Opinion: Tired of certain types of Politicians who are snake-oil salesmen with their political speeches and writings!

“Every time I hear a political speech or I read those of our leaders, I am horrified at having, for years, heard nothing which sounded human. It is always the same words telling the same lies. And the fact that men accept this, that the people’s anger has not destroyed these hollow clowns, strikes me as proof that men attribute no importance to the way they are governed; that they gamble – yes, gamble – with a whole part of their life and their so called ‘vital interests.”

― Albert Camus

It already decades since Albert Camus graced this blue earth with more water than soil, still his words could be used today and his wisdom is still able to question our leaders of today. The resembling manner and tone, the bristling and blatant words that is still has the sharpness of a blade and cut into the bone.

Why? Why can it cut because the manners of politicians decades ago, seemingly is the same today. As the lies and deceit hasn’t left the politics. Neither has the foul play to gain power instead of serving the public. In general theory the Local Council Members, State Representatives, Governors, Senators, Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Executives are supposed to honour their pledges and be accountable to their caucus, constituency or district. Instead they are more loyal to their own careers than serving their voters. So often feels like a broken bridge between the public, the voters and the representative.

The bridge as they only appear right before the die is cast, sorry, the voters has to cast their ballot or polls as their job is on the line; their legitimacy and their relations has to be kept in upkeep as the liability towards the public sphere is important to promise and pledge to fix housing, roads, hospitals, civic education and save the kids. If not they will save the nation or district from biblical disasters, terrorists and unknown dangers.

We have all heard it and know the clichés and the artificial blend of phrases in a rhetorical manner, especially in a coded manner that could fence the xenophobia, the fear and the destructive tone. Some uses the coded language not to promise or really say that they will build the bridge or fix the schools; more that they see the effort and will stay strong together with the politician and his ruling regime.

Still, we accept this for the faith that the fake and lively attitude to collect the votes from us. The reality is that the lies and fakes to satisfy the play of guards and the sovereign measures of needed institutions to control and have oversight of the state. We should still ask questions to the needed for the lies in speeches and care as the politicians rather spend their time with family, than cutting bonds on roads in the province of nowhere with a local mayor who hate the guts of the Infrastructure Minister who feels betrayed by the locals as they wouldn’t vote for his party if their lives dependent on it.

The seasoned man, who has been in rain have made you wet, who has been in the sun has gotten burned. The measures men does to secure itself with umbrellas and jacket to keep each other dry, the same with sun-cream and others to keep the skin-away from the burning sun. Therefore the men who does so should also be able to pick away the men and woman who lies for their trade.

The quack-sellers and the snake-oil salesmen are in the trades of the Politics. Therefore some politicians earn coinage on their pivoting, their change of heart and their tricks to always stay in the good graces. But this is the not the men of solitude or the men of honour or trustworthy. You never know what they really stand for or what their ethical background as their choices are more a popularity contest of American Idol or Big Brother than of politics.

That is the reason why men like Nigel Farage, Donald J. Trump or other rascals with very little soul for their initial policies or political framework can get space in the political landscape as our tabloid headline dramatics can give space and airtime on radio and TV for their message. The message creates high ratings and secures advertisement monies to the Media Houses who couldn’t care less about the outcome of an election as they are there for profits; not for the common-good or service delivery of the politicians.

So we are at the time of day where the words of Albert Camus are righteous as the politicians are not telling about secret meetings, keeping the main objectives between the government funding, the multi-national companies and the trade-agreements; also with the bilateral agreements between nations and international organizations that are happening between the closed doors and is why the dossiers through whistle-blower’s are hurting the campaigns and the national security. But most likely also destroying the façade the politicians create and their level of PR expertise and also beholden to the laws they are supposed to keep.

The mentality of this together with the double-edged swords of public perception can cross through the flesh and destroys careers of an ordinary politician as the sexual adventures of Dominic Strauss-Kahn (DSK), but a few blunders haven’t stopped the Republican Nominee Trump. But at these times the lies and fakery seems to let him win over the American nation, instead of them repelling from his words.

So the political speech should be coded and with current words that express the views and place in the political landscape. Still, today there are more worrying signs of the way it is portrayed and accepted as the men behind the words are not stopped or feasible destroy the character not give the politician the space on the mainstream media.

This should be a worrying and not be a place our modern society should be in, where we let stone-age rhetoric and hatred towards fellow humans beings get away with their malicious attempts of gripping power by the teleprompter and by the social media machine of the political parties and the PR experts supporting the Politicians. Therefore the Citizens Kane of the world usually gets discredited on their way to public office, but now it is free-for-all.

Just like Citizen Kane as Charles Foster Kane in his final speech in his campaign for becoming Governor of New York:

“It is no secret that I entered upon this campaign with no thought. That I could be elected Governor of this state!  It is now no secret that every straw vote, every independent pole, shows that I will be elected. And I repeat to you – my first official act as Governor will be to appoint a special District Attorney to arrange for the indictment, prosecution and conviction of Boss Edward G. Rogers!” (Citizen Kane, 1941).

Other Politicians of these days are convicting fellow politicians without trials as a political gain and earn coinage on their bad moral. This is their moral and bad judgement that deserves to be punished with conviction and getting on trial through going courtside for their acts and activity. So with this in mind, the lying political speeches and does it with vital interest of the public sphere.

Main question after this triad from me; why should we accept his behaviour and accept these men leading us without any real discredit or any real consequence for the politician? This is what the society gets together with the public who is eating the bullshit from the politicians. But, that isn’t it, right? Peace.  

In Bushenyi the Public Servants told to keep their mouth shut and don’t become “News Reports”; in the name of NRM-Regime, they don’t want to be accountable or transparent!

We know that the NRM does not have it in them to be accountable, if so they would have disclosed more information and dealing then they already do. As the land-agreements, oil-contracts, road-development and so on is kept on the low-key instead of in the public spotlight.

So when one of the general leaders in the Public Consumption told the fellow civil servants to not share their information with the world. Take a look!

What Ms. Nakayenga told new Public Officials in Bushenyi:

” Ms Pauline Nakayenga, told the leaders that information for public consumption is released only by mandated offices. She said revealing the information by anyone else can cause confusion” (…) “Commit yourselves to public service and be faithful to the offices you are taking. Keep government secrets, don’t become news reporters. Government and public information is released by the district spokesperson who is, in this case, the CAO [chief administrative officer] or district chairperson,” said Ms Nakayenga” (Amanyisa, 2016).

This law from the first Obote I Government is still in action and therefore, when it is valid it is useful in the discussion.

This is what the law says about Public Service on this matter:

Section 8: “Any member or officer of the commission and any other person who, without the written permission of the Minister, knowingly publishes or discloses to any person otherwise than in the exercise of his or her official functions the contents of any document, communication or information” (…) ”which has come to his or her notice in the course of his or her duties in relation to the commission commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding two thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding twelve months or to both” (…) “Any person who knows of any information which to his or her knowledge has been disclosed in contravention of subsection (1) who publishes or communicates it to any other person otherwise than for the purpose of any prosecution under this Act or in the course of his or her official duty commits an offence and is liable to a fine not exceeding two thousand shillings or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding twelve months or to both”.

So the laws are already strict as a Public Servant the disclosed material and documents are supposed to be secret and talked about, there even possibility of being fined or being imprisoned up to a year. So Ms. Nakayenga is actually speaking as the law is confined to, even if she knows it or not.

Still it is a worrying sign that the Public Information does not the information out or prove their accountable and transparent towards the citizens they claim to serve. In any instance that is worrying. It is also worrying how quickly I could find a law fitting the NRM-regimes wish for secrecy of Public Office and the Public Service, and their Public Servants!

In my opinion it is not healthy when the Government does not express its will or its works; as then they have to hide what they’re doing and cannot been seen as accountable. If all work happen in secret then the Public Service is not for the people, but for the elite and the Government itself. And the Government is supposed to serve its citizens with the necessary services and security. Certain secrets are supposed only to be governments ones. But not all and the Civil Servants or the Local-Council and Local-Government should sometimes disclose information so that the public would actually know what is happening with the donor-funds, the taxpayers money and the planned operations and the budget use of the county. Without being seen by central and other Government Officials as “News Reporters”, that is just vindictive.

She did not define secrets, is everything the government do a secret? Is it filing the documents on land-owners in a county a secret? Is the next official contract for which Telephone Company Bundibugyo district is using for their employees? Should that be kept low-key or be told if the locals want to know and also know how much the local-council get funded for their usage of their smart-phone, or is that a secret?

Because if all business of the government and the local-council is disclosed and kept a secret, then the government is shadowing the public; and can do whatever they want without question unless it is visible killings. Still the certainly a culture amongst the NRM and the NRM-Regime to not tell or not wanting to tell their planned actions in public as the public does not need to know in their opinion; that is why under the Election Day the VPN was used and the Electoral Commission wanted to ban cameras and mobile-phones at the Polling Stations. Peace.   

Reference:

Amanyisa, Zadock – ‘Don’t reveal government secrets, youth leaders warned’ (02.04.2016) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Don-t-reveal-government-secrets-youth-leaders-warned/-/688334/3142626/-/kwjdw4z/-/index.html

 

Public Service Act of 1969 – link: http://www.ulii.org/ug/legislation/consolidated-act/288

Campaign Poster Paranoia

These election posters are both creating dismay and irregularities in this election period. The ongoing issues of the ruling-party have with the opposition. It is understandable that the Electoral Commission does do much about it. Since they are in bed with the ruling-party even if they are saying otherwise… Last piece of the puzzle is the Police that often help with the ruin of the opposition posters. So the opposition is alone fighting this, and final point is that the Presidential Posters are untouchable. That means if they have taken a spot on a wall or a dry-wall they have to stay there until end of times. Because the Police and Electoral Commission command the people to let it stays so. Let’s take look at recent movement on the ground concerning campaign posters in Uganda.

Recently there been issued statements by the Minister of Kampala Affairs Frank Tumwebaze that there is set fees for campaign posters in Kampala. This by all means is foolish idea and new way of grabbing money out of the pockets of candidates for Local Council members, Members of Parliament and Presidential Candidates. So there would be a giant pool of monies coming KCCA ways.

There have been all through the campaign and presidential campaigns people shunning, destroying or pinning over each others posters in the towns and villages where the campaigning goes on. Especially from NRM who has done deliberate actions against the Go-Forward Presidential Candidate Amama Mbabazi. Where they have either destroyed the posters like in Mbarara, Ntungamo or other places utterly displaced them. The pictures from the campaign trail shows it; at the same time the NRM posters are hanging like the holy father is hanging on the wall. Well, that is just plain foolish actions from the NRM and their police. Not unexpected. Here is some previous and recent attempts of foolishness from the same people!

In June 2015 CP Fred Enanga said:

“The president is the fountain of honour and he enjoys absolute immunity for whatever actions and enjoys structural advantages. You cannot just pull down his pictures under whatever circumstances” (…)”But even then, he has not come out to make such pronouncement (that he will run in the 2016 presidential elections),” (Tumwine, 2015).

In Mbale in October 2015 this happen:

““We are following up on the owners. We are going to drag them to court for littering the town and the clock tower,” Mr Wambedde charged” (…)”He said it costs the municipality Shs20m to renovate the clock tower and littering it with campaign posters would cost more money to restore its face” (Namono, 2015).

25^th November 2015 statement from Electoral Commission on Election Posters:

“The Commission warns the general public, candidates, their agents and supporters, that a person who malicious defaces or removes or tears any election poster of any nominated candidate commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment”.

The last one was written and published by Eng. Dr. Badru M. Kiggundu, that means that the Police and NRM supporters are to blame and liable for convictions for destroying and pinning over election posters of Amama Mbabazi, if your words actually means something right? Wonder why the Police doesn’t address themselves or they collect the NRM supporters who conduct this affairs. I wonder why, wait, they are loyal cronies of the regime and henceforth is free by law, or am I wrong? I don’t know, but that is what it seems by the minute, because Mr. Kiggundu hasn’t done anything in all the actions of destroying or pinning over posters across the country all of December. That means his words from November doesn’t comply to them apparently (it’s not stated by their words by the nature of their actions).

A viral NRM Poster taking off:

“A honest political campaign poster of a Ugandan man who is seeking for a public office has gone viral and has got people talking on social media” (…)”An aspirant for Kisementi Municipality identified as Eric Mununuzi’s campaign poster has been making rounds on social media as he reportedly decided to tell the electorate the simple truth” (Nigeria News, 2015).

In Kayungu Hospital 18^th December 2015:

“Dr.Kakooza on Wednesday blocked the district NRM publicity secretary Mutwalid Kizza from pinning Museveni’s campaign posters, saying the posters will damage walls during time of removal after campaigns” (…)”I got this job on merit and I am ready to be sacked for doing what I am supposed to do and if that one happens, I will go and work elsewhere in the world because I hold an international degree in human medicine and surgery,”(…) “Kakooza told New Vision when asked whether he does not fear to be sacked from the job” (Election.co.ug, 2015).

Early this morning the 19^th December 2015:

“Kayunga Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr.Francis Kakooza Arrested For Blocking The Pinning Of Museveni Campaign Posters on the Hospital Walls”.

Afterthought:

There is reasonable ways of seeing this. Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) feels the need to levy laws to regain more money from the Local Candidates, Mayoral candidates, Members of Parliament and Presidential Candidates to pay for the service of having the ability to put up posters in and around Kampala City. I want to wish Frank Tumbewaze a Grinchy moment and wish to serve his greed. Even if it is Jennifer Musisi who thinks that this is the way to be able to gain the money they need to fuel the rail-service that they just opened in town, or maybe I am wrong. I am sure it is to keep the town in order or clean… no then I am talking about somebody else.

This poster thing has been an issue through the whole election period. It’s like a constant feature in the actions of especially NRM supporters and DPC who displays their lack of moral standing and ethics towards other parties. They are solely behind most of the destruction and malicious actions towards the others party’s posters in towns, cities and villages. Like the pictures of torn posters of the Go-Forward/TDA U from NRM, either destroyed or pinned over with a poster off Mzee. So there are issues there.

The other issue is that people fear taking down campaign posters of the Mzee or the NRM presidential candidate. Therefore earlier in the election before the Road Map was even started and the opposition rallies was bombarded by the Police, a police officers and military men was open to media telling they feared both the president and taking down campaign material. Therefore I am sure your still seeing campaign posters from 2010 and 2005 still hanging on walls around the country, not only the new for 2015. That’s because for the fear of taking it down for the repercussion as an act against His Excellency President Museveni.

This comes with the actions towards opposition parties posters proves that in this simple and easy step proves by all means that there is not a level playing field in this elections. When one poster has the ground and can be pinned over the opposition, even by police officers, while the same police guarding and supervising the NRM supporters or Crime Preventers to destroy campaign posters of the opposition, proves the malice that are from the governing party and the NRM-Regime.

The Mbale Clock Tower is a landmark, I understand that, that isn’t a political move, but more a placement of wrong material, and there are more fitting walls in Mbale. That is something the local politicians and national politicians should keep to make sure of the state of the town.

Kayunga Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr. Frank Kakooza has said no to all of the opposition candidates to put up campaign posters inside the Hospital. He was afraid of the dry-walls and also of the effect it might have on the patience of the hospital. There might also be the thing of how it will be perceived if there election material in a state institution, even if there is often NRM material in the Police stations, because we all seen their allegiance to the government and regime, there hasn’t been visible touches of that in health institutions. Still, since he has stood up against pinning NRM and Mzee Campaign posters in the Hospital. He said he feared of sacking and today that happen. The Superintendent did it for the best of the Hospital and not to be in the way of the NRM-Regime. That doesn’t seem to matter since he didn’t facilitate to hang up NRM campaign poster in the facility.

The Election Poster saga will continue and will not stop. As long as we have the NRM-Regime because they will keep their nest and power; showing that by keeping up the work and also posters in the towns. So this here will be discussed during this period until February 2016 and should be after. It is just about a certain point of showing your ways towards the ones who is not in your party. NRM can run it like they do and they have to give way for the opposition. Not like they have acted in this election. That is not acceptable. Peace.

Reference:

Election.co.ug – ‘NRM supporters force posters into hospital’ (18.12.2015) link: http://www.elections.co.ug/new-vision/election/1413694/kayunga-hospital-boss-nrm-leaders-clash-museveni-posters

Nigeria News – ‘Controversial Campaign Poster In Uganda Currently Trending Online (Photos)’ (12.11.2015) link: http://news2.onlinenigeria.com/africa/440589-controversial-campaign-poster-in-uganda-currently-trending-online-photos.html

Namono, Caroline – ‘Mbale council pulls down campaign posters’ (24.10.2015) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/SpecialReports/Elections/Mbale-council-pulls-down-campaign-posters/-/859108/2926806/-/m8vt1g/-/index.html

Tumwine, Albert – ‘We cannot pull down Museveni posters- Police’ (16.07.2015) link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/We-cannot-pull-down-Museveni-posters–Police/-/688334/2753854/-/lr6i1x/-/index.html