor, the Weekly Observer and the Red Pepper.
"I have already told the attorney-general to look at that matter seriously," he said.
The Monitor's political editor, Mr Andrew Mwenda had been writing "authoritatively" about Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda People's Defence Forces, said the President.
He said: "Mwenda must stop completely. Now he is an expert on SPLA and knows the minutes which took place."
The President said he had talked to the chairman of Monitor Publications, Dr Martin Aliker and added: "If they still want to do business in Uganda they must stop interfering with security matters of the region."
But Uganda Journalists' Association secretary Haruna Kanaabi termed the President's statement unfortunate, coming at a time when the country was opening up its political space.
Instead of closing down publications, the President should order his officials to avail themselves to the Press, he said.
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Mr Michael Wakabi, president of Uganda Journalists' Union said the Head of State's remarks were not driven by the desire for responsible journalism because he attacked publications that wrote on him negatively or covered divergent views.
While the President was entitled to say what he wished, journalists were bound to inform the public on any prevailing matter, said Uganda Newspaper Editors and Publishers Association's president James Walugembe.
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