Vincent Nuwagaba
9 July 2009
(Page 2 of 2)
7. MY HARASSMENT:
It is good that Mr President you know that some of your supporters take the law in their hands. I have written to you twice over my ordeal and told you the reason as to why I appealed to you is because all other institutions failed to handle my case. I have never got a report, although I am sure that your office has gathered enough data about me through Mr Tito Ntsigaireho the NRM chairperson of my sub county. Moreover, my tormentors invoked your name which is well documented in the report that Dr Tom Onen wrote about me. I am still traumatised by the psychological torture they inflicted on me. They also stole my property and money. Although you advised me to compile evidence and present it to the police I believe we just have a semblance of the police. The Uganda Police Force has been militarised as some of the officers have left military cadet courses and are deployed into the police. I am sure you will not ask me how I know this for our police and military officers are from the same society with us. Some of them are our neighbours, others are our friends, and others are former schoolmates and classmates. So I and all other Ugandans know the extent to which the security organs have been militarised. In fact, I reported this case to the Professional Standards Unit but you can ask them how they handled it.
8. THAT YOU SHOULD ACCEPT DEFEAT:
Mr President, the press has quoted you to have said before that you cannot hand over power to people you fought and defeated. You have also said that if in 1996 Dr Paul Ssemmogerere had won, you would not accept. You have said in the past that you cannot be chased anyhow, as if you are a chicken thief. In the aftermath of the court ruling that declared the movement and 2000 referendum void abnition, you hit the tables saying the judges in that case were only fit to handle Matoke and chicken thieves. You have in the recent past told MPs not to give you an ultimatum because civilians cannot give an ultimatum to a general, adding that it is a general who gives an ultimatum to a general. All this creates fear in our hearts and portends a picture that it may not be easy for you to accept defeat.
9. THAT YOU SHOULD FIRE ALL THOSE APPOINTED ON PATRONAGE BASIS:
Your Excellency, although you say you have the prerogative to choose people to work with you, your choice often borders on sectarianism. In fact, the people appointed on patronage basis are largely responsible for the high levels of corruption. Remember, Alice Kabayo is one such person that was appointed on patronage basis. Everyone in the world that cares to know knows the mess she caused when she was on your youth desk.
10. THAT YOU HAVE TURNED UGANDA INTO A MONARCHY:
I will not address this point since you never addressed it. If put to task to explain though, I will elaborately explain.
11. THAT YOU ARE HOUNDING ME OUT OF MY COUNTRY:
I wish to explain briefly: I was detained and tortured and your name was invoked. I made you know this, Your Excellency, through the letters I wrote to you. I know, your Excellency, that these nonentities misused your name, but I thought you should have called to book the people I complained about. To date, they walk with their heads up - yet they almost killed me. I do believe Mr President you don't condone impunity and as such, it is not too late. You can see my article in the Red Pepper of Saturday 4 July 2009 and get just a tip of the iceberg of the ordeal I went through.
12. PRESIDENT KAGAME VIS-Ã--VIS PRESIDENT MUSEVENI:
I firmly believe that President Kagame is a transformational leader. There are no potholes in Rwanda. It is a policy for primary school children now to own a laptop computer. In short, Rwanda is a social democratic state; a state that cherishes social justice and social welfare for all regardless of one's social, political or economic background. I am sure that if opportunities were allocated on meritocracy basis, some of us would never ever raise a finger to criticise your leadership. Mr President, please revisit your blueprint - the ten point programme, your 1986 inaugural speech and your own book What is Africa's Problem?
You said, if I am a human rights activist, I should advocate for better health services, better roads and better benefits for children and women of the UPDF etc. I commend the task you are giving me but please give me facilitation to enable me perform that task.
As to whether I should choose between being a human rights defender and a politician, Mr President, what human rights defenders do is entirely political in nature, only that they play politics in a non partisan manner. Politics is about resource allocation and if I feel I am marginalised, I will not keep quiet because I am a human rights activist. Human rights activists want drugs in hospitals, want good roads, want jobs for all people among others, which politicians promise while campaigning and are duty-bound to provide upon their election. Right now, my dear mother is likely to die of fibroids because I have no money to treat her and there are no drugs in the hospitals. Should I keep quiet? The United Nations fact sheet number 29 is clear about who can be a human rights defender. Politicians can as well be human rights defenders - and indeed some politicians are - although some choose to become notorious human rights abusers. I am a citizen, not a subject. As a citizen I clearly have rights and I have a role to play in my Uganda. For God and my country!
* Vincent Nuwagaba is a Ugandan human rights defender.
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