All NRM members of Parliament need to have social media accounts reveals Thomas Tayebwa

The ruling Party National Resistance Movement (NRM) has revealed that it plans to make it mandatory for its 377 legislators to have functioning social media accounts.

Ruhinda North County MP and Government Chief Whip Hon. Thomas Tayebwa revealed this yesterday during a caucus handover ceremony at his Parliamentary chambers.

The legislator said public figures can maximise social media to promote government programmes.

“We have to ensure that each and every NRM Member has a social media account. We can agree on the main ones; facebook, twitter even Instagram the young people will need it, you know we need them”, Thomas Tayebwa.

He said this will enhance visibility of Government programmes and resolutions.

“Each one should come out and publicize especially parliamentary resolutions. We don’t want to be depending on someone else’s mercy to give us publicity. And I love the media, you have done a great job but sometimes we need to come in and beef it up,” he stated.

“We appreciate what you are putting out there but the conversation goes on beyond just a media report of one minute,” Tayebwa argued.

However, when asked how this will be implemented when platforms such as Facebook remain banned six months after the general elections, Tayebwa retorted that this very decision is under review.

“There wasn’t anything like a permanent ban forever, at a right time the Government will be coming up with a decision on either continuing or opening up. But what the President was mainly concerned about was people behaving, not using platforms to create insecurity to create hatred against each other,” he alluded.

To access Facebook in Uganda at the moment, you must use VPN.

“Any media platform is good for the country but can also be a danger to the country. Look at the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda only one radio station managed to lead to a killing of over a million people because they belong to a certain ethnic grouping. Look at Kenya in 2007 what happened,” he further elaborated.

As such, he begged for patience saying this is not this issue of national and security interest cannot be discussed casually well knowing the danger it poses if misused.

The Meeting was attended by the former caucus treasurer, now Minister for Primary Health Care Margaret Muhanga, Parliamentary Commissioner Solomon Silwany who also doubles as the Bukooli Central Member of Parliament and Dr. Lillian Aber the Caucus’ treasurer.