In order to get a glimpse into the political landscape of any society, talk shows are the easiest way to get an idea of what exactly goes on in the country. For the case of Uganda, it is very rare to have a new discussion. For over a decade now, the political talk shows in Uganda are very predictable.
In case you are here just to get an idea of what political talk shows to consider in Uganda, here are some of them but there is a likelihood that you will be disappointed to hear the same talk show simply replayed with the aid of different persons.
- The frontline; NBS Television
- The fourth Estate: NTV
- Truth, Lies and Politics: Spirit TV
- NXT Big Talk: NBS
There are several other talk shows to consider in Uganda but the above are some of the leading English talk shows you can consider.
The points of discussion have always been President Museveni’s overstay in power, poor service delivery, corruption, unemployment, democracy, human rights and low pay. However, it is very rare for these topics to be discussed without the bias of attributing every failure to president Museveni and the bias of some people failing to admit that the government needs to put anything right.
It is only in rare situations that you will have people discus facts. In most cases people go to the talk shows either to air out their support to the current government or their dissatisfaction and hate towards the current government. The debates are rarely a discussion of ideas; they are simply an attempt to prove that either the current government is too evil to continue in power or too good that Ugandans should continue supporting it.
In Uganda, there is nothing like political ideologies even though some politicians might have them on paper. The average Ugandan has no interest in political ideologies; they are simply interested in service delivery, change of leadership and improvement in their way of life.
Even though politicians might front democracy, if you are to discus with any average Ugandan; they are very ready to trade democracy for better service delivery and improvement of their wellbeing and society. By wellbeing, I am referring to better housing, access to education, improved transport, employment and security. A few other things like rights come secondary. This is the state of Uganda at the moment.
Democracy in Uganda is simply an political correctness tool. Many politicians simply stand for democracy to win favors but they are not interested in democracy. For the case of Uganda, democracy has been used to stamp things that majority consider illegalities. For instance, the majority vote is sometimes not respected. But even the person who got in office was twisting the pillars of democracy also stands boldly to claim they are democratic using they twisted election as proof for democracy.
Therefore the talk shows will some time front the need for human rights, democracy and many other modern pillars of life but even though democracy is a good thing; the best thing many Ugandans would wish to hear is security, improved earning, and change of government.
Even those that seem to be well off and strong supporters to the current president at one point wish to see a change in government because president Museveni has been in power for life time according to many Ugandans.
Lastly, while tuning into the talk shows; you are very likely to hear politicians and any hosted personalities simply take sides. It is like no one can easily think independently without trying to sound politically correct. There are only a few people who have the capacity to critic both the opposition and the government. Majority simply support the government in return for some favors while others support the opposition to look as if they are on the people’s side.