6/06/2011stampainvia
Uganda, time to say enough
Marches, petitions, demonstrations against a government deemed corrupt and violent. Anne Mugisha, the country is on the verge of a popular uprising
Prominent member of the Forum for Democratic Change (the main opposition party, ed), deputy secretary for international relations of the party, Anne Mugis...ha is also an exponent of an organization, Activists for Change (A4C), at the forefront of struggle to give voice to citizens, to topple a regime, that of President Yoweri Museveni, in power for 25 years, which did not appear to want to fold. PeaceReporter said the turmoil shaking the Ugandan society, hopes and fears of those seeking change.
The news arrived from Uganda in recent weeks spoke of widespread protests across the country, marches under the slogan "Walk to Work", a violent reaction by the security forces and arrests of activists and leaders of 'opposition as Kizza Besigye.The Arab spring wind is coming in Uganda?
Ugandans want to get rid of a regime that has been in power for a quarter of a century and has not improved in any way the conditions of the population. The background that has allowed the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, there is also roughly in Uganda.During the past 25 years, the country has had only one leader. Of course, there was a very strong economic growth but the statistics do not reflect the growing gap between rich and poor. The country's wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few individuals of the ruling elite who are not interested in the problems of ordinary people. The last four elections have confirmed that Museveni turned out to be fraudulent and the courts have to be spot twice.Ugandans have given up hope of being able to change through the ballot box, a regime that is becoming increasingly militaristic and oppressive. The young people who are more than half of the population, they feel marginalized and hopeless, yet they see a lot of wealth around them. The marches organized the campaign "Walk to Work" were a way to express this discontent spread among the common people and the working class. The world has seen but that freedom of assembly and expression have become crimes in Uganda and that the police used force to stop people. All these factors say that Uganda is on the verge of a popular uprising.
But the Forum for Democratic Change, which she is a prominent member, is a real alternative to the system? At the bottom of your candidate for prime minister has challenged President Museveni on three occasions, in 2001, in 2006 and 2011.
Ours is the struggle of a people struggling to reassert its supremacy over those who govern us illegally and oppressively.Article 1 of the Constitution of 1995 says that "All power belongs to the people who exercised sovereignty under the Constitution."Paragraph 2 says that "no limit for the clause 1, the authority emanates from the people of Uganda. The people must be governed according to his will and consent." Forcing the government to become accountable to the people and to guide the transition from bad governance and corrupt leadership that is centered in a population. This is our goal as Activists for Change.Who are the individuals who will assume the political leadership for this change is not important. We do not want new liberators for this country. We just need people to reclaim their superiority over their leaders and alleged liberators.
Here, you mentioned Activists for Change, an organization which is an important exponent. What is it? Find similarities with those popular movements of protest arose in Europe recently? What to ask and to whom?
Yes, I am an activist of Activists for Change. We have launched a popular campaign against corruption in government, against the galloping cost of living caused by inflation and the absence of a government policy to help Ugandans to cope with rising fuel prices.Our approach was to fill the squares, but rather we asked the middle class in solidarity with the poorer classes who can not afford to take bus to go to work or who fail to provide for their families more than one meal day. In addition to this demonstration of solidarity, we have conducted media campaigns and through petitions against corruption and the squandering of public money.
About corruption and squandering of money, a few weeks ago there was a closed session during which the parliament has discussed a salary increase (120 thousand dollars in over the years, editor's note) and an extension of benefits for its members.What is the position of A4C?
We felt outraged when even after the marches of April for the Walk to Work - in which many innocent people lost their lives, many leaders were arrested and brutally put to jail, detained hundreds of activists - the parliament at its first session after the elections has decided to give priority to their welfare. Then we have addressed a petition to the Speaker and members of parliament because to renounce any attempt to raise the pay in a difficult moment, available at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/136/petition-against-increased-emoluments -for-members-of-parliament /. We are thinking of organizing a picket in front of parliament on June 30 to keep it under pressure to focus on what matters to people.
We come to foreign policy, which she follows carefully as deputy secretary for foreign affairs of the FDC. Uganda is playing a major role in Somalia and, more generally, has leadership ambitions in a region like the Great Lakes issues. What are the main challenges and what is and what should be the agenda for Uganda?
The agenda should be the center of Uganda to negotiate peace rather than expand the theater of war in the Great Lakes region and beyond. Over the past 25 years, Uganda has played a key role in every major conflict in the region. Since the invasion of Rwanda, the war against Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), the liberation of Southern Sudan, Uganda has always been an important base. But the parliament was never consulted on these wars. The population was never consulted. We went to war for the arbitrary decision of the commander in chief and senior commands. But the Ugandans have paid a heavy price for our involvement in wars in neighboring countries, including a terrorist attack that killed a hundred people when al Shabaab attacked civilians in Kampala. The regime believes in military domination and expansion, and the result is that there are numerous reports and court rulings against abuses by the military and the exploitation of resources, especially in eastern Congo.Museveni has been able to destabilize the region by putting in at the same time Uganda as a center of stability, despite having an important role in the destabilization of neighboring countries. The government was able to maintain this position with the support of evil foreign governments, especially the American, by presenting itself as an important ally in the war on terror. Uganda is seen as the main partner to stop the spread of terrorism in Africa, fighting against anti-American forces in Somalia and Sudan. As long as Kampala will stand alongside the U.S. in the war on terror, the West ignores the enormous abuses committed by the government against its citizens. It 'a battle that Ugandans, especially those in the Diaspora, have to face, to make it clear to our partners, we need to develop, al Shabaab, which is a threat but as they have the same security forces.See More
Uganda, time to say enough
Marches, petitions, demonstrations against a government deemed corrupt and violent. Anne Mugisha, the country is on the verge of a popular uprising
Prominent member of the Forum for Democratic Change (the main opposition party, ed), deputy secretary for international relations of the party, Anne Mugis...ha is also an exponent of an organization, Activists for Change (A4C), at the forefront of struggle to give voice to citizens, to topple a regime, that of President Yoweri Museveni, in power for 25 years, which did not appear to want to fold. PeaceReporter said the turmoil shaking the Ugandan society, hopes and fears of those seeking change.
The news arrived from Uganda in recent weeks spoke of widespread protests across the country, marches under the slogan "Walk to Work", a violent reaction by the security forces and arrests of activists and leaders of 'opposition as Kizza Besigye.The Arab spring wind is coming in Uganda?
Ugandans want to get rid of a regime that has been in power for a quarter of a century and has not improved in any way the conditions of the population. The background that has allowed the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, there is also roughly in Uganda.During the past 25 years, the country has had only one leader. Of course, there was a very strong economic growth but the statistics do not reflect the growing gap between rich and poor. The country's wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few individuals of the ruling elite who are not interested in the problems of ordinary people. The last four elections have confirmed that Museveni turned out to be fraudulent and the courts have to be spot twice.Ugandans have given up hope of being able to change through the ballot box, a regime that is becoming increasingly militaristic and oppressive. The young people who are more than half of the population, they feel marginalized and hopeless, yet they see a lot of wealth around them. The marches organized the campaign "Walk to Work" were a way to express this discontent spread among the common people and the working class. The world has seen but that freedom of assembly and expression have become crimes in Uganda and that the police used force to stop people. All these factors say that Uganda is on the verge of a popular uprising.
But the Forum for Democratic Change, which she is a prominent member, is a real alternative to the system? At the bottom of your candidate for prime minister has challenged President Museveni on three occasions, in 2001, in 2006 and 2011.
Ours is the struggle of a people struggling to reassert its supremacy over those who govern us illegally and oppressively.Article 1 of the Constitution of 1995 says that "All power belongs to the people who exercised sovereignty under the Constitution."Paragraph 2 says that "no limit for the clause 1, the authority emanates from the people of Uganda. The people must be governed according to his will and consent." Forcing the government to become accountable to the people and to guide the transition from bad governance and corrupt leadership that is centered in a population. This is our goal as Activists for Change.Who are the individuals who will assume the political leadership for this change is not important. We do not want new liberators for this country. We just need people to reclaim their superiority over their leaders and alleged liberators.
Here, you mentioned Activists for Change, an organization which is an important exponent. What is it? Find similarities with those popular movements of protest arose in Europe recently? What to ask and to whom?
Yes, I am an activist of Activists for Change. We have launched a popular campaign against corruption in government, against the galloping cost of living caused by inflation and the absence of a government policy to help Ugandans to cope with rising fuel prices.Our approach was to fill the squares, but rather we asked the middle class in solidarity with the poorer classes who can not afford to take bus to go to work or who fail to provide for their families more than one meal day. In addition to this demonstration of solidarity, we have conducted media campaigns and through petitions against corruption and the squandering of public money.
About corruption and squandering of money, a few weeks ago there was a closed session during which the parliament has discussed a salary increase (120 thousand dollars in over the years, editor's note) and an extension of benefits for its members.What is the position of A4C?
We felt outraged when even after the marches of April for the Walk to Work - in which many innocent people lost their lives, many leaders were arrested and brutally put to jail, detained hundreds of activists - the parliament at its first session after the elections has decided to give priority to their welfare. Then we have addressed a petition to the Speaker and members of parliament because to renounce any attempt to raise the pay in a difficult moment, available at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/136/petition-against-increased-emoluments -for-members-of-parliament /. We are thinking of organizing a picket in front of parliament on June 30 to keep it under pressure to focus on what matters to people.
We come to foreign policy, which she follows carefully as deputy secretary for foreign affairs of the FDC. Uganda is playing a major role in Somalia and, more generally, has leadership ambitions in a region like the Great Lakes issues. What are the main challenges and what is and what should be the agenda for Uganda?
The agenda should be the center of Uganda to negotiate peace rather than expand the theater of war in the Great Lakes region and beyond. Over the past 25 years, Uganda has played a key role in every major conflict in the region. Since the invasion of Rwanda, the war against Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), the liberation of Southern Sudan, Uganda has always been an important base. But the parliament was never consulted on these wars. The population was never consulted. We went to war for the arbitrary decision of the commander in chief and senior commands. But the Ugandans have paid a heavy price for our involvement in wars in neighboring countries, including a terrorist attack that killed a hundred people when al Shabaab attacked civilians in Kampala. The regime believes in military domination and expansion, and the result is that there are numerous reports and court rulings against abuses by the military and the exploitation of resources, especially in eastern Congo.Museveni has been able to destabilize the region by putting in at the same time Uganda as a center of stability, despite having an important role in the destabilization of neighboring countries. The government was able to maintain this position with the support of evil foreign governments, especially the American, by presenting itself as an important ally in the war on terror. Uganda is seen as the main partner to stop the spread of terrorism in Africa, fighting against anti-American forces in Somalia and Sudan. As long as Kampala will stand alongside the U.S. in the war on terror, the West ignores the enormous abuses committed by the government against its citizens. It 'a battle that Ugandans, especially those in the Diaspora, have to face, to make it clear to our partners, we need to develop, al Shabaab, which is a threat but as they have the same security forces.See More
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