Fatboy has noted that a number of dictators on the African continent have amassed a lot of support despite how badly they are reflected in the media.
He made the remarks basing on Libya’s first direct election happening next month where the fallen Muammar al-Gaddaffi’s son Saif al-Islam has registered to run for presidency after 10 years of being out of the public eye.
Fatboy said that the media often gives one-sided coverage of politics based on the opposition view in a country which sends out a wrong message to the rest of the world.
“The way the media covers conflict, especially North Africa, shows us the protestors and neglect the larger part of the population because as many as the protestors are, they don't represent the feelings of the whole country.”
In addition he said: “The media will cover some demonstration of discontent in one area and use that to show how a president is hated by a whole nation. So you will be surprised that in many of the countries, the so-called dictators are actually loved by a huge portion of the population.”
Olive, the co-host of the show, additionally referred to South Africa’s Jacob Zuma, who had often been reflected as unpopular by the media yet when arrested, the massive crowds were proving otherwise.
Fatboy continued by saying that in Uganda, the situation is indifferent, arguing that though opposition has garnered a lot of support in the central regions, the country is much bigger than just the towns.
“You have to accept that there is a good portion of Ugandans who genuinely love Museveni and his government. You might hate him and have good reasons for it but there are people who just like him. This is why opposition politicians should not assume that everyone views the world like they do,” he said.
He said that though its surprising that Saif al-Islam is running for office, a number of Libyans might vote for him given the achievements of his father during his tenure where Saif al- Islam was being paraded as the next president. He added that it wouldn’t be surprising that many Libyans would support him seeing it as a continuation of his father’s efforts through him.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, Sarah and Lesham every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.
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