Somebody Should Make A Film Out Of The 2016 Election Petition!
Universal rule: It doesn't mean anything unless you get it in writing and signed. So, at least Mbabazi has played his role as he went to the court and its now on record that everything didn't go as planned during the elections. Now, we wait for the final judgement on 31 st March. The lawyers from both sides have also done a good job especially with their concluding remarks in this case.Rhetorically speaking?
They all said ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that supports their preconceived notions. However,like anything, if it gets repeated enough, folks think it's a guarantee.So, I'm sure the lawyers representing 1st respondent President Museveni are happier as they expect the judges to come up with the same ruling similar to that after the 2006 elections. Personally,like many Ugandans out there, I have a problem with that ruling especially on 'substantiality'.
A college student turned in his thesis and his professor provided a failing grade. The student protested, "I glues two pages together and that bond has not been broken, so I know you haven't read the whole thing''.
The professor replied, "I don't have to eat the whole egg to know it is rotten''.
Basically, we will never know if Museveni ever genuinely won any election in Uganda since there has been a lot of rotten eggs thrown at the opposition since 1996.
It may seem like a bother but,somebody should seriously consider making a film out of the 2016 petition, Besigye’s House arrest and the breaking into the Mbabazi lawyer’s offices. This is stuff right out of the neighborhood watch manifesto. You’d be surprised at the number of good things that can happen. I know everyone’s first reaction is to think that “oh it’s not going to change anything” BUT, it establishes a pattern and many times that can lead to action. What if somebody had made a film out of the 2006 elections featuring the ‘black mambas’ and Tinyefunza as the General who used not to respect judges. That is a pattern, and it leads to increased awareness on the part of the population.
But more to the point,I promise you that I’m convinced of what I’m saying, and I’m not trying to be part of some new scam. There is a lot to gain by someone being involved in this. For instance, Late Charles Chaplin’s anti-Hitler film somehow contributed to the propaganda that portrayed Hitler as a monster before the war.He criticized not only fascism in ”The Great Dictator”, he also criticized the growing capitalism in “Modern Times”. In reality, the Nazis were a lot worse than they were portrayed in film. Hitler watched it twice and I believe it gave him a certain perspective on things or what was awaiting him.
When I had just moved to the UK, I once borrowed a film from that blockbuster in Sutton,South London, about General Antonio Noriega of Panama, and it was brilliant. I think the title goes by something like ‘God’s man’ or ‘God’s favourite’. Actually, this one fits exactly with what’s happened in Uganda in this year’s elections. It skips over Noriega’s rise to power, concentrating instead on his last several years as Panama’s despotic ruler.
Such films are great tools in educating the world and the people of Uganda about Uganda, and I think it is a shame that nobody has so far thought about doing this because we are wasting our potential as a group. There are a lot of economic benefits, obviously, attached to this from movie sales and all that. Such a film would probably now do better than a Bebe Cool show anywhere in Uganda.The technical/financial problems shouldn’t be a problem if one has the right data for such a film.
BTW,I wouldn’t mind being an actor in this film as long as I play the role of General Kayihura as IGP………It must be fun ordering the blocking of all social networks and beating the crap out of those ‘rats’ in the opposition! However, my acting experience is so limited as I last did something like that in a play at university(post graduate studies) about female genital mutilation–where we dressed as women from Kenya.
*Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba, UK
Stalk my blog at: http://semuwemba.com/
"My journey is long and my preparation is so little, and weakness has gripped me and death is chasing me!"