OPINION! If the president must condemn violent arrests, then, politicians too must condemn violent riots
By Arthur Tumwesigye
In his letter dated Tuesday, February 1, 2022, titled “Managing rioters, Terrorists, Criminal and Looters and Methods of Arresting and Handling Suspects”, H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni issued clear and succinct guidelines for managing rioters and criminals without necessarily having to break or maim them before, during and after arrest.
In his introductory remarks, the former NRA bush leader reiterated the fundamental starting point of the NRA as being an army of the people, the masses, and the law-abiding foreigners that visit Uganda.
The President, in a very strong voice, called on all the security operatives to exercise a high degree of self-restraint while on duty whether at a quarter guard or bodyguard of any public principal. His letter came after several complaints in media of violent arrests and allegations of torture of suspects especially those arrested for various crimes including but not limited to political rioters decrying the high heavy-handedness of the security operatives during their operations.
On the other hand, he again beseeched rioters to desist from confronting the Police or other security personnel on duty urging these dissatisfied groups to seek legal redress instead of throwing stones, sharp objects such as broken bottles, homemade grenades, and acid among others.
Given his position and long-standing experience in curbing crime and fighting for freedom, I am convinced that his timely advice is dead on the money and will be accorded the utmost respect it so deserves by the security agencies.
In the past, some security operatives who have gone haywire while executing their mandate have faced the music in the court-martial and are now serving their sentences in different detention centers as the law prescribes.
As much as it is his constitutional obligation to oversee the management of the state, the president’s alone guidance may be insufficient if not buttressed by similar instructions and recommendations from the politicians especially those on the other side of the aisle.
Prepping, managing, and sponsoring violent rioters has become one of the most lethal tools in the toolbox of most if not all opposition politicians in Uganda. Who are these violent rioters? The young, energetic, resourceful, ambitious, and enthusiastic boys and girls.
How do they reach a point of turning into violent extremists? They are taken through a rigorous series of extreme radicalization by the recruitment agencies. In that process, they are brainwashed by false hope and belief, exposed to nerve-racking misinterpreted political literature and myths almost similar to that of Kinjekitile Ngwale, intoxicating drugs, and of course, some coins to physically confront the security operatives during riots.
Obviously, such head-to-head confrontation with security agencies will lead to unprecedented numbers of casualties of both the participants on both sides and unfortunately the bystanders. One might find delight in accusing the forces for their combative approach to riots but he or she will be missing out on the crux of the substance- which is mainly the dead silence of politicians regarding the rising cases of violent riots in and out of the city centers.
A section of politicians who have for long propagated the debate of Security high-handedness and heckling the president to call officers to order have deliberately declined to advocate for peaceful and lawful demonstrations either in the media or during public appearances in their constituencies. Shockingly, even when put on the spot on national television, some have failed to condemn acts of terrorism but rather embarked on verbal attacks accusing the security of incompetence and all manner of bizarre accusations.
It’s without any shadow of a doubt that he who is given much, much is always expected of him but when our leaders continue to ignore or at times support the root cause of these violent riots, they cease to be held in high regard and therefore, much should be withdrawn. Therefore, if the President must condemn violent arrests, the politicians too must condemn violent riots and advocate for peaceful and lawful engagements.
The writer is a student of media and national security.
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