Third appearance on Radio Munansi
Greetings fellow Ugandans and friends
1. Yesterday the world witnessed a momentous and historic occasion unfold before our eyes – a revolution occurred by unarmed, fearless and gallant people of Egypt. Egyptian men and women in uniform have set very high standards for others to emulate by extending a helping hand to demonstrators. And that is how it should be because the military’s job is to defend the people against internal and/or external aggression.
2. The demonstrations in Egypt and Tunisia were about winning back God-given human rights – including dignity, liberty and equality that have been trampled by political inequities and injustices. Human rights are inalienable. They are God-given and not privileges given and taken back by leaders. Therefore human rights cannot be taken away by anybody. Leaders in Tunisia and Egypt who trampled peoples’ human rights were resisted and defeated.
3. We warmly congratulate the demonstrators in both countries.
4. The wind of change that marked the start of Africa’s de-colonization process in the late 1950s and early 1960s is upon us once again. Southern Sudan is now liberated. Tunisia and Egypt have just gotten rid of dictators and many countries are agitating for change.
5. Likewise we Ugandans have lost our rights and our country. We must win them back – both of them.
6. To facilitate our discussion I would like with your permission to highlight some of the human rights we need to reclaim.
7. They are civil and political rights which include the right to life, liberty, privacy and security of person; freedom from torture and discrimination; equality before the law; protection against arbitrary arrest and detention; the right to a fair trial; the right to own property such as land which Museveni is threatening to sell to foreign investors should he get re-elected; freedom of thought, opinion and expression as well as conscience and religion; freedom of peaceful assembly and association; and the right to take part in government by electing representatives through a free and fair electoral process.
8. Others are economic, social and cultural rights including the right to work in a decent environment and hiring based on merit and not on connections; the right to equal pay for equal work; the right to organize; the right to adequate standard of living; the right to quality education, healthcare, housing and clothing; and the right to preserve and participate freely in cultural life.
9. These rights are indivisible, interdependent, interrelated and equally important for the full development of the human person.
10. In short, the promotion and protection of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights must receive equal attention because they are mutually reinforcing.
11. These rights are enshrined in the United Nations Charter, Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. The Covenants are treaties like the UN Charter and are therefore legally binding for those states including Uganda that are parties to them.
12. Therefore states have a duty regardless of their political, economic, social and cultural systems to promote and protect all human rights and fundamental freedoms as outlined above.
13. The Optional protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights allows for complaints to be made by individuals about violations of their rights.
14. The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established to ensure that violations of human rights do not go unpunished.
15. Worldwide, implementation of human rights shows slow progress. Many people have no work, millions are trapped in poverty, many children are out of school, maternal and child mortality is still high, millions are suffering from hunger, poor health and indecent housing etc.
16. The existence of deep and widespread poverty has been identified as the single most important constraint to full enjoyment of human rights.
17. Civil and political rights and freedoms have been trampled in the name of national security for foreign investment. For example, when poor, unemployed and unarmed Ugandans demonstrated in 2009 at least 70 of them were shot to death and many more were injured by our security forces that are supposed to protect us. Elections in many countries have been far from free and fair.
18. Uganda’s record on all human rights is very poor. Here are a few examples.
19. Elections have not been free and fair; detention and torture of Ugandans is well known, arbitrary arrests to stifle political dissent are common. Anti-sectarian and anti-terrorism laws have been used widely to suppress dissent against a wide range of civil and political abuses.
20. Violation of economic and social rights can be deduced from the level of absolute poverty that is over 50 percent, youth unemployment of over 80 percent of whom some 60 percent are university graduates; high levels of hunger and malnutrition, poor physical and mental health as reflected in the large number of sick and increasingly insane people that is putting at risk human capital formation, poor quality education; high levels of school dropout; poor housing with over 70 percent of urban population living in slums; poor sanitation and deteriorating general hygiene conditions that have facilitated the emergence and spread of diseases including those that had disappeared such as scabies, jiggers and trachoma.
21. Structural adjustment associated with retrenchment of public servants, privatization of public enterprises, removal of subsidies and imposition of user fees especially on education and health and export of food has deprived Ugandans of their human rights.
22. It is important to note that human rights violations in Uganda such as poverty, food insecurity and unemployment especially of university graduates are similar to those that triggered demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt. In the latter two countries the leaders have been removed from power by fearless demonstrators with support of their soldiers. Sadly, the demonstrations resulted in loss of human life.
23. In Tunisia a disgruntled street vender set himself on fire to protest the violation of his rights. It set off national demonstrations that removed Ben Ali from power.
24. In Egypt the beating to death of a blogger by security forces set off demonstrations that forced Hosni Mubarak out of power.
25. In Uganda we should not wait for a tragedy to occur to set off national demonstrations. Instead let us use the ballot box on February 18, 2011 to defeat Museveni who has failed Uganda and the Great Lakes region. For example, at the national level, structural adjustment that gave him clout failed to deliver and was abandoned in 2009 after more than 20 years of harsh experimentation. At the regional level, Uganda’s alleged involvement in the genocide of Hutu people in DRC and plunder of DRC resources have tarnished Museveni’s image beyond repair which does not augur well for Uganda.
26. In Tunisia and Egypt the demonstrators ended dictatorial rule in large part because they overcame fear and organized well.
27. We must not vote for a wrong presidential candidate because we are afraid of soldiers and police officers.
28. For their part Uganda security forces like those in Tunisia and Egypt should identify with the people of Uganda between now and February 18. The whole world is watching.
29. Finally, let us not miss the current wind of political change.
30. On February 18, all eligible voters must go to the polling stations, vote wisely and fearlessly to reclaim our country and our human rights.
31. Thank you for your kind attention.