The UPDF played its role

Feb 23, 2011

IN the run up to the presidential and parliamentary elections, the Inspector General of Police, warned the public that we faced a terrorism threat as a country. In addition, one of the contestants, kept on promising he would not go to the courts, in case he was not pleased with the electoral outcome

By Maj. Felix Kulayigye

IN the run up to the presidential and parliamentary elections, the Inspector General of Police, warned the public that we faced a terrorism threat as a country. In addition, one of the contestants, kept on promising he would not go to the courts, in case he was not pleased with the electoral outcome.

Indeed in my interaction with the public and on radio stations, callers expressed relief that we had re-assured them of their security.

Following his defeat in what was declared by all observers a free and fair election, Dr Kiiza Besigye now seems to be leaning on the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) as a scape-goat to explain his loss. Besigye is moving from point to point alleging that the UPDF presence was an intimidation to his voters.

Ironically, to the same person before he had lost the elections, the UPDF presence was good. While at Rubaga Division on February 14, he is quoted to have said “….Do not look at the armed forces as enemies...they are our brothers and sisters.”

The UPDF’s participation in guarding key installations and foot patrol in the electoral period was a response to a Police call for a beef up following several intelligence reports indicating wrong elements planning to wreak havoc on Ugandans and their property. In respect to this, the Police have made some arrests and intercepted equipments of violence like machetes, bows and arrows.

The deployment of security forces during elections had to act as deterrence. The presence and visibility of security forces acts as a deterrence as well as a reassurance to the public of their security, without which the elections cannot take place. Security should not, therefore, be mistaken for intimidation or be used as an explanation for an individual’s failure in an election.

Similarly, democracy depends on the citizens’ confidence that votes are cast without coercion, and that the reported election results accurately reflect the collective will of the voters. This called for maximum protection of the integrity of the process by not only the security forces, but also the wananchi who actually actively guarded the election results. Besides, why would it be that the presence of security forces intimidated only Besigye’s voters and not those of the other seven candidates?

For arguments’ sake, assuming the military presence influenced the voting pattern, then President Museveni should regard the results of 2006 from northern Uganda to have been rigged. This is because the entire electoral process in northern Uganda was manned by the military, yet the results were largely in favour of Dr. Besigye and the parliamentary candidates of the opposition. We were, therefore, only doing our work and indeed a big number of wananchi have expressed their gratitude to the UPDF.

One only needs to be in the position of security agencies to hear how the citizens were worried about their safety. We are aware of those who had run away. Others trusted us and stayed. Some diplomats were seen leaving the country, while others left the city for the countryside, all in fear of the uncertain future. Secondly, the fact that Kampala remained a ghost city and only regained life after declaration of results is testimony to our submission.

We, therefore, congratulate Ugandans for observing security, for cooperating with the Police and UPDF, and for exercising their rights. As for those that did not vote, several reasons could explain their behaviour, but that is a subject for another day.

The UPDF is and will remain a people’s defence force at the service of Ugandans and will never work against their wishes, after all we are constitutionally mandated and obliged to protect you and protecting you we shall.

The writer is the UPDF spokesman



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