THE NRM GOVERNMENT SHOULD KNOW THAT GAMBLES WITH SOCIAL MEDIA WILL INCREASE THEIR LOSSES IN FUTURE.

As I write this article on February 9, 2021 it is just three days to a complete month since the NRM Government switched off the social media platforms. The Government may have their own ‘genuine’ reasons, but it is a disinvestment regarding the future of NRM Government in Uganda.

The social media platforms promote security and togetherness. If a person gets attacked at home, the most effective means to seek redress is using WhatsApp and Facebook among other means of communication yet this is cheap. Surely, for Government to relax and have people off social media for ‘security reasons’ for a whole month is not convincing, instead, Ugandans may just look for constitutional means to get the NRM Government out of office.

While the NRM Party is still cross examining itself why it lost badly in that all Ministers in Buganda region did not make it, they should be concerned about the inconvenience people are suffering without access to social media. To some, social media is like sports. Others use social media to market their goods and services.

President Museveni told Ugandans that Uganda is an entity, true, but that does not mean inconveniencing people for that long. People are always ready to pay back. You cannot enslave them that long.

There should be punitive measures, indeed a good number are in place to deal with those who misuse the platforms, but Government cannot be at liberty to punish people for a month using excuses like national security. If a person came up with an app which Government did not like used, Government should have stopped the use of such an app, but Government cannot take away the freedom of everybody using that excuse.

I for one have suffered 11 years since people connected took away money due to me. A number of people have heard about my experience and surely, you cannot expect all of them to be insensitive to my experience. People have stood for elective positions and have been able to access the funds they raised, for me, it is 11 years and 6 respectively when I was defrauded. God cares, surely such injustice cannot go unpunished.

I think the NEM Government needs to be pro - people instead of assuming that they can operate in a vacuum. Justice MUST be seen done.

Back to social media, this is an area the NRM Government should stop joking with. Better to regulate it, but switching it off when they still have to look for votes will not pay off.

That is my parental advice.