[Ugnet] Why Crucify Shaka for Museveni's Failings?

He listened with consternation as celebrated Uganda host of the Straight Talk Africa programme on Voice of America (VOA), Shaka Ssali, read a terse letter from Mr Sinani Musoke from Kampala during the August 24th edition of the show.

In the communication that was secretly wired to Ssali's superiors, the author unleashes a tirade against the journalist for allegedly consistently attacking "the person of President Yoweri Museveni" of Uganda.

The said Musoke purports that Shaka Ssali is a "disgruntled Ugandan who has an axe to grind" with the incumbent leadership of the country and is a sworn supporter of the opposition for Forum for Democratic Change (FDC).

He further accuses Shaka of using his privileged position - as a famed talkshow host - to peddle a litany of falsehoods and biased comments/thoughts against Museveni, whom Musoke asserts is loved by millions of Ugandans.

Interestingly and for those who did not watch it, this particular show was discussing the disgraceful fall of one of Africa's 'much-loved' leaders.

Shaka had invited Mr Herman Cohen, the former US Secretary of State for African affairs and an academic, Mr Fred Manseh - a professor of International Relations at Howard University as panellists to discuss the ouster of Mauritanian president, Maaouiya Ould Taya in a bloodless coup on August 3rd as he returned from the funeral of King Fahd of Saudi Arabia.

Overthrown "darling"

Taya who also seized state power in a bloodless coup in 1984 had by his fall already proclaimed himself as a darling of his citizens after 'winning' three consecutive polls; scooping the last one with a 68% lead.

But when his military surbodinates toppled him, residents of the capital Nouakachott ironically spilled to the city streets to celebrate his downfall. This is just the paradox of the so-called popular African presidents who use state patronage, bribery and coersion to shore up support as the surrounding praise singers overtone the assurance that things are better while infact everything else is headed for doom.

Back to Musoke, he surmised in the lengthy and strongly worded missive that VOA management should not allow Shaka to continually berate Museveni and he posits that Shaka's journalistic credentials are on the wane due to egocentrism!

The insinuation of this letter is that VOA managers have inadvertently fallen into Shaka's trap to ridicule the Ugandan leader without giving Museveni a chance to respond. Shaka says he has hosted Museveni about fifteen times and is eyeing to interface with him next month when the President goes to New York

Ndugu Shaka, you are just lucky that you live in a liberal country with civilised leaders otherwise at home in Uganda, you would have spent a week in the cooler like Andrew Mwenda of Daily Monitor/KFM.

If Museveni was attacked in the previous shows, as Shaka himself conceded, over what he termed as "shifting of the constitutional goal post", why should that make someone who knew government bribed legislators with Shs5 million to favour lifting of the presidential term limits (as they have already done) roar with venom to blackmail a colleague in an overseas job?

Did Shaka ask government to bribe MPs or manipulate the constitutional review process to sanction executive dictatorship?

The role of a journalist is to serve the people's right to true and authentic information through an objective dedication to reality, even when those facts injure the pride and ego of cherished leaders, and President Museveni is no exception to this rule.

Tabu Butagira is a Correspondent of Daily Monitor based in Arua.

Contact: 077/71 - 511 243, or [EMAIL PROTECTED]

[Ugnet] Why Crucify Shaka for Museveni's Failings?

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