Uganda’s rights OK
Feb 16, 2006
THE Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) latest report titled, “In Hope and Fear: Uganda’s Presidential and Parliamentary Polls†and authored by the East African coordinator for human rights, Jemera Rone, makes sweeping, highly inaccurate as well as partisan statements.
By Nsaba Bbuturo
THE Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) latest report titled, “In Hope and Fear: Uganda’s Presidential and Parliamentary Polls†and authored by the East African coordinator for human rights, Jemera Rone, makes sweeping, highly inaccurate as well as partisan statements.
Rone is a well-known biased and patronising activist against the popularly elected government of Uganda. The reports claims that “the ruling party under President Yoweri Museveni is playing a dirty game of intimidating the electorate and undermining the opposition.†The truth is that there is no sober and honest observer of Uganda’s politics that would agree with Rone’s conclusions to the effect that:
The playing field for candidates and their parties is not level
Conditions for a free and fair election have not been met
Ugandans are gripped alternately by excitement with multiparty elections and fear the Government is not committed to upholding fundamental human rights.
The electoral process is lacking in political tolerance, equal opportunities for all political parties to access state media, freedom of association, voter education and full participation of citizens in the political process.
The Government is selectively interpreting and applying the laws of sedition, libel and incitement to violence to harass opposition candidates and disrupting their campaigns.
Opposition politicians are being tried on apparently ‘politically motivated’ charges, sometimes in inappropriate tribunals (read General Court Martial).
The most prominent of the politically motivated criminal cases are Dr. Besigye, Winnie Byanyima, Jack Sabiiti, Reagan Okum and Michael Ocula.
That reports of intimidation and violence against the opposition are rife in the districts in which their so-called research was carried out, namely, Kampala, Mbarara, Rukungiri, Kanungu, Ntungamo, Soroti, Gulu, Adjumani and Nebbi.
There is increasing militarisation of public office in Uganda.
The report says 110 persons were interviewed. For a subject of this magnitude and potential impact such a sample is limited and deeply suspect that its conclusions are bound to be grossly questionable and inaccurate. It is highly probable that the sample size was selected to give outcomes that support prejudices against President Museveni’s government. Was it a coincidence that the above selected districts have a sizeable minority of opposition supporters? The report is an affront to the heroic dedication by both the President and people of Uganda in turning a one-time pariah, unstable and insecure state to one that is stable, secure and respected among the community of nations.
HRW acknowledges that the Electoral Offences Squad’s work has been commendable. It is President Museveni who set up this Squad with the mandate to report and curb election-related malpractices! And the Squad has had to bite against some culprits who have been surprise, surprise from both the ruling party and opposition parties!
I now give a riposte to some of the false statements in the report. On the false claim that Uganda’s governance is increasingly being militarised, Uganda is not the only country where army officers are appointed to serve in government departments.
HRW says that the cases against Dr. Besigye, Winnie Byanyima, Jack Sabiiti, Reagan Okum and Michael Ocula are ‘politically motivated’! Where does the report’s author base her conclusion? This claim is exactly what the persons in question have repeatedly told the world! On one hand, Government is convinced that the persons mentioned above have a real case to answer. On the other, there are those who are contesting the Government’s position. They now include HRW! Should this then not be a matter for the courts of law if one genuinely and not selectively believes in the rule of law? What HRW appears to be saying is that when politicians are accused of allegedly committing crimes, in the interests of getting a good report from them, they should not be investigated and trials conducted! Government rejects this. If Government was to acquiesce to this, it is the same groups that would be saying there is no rule of law in Uganda! Both President Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government are the midwives of the new democratic dispensation that Ugandans are enjoying today. There is a robustly independent Judiciary in place that has not flinched when passing judgment in cases involving the Government.
HRW uses its ‘findings’ from an infinitesimal and, therefore, inconsequential sample to claim that all Ugandans are gripped by fear. Which Uganda is HRW writing about? Happily, because Government has nothing to hide concerning its conduct of the electoral process, it has invited foreign observers to Uganda. Government is sure that this fear factor that HRW sees but others do not see will not be believed by these observers.
Ugandans of all walks of life are participating in the political process through association with different political parties. There are also independent candidates who are canvassing for support. The only accurate point in the entire HRW report is the acknowledgement that voter education could be better. Government agrees and has urged the Electoral Commission to do more about it.
On violence and intimidation, it is true that one agency of Government, that is, the Police has reported cases of intimidation and violence. It is significant for HRW to note that it is a Government department which is acknowledging that some members from all the various political parties have come in for criticism. Government strongly disapproves of intimidation and violence since these undermine the liberties that it has fought hard to restore on behalf of the people of Uganda. It is happy that the Electoral Commission and Electoral Squad Team are vigilant and able to report and apprehend culprits. This is as it should be.
Existing imperfections in the current electoral process must be rectified but also understood in the context of the past history of Uganda. The country has come a long way and Government will not allow a reversal of the democratic gains that have been recorded. Idealistic standards of what constitutes democracy will not be allowed to derail our focus and determination for Uganda to become an advanced democracy. Needless to say, to get to this point will take time. The Government of President Museveni with the support of the people of Uganda shall keep working at it.
Neither HRW nor opposition political parties have greater interest in having free and fair elections than do President Museveni and the NRM party. Uganda’s image will be greatly improved when the country succeeds in having successful elections. This will be good for prospects for improved trade and more visitors both of which are critical to Uganda’s increased economic independence.
As for the playing field not being free and fair, Government believes that it is as free and fair as it can be. There is a wanton failure by critics to remember that that the NRM party is in government. When it comes to the use of state resources, the party must exercise maximum discipline in order to differentiate between its own resources and those of the state. It is doing that already. But critics must remember, too, that there are grey areas and these are the ones they are highlighting. HRW is reminded that as the country approaches the Election Day, tensions are bound to arise especially from political parties that are staring defeat in the face. It is these parties that were a principal source of data for HRW!
This is to HRW: In Uganda, there is controlled optimism that Ugandans will triumph over those that have a disjointed view of our collective effort to construct a new country that is the pride of its citizens. There is no doubt that under the leadership of President Museveni and the National Resistance Movement, Uganda will continue to rise and shine as a land of more freedom and liberty as well as prosperity.
Government encourages Ugandans who are wont to hold a view that Uganda’s renaissance is in the hands of our ‘friends’ to desist from accommodating such a futile temptation. They should have hope in our collective ability to navigate successfully sometimes through stormy democratic waters, the journey ahead. Then and only then will real friends of Uganda respect Ugandans for who we are.
The writer is Information minister
THE Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) latest report titled, “In Hope and Fear: Uganda’s Presidential and Parliamentary Polls†and authored by the East African coordinator for human rights, Jemera Rone, makes sweeping, highly inaccurate as well as partisan statements.
Rone is a well-known biased and patronising activist against the popularly elected government of Uganda. The reports claims that “the ruling party under President Yoweri Museveni is playing a dirty game of intimidating the electorate and undermining the opposition.†The truth is that there is no sober and honest observer of Uganda’s politics that would agree with Rone’s conclusions to the effect that:
The report says 110 persons were interviewed. For a subject of this magnitude and potential impact such a sample is limited and deeply suspect that its conclusions are bound to be grossly questionable and inaccurate. It is highly probable that the sample size was selected to give outcomes that support prejudices against President Museveni’s government. Was it a coincidence that the above selected districts have a sizeable minority of opposition supporters? The report is an affront to the heroic dedication by both the President and people of Uganda in turning a one-time pariah, unstable and insecure state to one that is stable, secure and respected among the community of nations.
HRW acknowledges that the Electoral Offences Squad’s work has been commendable. It is President Museveni who set up this Squad with the mandate to report and curb election-related malpractices! And the Squad has had to bite against some culprits who have been surprise, surprise from both the ruling party and opposition parties!
I now give a riposte to some of the false statements in the report. On the false claim that Uganda’s governance is increasingly being militarised, Uganda is not the only country where army officers are appointed to serve in government departments.
HRW says that the cases against Dr. Besigye, Winnie Byanyima, Jack Sabiiti, Reagan Okum and Michael Ocula are ‘politically motivated’! Where does the report’s author base her conclusion? This claim is exactly what the persons in question have repeatedly told the world! On one hand, Government is convinced that the persons mentioned above have a real case to answer. On the other, there are those who are contesting the Government’s position. They now include HRW! Should this then not be a matter for the courts of law if one genuinely and not selectively believes in the rule of law? What HRW appears to be saying is that when politicians are accused of allegedly committing crimes, in the interests of getting a good report from them, they should not be investigated and trials conducted! Government rejects this. If Government was to acquiesce to this, it is the same groups that would be saying there is no rule of law in Uganda! Both President Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government are the midwives of the new democratic dispensation that Ugandans are enjoying today. There is a robustly independent Judiciary in place that has not flinched when passing judgment in cases involving the Government.
HRW uses its ‘findings’ from an infinitesimal and, therefore, inconsequential sample to claim that all Ugandans are gripped by fear. Which Uganda is HRW writing about? Happily, because Government has nothing to hide concerning its conduct of the electoral process, it has invited foreign observers to Uganda. Government is sure that this fear factor that HRW sees but others do not see will not be believed by these observers.
Ugandans of all walks of life are participating in the political process through association with different political parties. There are also independent candidates who are canvassing for support. The only accurate point in the entire HRW report is the acknowledgement that voter education could be better. Government agrees and has urged the Electoral Commission to do more about it.
Existing imperfections in the current electoral process must be rectified but also understood in the context of the past history of Uganda. The country has come a long way and Government will not allow a reversal of the democratic gains that have been recorded. Idealistic standards of what constitutes democracy will not be allowed to derail our focus and determination for Uganda to become an advanced democracy. Needless to say, to get to this point will take time. The Government of President Museveni with the support of the people of Uganda shall keep working at it.
Neither HRW nor opposition political parties have greater interest in having free and fair elections than do President Museveni and the NRM party. Uganda’s image will be greatly improved when the country succeeds in having successful elections. This will be good for prospects for improved trade and more visitors both of which are critical to Uganda’s increased economic independence.
This is to HRW: In Uganda, there is controlled optimism that Ugandans will triumph over those that have a disjointed view of our collective effort to construct a new country that is the pride of its citizens. There is no doubt that under the leadership of President Museveni and the National Resistance Movement, Uganda will continue to rise and shine as a land of more freedom and liberty as well as prosperity.
Government encourages Ugandans who are wont to hold a view that Uganda’s renaissance is in the hands of our ‘friends’ to desist from accommodating such a futile temptation. They should have hope in our collective ability to navigate successfully sometimes through stormy democratic waters, the journey ahead. Then and only then will real friends of Uganda respect Ugandans for who we are.
The writer is Information minister