Resisting Electoral Reforms alone confirms that Museveni has been rigging elections!

New Electoral Commission, Old Problems

NRM has constantly been accused of election rigging. Wouldn’t that allegation call for caution when priding yourself about President Museveni’s high percentage points? Perhaps real competition would be realized if all there is a free and fair election.Personally, I can support any person who emerges victorious on a free and fair election.

While the Opposition is advocating for Electoral Commission overhaul, NRMO is always resisting the change and want the president who is also a candidate to appoint the members of the commission? Why does it resist the change if it has no direct benefit? Sometimes I wonder if we understand what we do. Under the “Conflict of Interest” clause, the president who is also a candidate should have been aware of the seriousness of conflict of interest and set an example for others to follow.

I see the government not respecting the “Conflict of Interest” when the president who is always the candidate does the selection process of the EC members. In this regard, I see no fault with the Opposition. In parliamentary democracy, it is not the loudness but the quality and respect of arguments that is important. Why should the Opposition work so hard to create the necessary EC reform, doesn’t government have a greater responsibility to ensure free and fair elections?

For me I hold the government responsible for failure in reforming EC; the Opposition and Civic leaders have pointed out the anomalies so it should be the government to rectify them; the Opposition in a democracy puts forward alternative working policies and if there is respect and will to see democracy working, then the government in power implements those suggestions.

Pointing out the merits and demerits of a candidate choosing the referee without soliciting input of the other candidate is wrong.

If government was indeed interested in reforms, I suppose the simplest thing it could do was to ask each Opposition party to nominate persons they think can in the EC and submit all those names to the parliamentary committee to narrow down the list and if they failed in the elections then they would have none but themselves to blame!

The commission is not about one person, the boss. It is the entire body. Our government is not interested in doing a good job. One other approach is to advertise the positions for interested persons to vie for and the best candidates taken, that would somehow make the process of appointment transparent.

Election problems don’t just appear during election day, by that time, all has been done. It is in that respect that foreign election observers often report that the exercise was orderly, peaceful as they declare the results as the reflection of the electorate. On the contrary, the local or national observers cry foul yet both groups observed the same elections. The difference comes from when the rigging started. And often the foreign observers are easily identified because of the colour of their skin so good conduct is encouraged if only to ‘fool” them.

I have always argued that the international community should make use of the nationals of the countries’ they intend to serve, those are people who know the geography, history and tricks of their people and can easily do a better elections or projects’ monitoring, but such exercises attract hefty money, which the foreigners also want.

Suppose the Commonwealth recruited regular members of the UAH forum,and if those are not enough they included Simon to go to monitor elections in Uganda on its behalf, I am sure the report would be different from what their white counterparts report. Because if I am monitoring elections in Teso, nobody would care or identify me as I would get on a bicycle and go to a slum like Campswahili like any ordinary person and I would hear from the people what they did. I say this because this is exactly what happened in 2001 when Mike Mukula mobilized the headmistress of one high school to take girls to vote for President Museveni. These were students who had not been registered and they were under age. What we did was to monitor them take the students and we got the kids arrested and they had to beg us to get the kids released. Yes, when they were doing, they thought nobody could find out what they were doing, they were shocked! They panicked as to what parents would do but on our part, we did not want the kids to suffer in police cells or be produced in court for they were innocent, what we did was to expose them and also to teach the kids not to ever accept to be used.

There many ways rigging takes place, that is why an independent and trustworthy commission is necessary but of course it doesn’t mean it will be 100% good; we acknowledge human error but let it be an error.

I guess we have spent a fairly long time on this issue, people of all walks of life have addressed themselves to this issue and it is up to government to hear their calls or reject it, at the right time, it will be called to account for its actions.

Peter Simon via UAH

Party President should only act as a party manager, and not stand for presidency!

Uganda has a million potentials, many of whom can do better than the President but the way all party systems in Uganda are set you cant have any of them just show up on the radar, that’s why I have always advocated for a change within these party constitutions so that the party president acts just as a party manager and not be allowed to stand as a presidential candidate because then he will be working for the whole party not for his own interest such arrangement makes it possible for people like Obama in the US to come out of the shadows and stand. But try coming up before Hon.Mao or his Holiness Ottunu, or the President him self, and they will use all their powers as party leaders to trump you down least you take the flag.

About the EC reforms I clearly pointed out that before anything else the opposition should work on the EC and I predicted that they wont until the last year towards elections. Guess what, we are back to square one and they have behaved the same each and every election period. If the best plan to protect your self from the rain is to build a roof when lightening starts striking and the clouds getting darker and heavier then let them face it.

So it goes every time the opposition won during the by-elections they said the elections were fair, every time they lost they said the elections were rigged, we have hard enough of that until they make up their minds what it is then their better of holding free and fair elections in their parties as they chose their candidates.

The conflict of interest goes as far as the “choice”, there after the Parliament has to approve that person, and past that the Constitution clearly mentions the Independence of this person.

Dr. Edward Kayondo via UAH

Dr.Besigye’s street activism won’t take him to Statehouse!

Protesting, activism are not synonymous with building strong political parties. They are essential and acceptable and they have a place to fill in any democracy, however in order for this force to be effective in elections it needs a strong leadership base. You can get people to vote for you by getting involved in a shouting match but when you get to the White House you realize that leadership and governing are far much different from shouting matches.

My simple call is for organized political parties that can be used as a base for Ugandans who want to run for political offices. Not parties that are so dependent on particular personalities. I would rather we have a campaigns with candidates fully supported by all members within different parties. More so if this spills into parliament where members vote for ideologies supported by the parties that sent them other than every man for his or her financial gain. That’s is the reason they are easily paid of because they don’t have to answer to anyone.

By the way there is no loser, every one who participates in any political process contributes to the expansion and improvement of the status quo. They are all appreciated more so if their status is well defined.

Dr.Edward Kayondo
UAH member in USA

Mr.Rwabwogo will stand for NRM presidency!

Anyone who plans to stand for any political post should stand on what they can do. Its okay to present your vision, and compare it to those who are in the position you aspire, but caution must be taken not to go overboard for an equally repulsive reaction might be had to handle for an amateur.

I believe Mr.Rwabwogo will stand for NRM presidency, he traveled around the whole country during the election period when everyone else was looking at happenings with Besigye and Mbabazzi. He even went as far as Karamoja way far from the constituency he was running for. Most importantly he was not stopped or interrupted by the police or anyone within NRM. He campaigned freely, he is now well known all over the country.

So next step, if all this is true, will fit perfectly. Distance your self from that one name, that might pull you down. Fight with your family, script disagreements, report them in papers and hope that the rest of the country will join your side.
Tasty.

Proven that running out of NRM is a death trap,he cant leave NRM. The progressive NRM youths might not be enough, since they don’t occupy that many NRM leadership seats. In the end, the father in law can make or destroy him. But the fight thing doesn’t add up at all!
So we have father and son against mother, daughter and son in law? No. There is a need of a better script.

Credibility in leadership is a measure, unless someone has had a leadership position it’s unfair to pre-judge them.

Dr. Besigye has his share in the image he presented to the nation, let’s not forget that he is not a typical suits and tie politician, he is an activist so antagonism and images of being arrested and protesting are part of his repertoire.

It is not reasonable to ask a candidate who has never held a position in government that could have influenced issues like roads or poverty why they haven’t done so yet. For any upcoming young politicians the best you can ask for is their vision for the country.

It’s the right of every Ugandan who meets the requirements put forth in the constitution to stand for presidency.

Voters have a right to their opinions and these are always reflected when they vote. Better though is to spend time looking for a candidate to support other than wasting time destroying anyone who comes up. We are a democratic nation.

With the opposition calling for destruction of his legacy, sending him to the international courts, it is only natural for the President to support someone who will be sympathetic to him and many others that have been in power to become the next president.

The grounds for succession or no succession should be hyped at the level of political parties. As we recently saw the President had a struggle to keep his party together when Hon. Mbabazi and several other NRM members took the independent path. More than the support of the President any candidate who hopes to win the next election has to have a strong party backing.

The issue is that 1 year before the elections Dr. Besigye will be tearing FDC apart, Hon. Mao will be sinking DP in court, and Ottunu will barricade himself in the highest floor of Uganda house while the other UPC big gun will be enjoying a cup of tea under a tree in Rwakitura. Independent candidates will be scouting the air waves screaming behind FM stations and the remnants of NRM will victoriously squeak through irrespective of the candidate they choose because NRM will be the only party that will be glued together.

So debating which Presidents son, daughter or in-law would take over at this time is useless. The next leader will need a strong political party backing, Uganda has limitless potential leaders but as long as the opposition parties are clouded in activist’s ideas as propagated by Dr. Besigye you will never build or have a strong opposition party base and yes whoever the President backs under the NRM umbrella will become the next president.

As a caution, when you chase a rat to the end of the corridor and it has nowhere to go, better be prepared to face a leopard when it turns around. It’s also easier to put a child to sleep with gentle touches and lullabies other than angry shouts and slaps. What you don’t have in proven policies can’t be made up with shouts and fists, neither will throwing stones to those sleeping in bungalows buy you a house.

We have democratic means of changing Presidents in Uganda, and those who want to shortcut them should not participate in the political arena. Even then, there will always be room for activists in any democratic nation, we need them and that honor for the last decade has gone to none other than our one and only Dr. Besigye. Great activist, but not so good a presidential option. With all respect.

“Uganda needs a strong opposition to strengthen our democracy.”

Dr. Edward Kayondo,
UAH member living in USA

The Vatican is on a 109 acre land, smaller than the Lubiri but they’ve done better!

Far right Apolo Kagwa, second right Daudi Chwa (since he was born 1897, should we date the photo ca. 1915?), and in the background next to Chwa, Stanislaus Mugwanya. Who knows the names of the white men?
Collection Makerere University main library, Africana section.

Milk shakes come in all flavors, you can basically mix whatever you want add some milk and call it a milk shake. Looking a head the issue of who is a muganda will be a definition of a milk shake. We are up to a point where the lineage cannot be defined.This brings me to the issue of the Lubiri. I grew around this perimeter and I revered it together with the Bulange. It so happens that the Kingdom is so engrossed in collecting funds and they are putting the issue of maintaining the tribal aspects on the side. By the way I think you can definitely do both.

Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi as a youth

My idea of the Lubiri will be a big museum of the kingdom, to put it better the enclosure can be used to create the liking of a Vatican, a state within in a state. This will not only reduce the expense of the kingdom but it will consolidate all the aspects of the kingdom in one prime spot. The sky is the limit as to what can be done in an enclosure like that, ranging from using Luganda as the only language when you step in fence , Buganda banks ,school , a post office for each clan, let you minds roll. This can all be done in the concept that monies can even be collected, a hotel, in the enclosure, a function hall. I mean take all the Buganda kingdom and start running its business in one place. The result will be that with the concentration of all activities the pride to the kingdom will be restored and somehow we can preserve our history. Let us have a library for each and every king.

For those who think this is farfetched, Information from wikpedia.org copied below illustrates how the Vatican works.

The Vatican is on a 109 acre land, smaller than the Lubiri. The Vatican City has its own post office, fire brigade, police service, commissary (supermarket), bank (the automatic teller machines are the only ones in the world to offer customers service in Latin, among other languages), railway station, electricity generating plant, and publishing house. The Vatican also controls its own Internet domain (.Va), it has the Vatican Radio.

This unique, non-commercial economy is also supported financially by contributions (known as Peter’s Pence) from Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.

The Vatican City issues its own coins. It has used the euro as its currency since January 1,1999, owing to a special agreement with the EU (council decision 1999/98/CE). Euro coins and notes were introduced in January 1, 2002. Due to its rarity, Vatican euro coins are highly sought by collectors. Until the adoption of the Euro, Vatican coinage and stamps were denominated in their own Vatican lira currency, which was on par with the Italian lira.
It also has its own bank, Istituto per le Opere di Religione (also known as the Vatican Bank, and with the acronym IOR).

Budget: Revenues (2003) $252 million; expenditures (2003) $264 million.
Industries: printing and production of few mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities.

· Almost all of Vatican City’s 932 citizens live inside the Vatican’s walls. The Vatican citizenry consists mainly of clergy, including high dignitaries, priests, nuns, as well as the Swiss Guard. There are also about 3,000 lay workers who comprise the majority of the Vatican work force, but who reside outside the Vatican. All of the City’s citizens are Roman Catholic and Roman Catholicism is, rather obviously, the State religion of the country. There are no other places of worship inside the Vatican City other than private Catholic Chapels and St Peter’s Basilica.

·The official language is Latin. Italian and, to a lesser extent, other languages are generally used for most conversations, publications, and broadcasts. German is the official language of the Swiss Guard. The Vatican’s official website languages are Italian, German, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.

In this world you either evolve or die. The thinking of those who govern the Buganda kingdom is locked in the past, it won’t be long when all those who call them selves Baganda will all be different brands of Milk shakes.

For God and My Country.

Dr.Eddie Kayondo, M.D
UAH member in USA