By Charles Katabalwa/Umoja Standard.
Kawempe, Uganda: Yesterday Uganda’s journalists joined the rest of the world to mark World Press Freedom Day which was 4 celebrated under the theme: “Shaping a Future of Rights: Freedom of expression as a driver for all other human rights.”
The Chairperson of Parliamentary Forum on Media who also double as the Woman Member of Parliament of Mpigi District, Teddy Nambooze during the cerebrations of World Press Freedom Day in Kawempe Division said that journalism is the Powerful arm of the government that dictates the agenda of the country but the players don’t know it which has led them to suffer impunity of the highest.
” Journalists can decide not to air- out any business concerning government until there issues such as security brutality, poor payments among others are worked upon” but this has failed to happen because journalists in the country are not United.
However, Nambooze asked journalists to act professionally such that public continue respecting the fraternity saying in this era of technology and social media, everyone has become a reporter/writer so following ethics will separate journalists to other people.
Rev. Fr Charles Kimbowa the parish priest of Jinja Kalooli Catholic parish asks journalists always to speak out on rampant acts violating freedom of expression in the country, sighting silence is good but sometimes can cause eruption of dangerous problems.
On the same function the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) Secretary for Religious Affairs Sheik Imran Ssali challenged government to come up with another strategy of cooperating with journalists by initiating media and security training on press freedom instead of issuing apologize statements whenever violation acts on media happen.
Therefore, he everyone to always demand the government and its agencies to respect human rights.
Mathias Rukundo the president of Uganda Journalists Association who organized the function vowed to lead the Journalists in Uganda for an industrial action if the government fail to work on issues affecting Journalism Fraternity
” We have been quite enough but we know whatever is oppressing our work, soon we are going to show the government that we are following each and everything although we are quite,” Rukundo revealed.