Religious bodies are urged to be non-partisan

CSO | CITIZENS | RELIGIONS | GOVERNMENT

Civil society groups, senior citizens, and academia have asked religious bodies and faith-based organizations to be non-partisan, to enable them to hold the government accountable.

Jimmy Spire Ssentongo, a lecturer at the Centre for African Studies at Uganda Martyrs University, said on many occasions that some religious leaders have been unspoken against undemocratic practices and that they have, sometimes, come out to suggest alternatives.

“The response of the state to religious leaders has been mainly four-fold: dialogue, silence, violence, reminding them to mind their business and material inducements,” he said yesterday during the occasion to mark the International Day of Democracy.

The function was held at the Kololo residence of Maria Håkansson, the Ambassador of Sweden to Uganda.

During the event, Ssentongo made a keynote presentation premised on the topic, "Religion and democracy in Uganda: A historical perspective."

He said in the history of Uganda, governments have often given gifts, such as cars, money, and land, to religious leaders, which have silenced some of them whenever cases of violations of human rights and the rule of law emerge.

Ssentongo said giving gifts was not bad, but there should be accountability for the source of the funds and why they are given.

Ssentongo

“Religion has been critical in Uganda’s journey of building democracy, both as a progressive and a problematic factor." "The most significant contribution is through fostering education to address illiteracy and ignorance and boost civic agency,” he said.

During the panel discussion, Justice James Ogoola, a former Principal Judge, called on Ugandans to respect the rule of law and promote peace, justice, democracy, and constitutionalism.

"He said there is a strong connection between religion, governance, democracy, and politics." “Religious leaders command a huge harvest that political actors target,” Ogoola explained.

Imam Kasozi, an Islamic cleric and scholar, said there is a need to differentiate between people who follow the Islamic faith and those who practice it.

He said many religious leaders are seeking survival, and that is why they seek gifts from the state and the public.

Kasozi expressed regret over some religious leaders who speak the truth or talk about the excesses of the state and sometimes get arrested or abandoned by their followers.

Bernard Mujuni, the commissioner for equality and rights under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, said the government supports religious institutions and works with them on issues of mindset change, social accountability, and changing the lives of communities. Mujuni asked the religious leaders to help expand civic space, which is shrinking.

He noted that spaces for free public debates, especially in universities, were shrinking. “There are more churches than schools and hospitals, which is a fundamental problem that needs to be addressed at a community level,” he said.

Constantine Mbonabingi, the executive secretary of the Uganda Joint Christian Council, said religious leaders were not keeping quiet, but, rather, were being ignored by the state.

“In 1986, we were patriots. But today, there is a lot of corruption and torture in the country. We need a school for integrity. We have told people to keep their eyes open, "he said.

Uganda commended for freedom

Jan Sadek, Ambassador of the European Union to Uganda, said a report from the Varieties of Democracy Initiative in Sweden shows that the level of democracy enjoyed by the average global citizen in 2021 is reduced to the 1989 levels when the fall of the Berlin Wall reshaped the world.

“Authoritarian regimes are on the rise, busy combating religious freedoms, using state religion to mobilize against rights and pervert moral values,” she said.

He commended Uganda for its religious freedom, as seen by the varied religious practices and the preaching of religious tolerance.

He mentioned that Uganda’s history bears examples of the sometimes-conflicting relations that exist between moral authority and political power.

“The tragedy of the martyrs of Uganda is one of the key moments in Uganda’s history that certainly influenced people’s consideration of the importance of religion and its relationship to political power,” Sadek said.

He noted that many religious leaders in Africa have been involved in defending democracy and challenging political power.