Considering who the organisers of the planned march to parliament on July 23 are, it is safe to conclude that the protests will not, in any way, be peaceful. Whereas the organizers and promoters disguise that they are planning for a peaceful demonstration, the idea of peaceful demonstrations in developing countries is a myth.
The opportunists look at such demonstrations as a good chance to do all sorts of evil. Given that the majority of promoters are opposition activists with a background of organizing violent protests in Uganda, it is without doubt that the anticipated demonstration will be violent, characterized by stealing, beating those who disagree with them, as well as the destruction of property, as has been the norm.
The violent protests automatically end in arrests and the loss of lives as the protestors clash with security. The history and background of protests in Uganda actually show there can’t be a peaceful demonstration in Uganda and other African developing countries.
Besides, these demonstrations are not planned with Africans at heart. Most are funded by foreign powers who stop at nothing to see African nations remain underdeveloped and politically unstable to ensure they always have excuses to interfere in their sovereignty for their selfish interests.
A clear example is what happened when the recently planned peaceful demonstration in Kenya turned violent, resulting in a lot of losses in terms of lives and property. According to reports, it was later discovered that the violence was funded by the Ford Foundation, an American foundation that paid some protestors to turn violent.
Western countries, with their selfish interests, always hide behind the promotion of human rights to promote violent protests and cause insurrections. No sovereign government would allow that to happen. If the protestors are indeed marching to parliament to express their dissatisfaction over corruption, why wouldn’t they choose a few individuals to deliver the petition rather than plan violent protests that will put lives and businesses at risk?
It is the norm in Uganda for opposition leaders to mislead the youth into violent protests for selfish interests. Surprisingly, these leaders first transport their families abroad for safety before luring innocent youth into violence. Most of the social media promoters of these protests also stay abroad with their families, and they’re assured of safety as they push other people’s children into illegal activities. The organizers and promoters always live in denial, thinking that whatever they do only harms those who support the ruling party. They forget that many opposition leaders and supporters also have properties that are unknown to the demonstrators and hence will also end up being destroyed.
Whereas the cause of the demonstration may be genuine, there shouldn’t be any room for violence. Incidences of violent protests leading to the loss of lives and properties are not new in Uganda and should not be allowed to happen again.
It is right and legal to express dissatisfaction over certain issues, like corruption at the parliament that has ravaged this country, but there are many ways to do it rather than risk the lives of the misled youth and properties. Every Ugandan, whether in opposition, neutral, or in the ruling party, should shun and condemn the violent protests and encourage the planners to use other means to table their grievances.
