The executive director, Human Rights Network for Journalists, Robert Sempala, has said that police has failed to understand how media operates especially during this COVID-19 period where media has been placed as an essential service provider.His remarks stem from the recent comments made by the force that it will require all the media houses to to submit program plans for politics to them.
According to police,the media will be tasked to submit the time they will host politicians on the airwaves during the 2021 election campaigns.Police said that purpose of the move is to disperse crowds that form near media houses when they host certain politicians. However, Sempala said this is one of the ugly faces of trying to gage the media noting that there is no way that this kind of responsibility can be placed in the hands of the force.
“The culture of police is sometimes is to keep quiet comepletly expecally when people reach out to them. So you are sure that some in point, you are going to write to the police and what they will do is to keep quiet, “Sempala said during an interview.
“This is a misplaced directives that can not be adhered to by the media houses,”Sempala said adding that if the motive was to manage crowds as the force claim, it should have engaged various stakeholders and the media to forge the way out on how to handle this situation. He said media should stand up and oppose these kind of directives which bar media from freely doing its work.
“Police can not appreciate that this is a political season where people are going to be campaigning. If the electoral commission is allowing a sizable number of people to be able to meet by holding rallies, the police should also be able to adjust accordingly, “he said. Sempala questioned a situation where the president is the one coming out the media house and people gather,what would the force do understand this kind of circumstances.
“Are they going to teargas them? Or are they only targeting opposition candidates? Now you see this has a selective application of the law certainly tantamount to persecution of candidates that have voices of dissent,”Sempala said. He said police action is going to be a big scar on the credibility and fairness of the electoral process.
“They must have that flexibility to allow media houses to work and they can’t work without guests,”he said.