{UAH} Activists petition EC over NRM skulls campaign advert-he may think it is vote winner but cowardice kabisa
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Activists petition EC over NRM skulls campaign advert
Written by URN
Museveni casting his ballot in the last presidential elections in 2011Activists and local leaders in Luweero district are demanding for the ban of a television campaign advert by the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) showing skulls of killed fighters and residents during the bush war.
The advert appeals to voters to elect the NRM presidential candidate, Yoweri Museveni if they don't want the country to return to civil unrest. According to the activists, the NRM campaign advert is aimed at evoking fear and intimidating voters, ahead of the February 18 general election.
The activists have petitioned Dr Badru Kiggundu, the Electoral Commission chairperson through Jeninah Sabiti, the Central North Election officer to review the campaign advert.
John Ssegujja, the Executive Director of the Luweero based Community Development and Child Welfare Initiatives (CODI), says the NRM campaign advert has created fear among voters.
"The advert itself was carrying footages of wars of the 80s, people who were in the bush and skulls heaped on tables - showing that the situation is going to be as bad as that after election. [This] sends a message that if you don't elect NRM, by and large we shall go back into that era and it is really intimidating", he says.
"There would be other things to show, for example, if they wanted to show that the NRM as a ruling party has performed, we are progressing, they would have showed other things like good roads, increase in electricity generation, other things than showing the war pictures. They send a message; that if you don't elect the incumbent, certainly we are going back into war. That is really dangerous and is causing havoc to the entire population in Luweero. I think the Electoral Commission should intervene and should not allow such footages to be shown", Ssegujja said.
Absolom Bwanika Bbale, the Luweero Forum for Democratic Change chairperson accuses the ruling party of twisting historical facts and using the campaign advert to malign other candidates. He asks NRM to preach peace instead of resorting to scare tactics.
"It is a historical fact that we can't run away from, we know we had a war here [and] many people died. But I think they should go back to what happened, the cause of the war was rigging of elections and nobody should be rigging elections. But sending another quiet message that the NRM brought peace here, that one is very contestable. We were here; there was no war. Museveni and his 27 men came and fought from here and many of our people died. Luweero was a very very enterprising area, so if you say they brought peace here, I have my reservations", Bwanika says.
Adding: "I think they should give voters hope that NRM is not a party we are seeing for the last time, it can be defeated but it should not make people think that the NRM is here and here for indefinitely. When we go to power, I can't tell you that as FDC we shall rule the country indefinitely, FDC can also be defeated. But when you send such message, the population, the voters get scared. Our defiance message is not as damaging as to say that when you change government, you are going to see skulls as you see them in the footage"
Lawrence Sewino, a resident of Wobulenzi town council, says he lost his grandfather and other family members in the NRA war in Luweero and doesn't want NRM to use their skulls for political capital. He instead asks the party to market its candidates using some of the gains made in the last 30 years during its reign in power, instead of evoking bad memories to blackmail voters.
James Kakande and Joan Namuyangu, both residents of Kiwogozi zone in Luweero town are skeptical whether the polls will be peaceful given the threatening statements being made by NRM party and security officials. Mike Ssebalu, the spokesperson of the NRM presidential campaign task force declined to comment on the campaign advert, saying he needs time to speak to those who produced it first.
But David Kamugisha, the Luweero district NRM registrar defends the campaign advert, saying it demonstrates Museveni's ability to bring and maintain peace.
"There is no harmful message that we are sending to Ugandans. We are only showing Ugandans where we are coming from and where we are heading. You all know what happened after the election of 1980. People became violent, people resorted to go to war, people lost their lives and because of the way the election was conducted and mismanaged by the then Electoral Commission. But we are telling people, if we they vote wisely and in a peaceful manner we shall have a peaceful Uganda even after elections", Kamugisha said.
Sabiti, the Central North Election Officer has confirmed receiving the petition from the activists and promised to forward it to her superiors.
"The Electoral Commission appeals to candidates that in the remaining days to the polling day, the candidates take up to sing the 'peace song'. That whichever candidate stands up to speak, we should not talk about war, instability but about peace of our country. The advert that is displayed and flashed on television where the skulls are shown, according to people in this region, it brings bad memories, so they recommended that the Electoral Commission takes up this and tries to regulate and work it out with the political party that is displaying this advert", Sabiti said.
Uganda Communication Commission, which is in charge of monitoring and regulating media content, hasn't yet commented on the advert. None of the responsible UCC officials could be reached by the time of filing this story.
Over 500,000 people are believed to have lost their lives during the NRA 1981-1986 bush war in Luweero. A group of young fighters led by President, Yoweri Museveni waged war against the government of the late Milton Obote citing the alleged mismanagement of the 1980 polls, where Museveni contested for a parliamentary seat and lost
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Comments
It is a big shame on NRM and M7 to try to intimidate the country using images of the dear departed from their former theaters of operation (I bet the NRM do not even know the identities of those poor people).
Clearly, such adverts are meant as a double insult to the people of Luwero and Uganda at large - more so when the good Luwero inhabitants have not even been compensated for the things they did for the current regime.
Why is NRM avoiding to concentrate on the so called developments they have done over the last 30 years after all that carnage?
Why call on the dead to help your cause? Can we assume that killing is what they do best - Pol Pot style? Is that what they mean by "steady progress" - skulls? If so then they are best out of power. The sooner they leave the better for all of us.
Who is and why afraid?Is the NRM lying?/Who will be responsible if thousands innocent lives are lost in Uganda?/Look at Syria!!Look at Iraq!!
How many hundredths thousand innocent lives were lost?Millions!! ! How many immigrants from Syria, Afganistan, Iraq, Libya in Europe??/How many immigrants were in Europe ten- twenty years ago???None!!
Who is guilty of that??Who started fires in the Middle East?/Who is extinguishing fires in Syria??
Answer those questions and then petition the EC!!
Ugandan lives are dear and cannot be wasted!
Ugandans do not be fools to fall in the trap of foreigners who are pushing Ugandans to violence.Foreig ners are saying that you should fight for democracy but they are, Ugandans , only using you like their slaves to get killed and give them riches of Uganda to use for them.
You will get nothing like in those countries I mentioned, only you will be killed.Look Iraq oil!Who is staling it??Turkey!ISIS is supplying cheap oil to Turkey, and Turkey is reselling it to Ukraine, German, Poland and other countries...Thi nk wisely do not listen to spies and saboteurs!!
Long live free and democratic Uganda!Long live Yoweri Kaguta Museveni ,Father of Uganda and Chairman of High Command of Uganda Peoples Defense Force!!!!!!!
We can actually use those same skulls to say they died in vain - Nothing has since changed even after 30 years.
Actually, think it will have exactly the oppoite effect - to strenthen the peoples' resolve to see the back of him. Bluff, Bluff & Bluff.
Let him start that war, if he dares. "Jadwong, gwok-kera. Pe icak tweny baa. Culo kwor tung bot wu romo bedo tye iye atetek baa" [There is unnecssary to translate that for my president, because he has the means to do that for himself].
In other words, even against African cultural norm to leave the dead to rest in peace; why is M7/NRM obsessed with the display of skulls?
It is because fixated and mysteriously, the murderer will always return to scene of crime. Ask Gen Mavi ya kuku what they did in Luweero in order to paint Obote and UPC black.
Why does mavi ya kuku laugh at everything serious, like a maniac? Your guess is as good or bad as mine.
7days to the end of bondage.
those tactics only apply to people who saw that war. us the young generation do not follow those tactics..
We have mass graves all over Uganda, for example in Barlonyo, Mukura and in my place Luwero. Can Ugandans be told why some skulls are deliberately left unburied?
Is NRM a death cult that worships skulls? This must be made clear to all citizens. War, war, war – is that in the NRM manifesto? Adverts are supposed to showcase the best there is to offer.
Are skulls a guarantee of the best of what NRM has to offer in the next 5 years? How do you relate steady progress with skulls?
When I vote next Thursday those questions will feature heavily in my mind. Currently I have no desire to be intimidated by skulls that are best buried so that I move on with my LIFE.
This election is about LIVING, and living a meaningful and successful life. NRM is advertising the opposite. They need to rest and allow others to make our LIVES better.
IT was the same message in 1980 when first Museveni said 'if Obote of UPC were to win the elections he would go to the bush to fight him'.
When DP made claims of rigging he latched on that to actuate his original plan and indeed launched the war in Luweero.
The main tactic was to run a smear campaign against Obote's government through killings. He had fighters both in UNLA and NRA who played any dirty games he instructed.
However circumstances have now changed. It is no longer that easy to deceive the population.
After the wars in Luweero and the North duping people is no longer possible. If he should try to go to the bush again, then like Obote had promised he will certainly be hunted and left there.
If he should use government machinery to kill people then like Gagbo in Ivory Coast he will end up at ICC. Anything stupid being said or done is in full glare of the whole world so any required evidence will be readily available.
All the threats are doing is to prepare candidates for ICC who will be on hand to see for themselves resulting atrocities.
It has taken long for some people to know or accept that Museveni was behind the Rwanda genocide of 1994 and the continuing turmoil in DRC. He recruits, trains and arms various fighting factions then watches on the sidelines.
Never again shall he succeed in Uganda though he might try.
We are now at that point where someone can stand up and defend an obviously sadistic advert like this one.
"ensi egula mirambo---nga temuli gugwo" .
I suppose that the people who use dead bodies and skulls as part of their campaign strategy do not their relatives skulls in the images they display.
I don`t know who is advising the President these days. Whoever it is , he/she is not helping Mr.Museveni at all.
I think it would make a better point if the President invited his opponents to go to the mass-graves and paid respect to those people who laid down their lives for this country- a country in which both Anslem Besigye and Muhoozi Kaierugaba are equal citizens with the same rights and aspirations.
Jane our concern is not about forgetting history. It is about NRM neo-vodoo culture and practice, of the power that be in Ugandan and Rwanda politics.
Whenever their political base is being eroded, they go to the killing field and rattle the skeleton and skulls of their victims, in order to spook voters; not to vote alternative leadership.
E.g. during WW II there was genocide in Germany and Poland. How many skulls are still lying around, and each time for elections they are pulled out to make a case, not to forget Hitler and the Nazi?
These are some of the more reason M7 must go. He is primitive and it is internationally embarrassing to continue to have such a president.
You do not care about millions killed in unjustified wars in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan!
Who are you killers and butchers??Even good American president Barak Obama was voted by Americans to stop those wrong and unnecessary wars! You just try!Just try!!
You will face Ugandan justice!!Down with Uganda enemies!Long live freedom and democracy of Uganda.!!!
Long live Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the proud Father of Uganda and the man adored by millions of Ugandans and freedom loving African and global citizens who support independence of nations! Enemies will be CRUSHED!!!
Population is stronger way past the skull stories I believe. No we need food and good services .rest doesn't matter.
If you are a bloke , remember when you used to impress your first love before you accidentaly married another dame ?
You had a currency then . It might have been a nice car or tight trousers with 5 bukindo on it,; it might have been lots of booze on the grass somehere in Botanical Gardens or it may have been your bible -quoting skills.
If you are a dame , you used your own currency to impress a catch: 3 layers ofmake- up to hide mugaba , perfumes to hypotonize your victim, or by directly offerering secondhand body as a currency- a medium of exchange
I think you are missing the message behind the advert. Museveni is telling you that SKULLS are his CURRENCY. Without them , there would not have been a President Museveni.
Have you all forgotten that Museveni thinks of Uganda the the buffalo he killed ?
Sometimes , a crafly trophy -hunter will feel like hanging a buffalo`s head in his guest lounge just for the thrill of it.
Its up to hungry hynas to regroup in big numbers and reclaim the territory.
Eh , this works it Serengeti
The dictator indeed has crossed countless red lines here but he is to pass by US on his down and his price is in store awaiting.
Excellent idea to display the skull of Sole Candidate if his next stroke is fatal. Promise the General a State Funeral the envy of every dictator.