Obbo’s internet “guerrilla war” is very real
By Elijah M. Tumwebaze
Veteran Daily Monitor columnist Charles Onyango Obbo, being the great Journalist that he no doubt is, has once again beaten the competition by sniffing out an interesting trend in the practice of political Journalism.
In his article, “A new Ugandan guerrilla war is unfolding over the internet”, Mr. Obbo talked at length about Timothy Kalyegira’s recent troubles with the authorities in Uganda after the latter came close to saying that it was actually the government that set off the 7/11 bombs in Kampala on the night of the world cup finals in South Africa.
One of the important things that Obbo raised in his piece was about the credibility of online political blogs. For that, he rightly argued that the blogger mustn’t conceal his identify so that his personal credentials can lend weight to whatever unsubstantiated claims he might come up with. In other words, if he is known and has a good or at least fair track record as an analyst, then even when he embellishes his stuff a little bit, some people will still believe him.
But for me, the real beef came when he said the fact “…that Kalyegira did a more respectable version of Radio Katwe, and didn’t hide behind a cloak of anonymity, therefore represents an important development. Tormenting him will only drive others further underground”.
The trend that Obbo is talking about is in many ways a product of both Uganda’s technological advancement and its democratic decline over the last 10-15yrs. And it is all because Museveni’s government has shown that it will not shy away from harshly dealing with people who are critical of it. There is therefore a very difficult balancing act to confront in Uganda today.
You either lock all your views in and painfully shut up in order to avoid harassment from the State; or indulge in self censorship and air only those views that are not too critical of Museveni’s government; or you leave Uganda all together and say whatever you what to say from the safety of exile; or you remain in Uganda but conceal your identity as many are increasingly doing now.
Today, if Uganda’s top media houses are too timid to entertain your views, you very simply, in under 10mins, set up your own blog and start firing the salvos that established media houses cannot dare publish. That is precisely why a growing number of people are turning to online publications to get the news and analysis that established media houses routinely turn down in order to protect their operating licences from a predatory regime like Museveni’s. So people feel that something important is being kept away from them.
And the psychology of it is very simple: If a despotic government like Museveni’s is uncomfortable about something, then there is a very good chance that it is true. The other big attraction of online publications is they allow their readers to vent their anger anonymously against the oppressive regime without the fear of arrest hanging over their heads.
You only have to look at the comments that readers post at the bottom of stories published on the websites of Uganda Correspondent, The Observer, The Independent, Ugandans-at-Heart, and you will see exactly what I am talking about.
Those readers clearly feel more comfortable in cyberspace that in Uganda. When the 7/11 bomb suspects confessed to being involved in the attacks, hundreds of Ugandans questioned the authenticity of their confessions on the social networking site Facebook.
So like Charles Onyango Obbo suggested, the lesson for Museveni’s government is simple: Give up the war against views that you don’t necessarily like. It is an unwinnable war. The internet is here to stay. And with it, Ugandans will always find alternative ways of getting the same information you are trying to deprive them of. Secondly, they will always find alternatives to the main media houses operating openly in Uganda to express their anti-NRM views. END. If it’s Monday, it’s Uganda Correspondent. Never miss out again.
