Lakitari Kipenji,
I wouldnt have said (asked ?) it better! I too wish u a very prosperous and certainly better year than the one we are just leaving.
Rgds to yr family and friends
"We shall over come" keep the faith alive!
Gook
----Original Message Follows----
From: Owor Kipenji <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: ugandanet@kym.net
To: ugandanet@kym.net
Subject: Re: [Ugnet] FLASHBACK: The 53 who refused to sign Constitution
Date: Fri, 31 Dec 2004 15:03:13 +0000 (GMT)
Gook,
The Pen,is said to be mightier than the Sword!. From this very telling list
of the true freedom fighters for Democracy in Uganda,I wonder where the now
beatified saints of the so called Forum for Democratic Change a.k.a FDC were
when the time for counting those who espouse democratic principles were being counted.
I am sorry to state that FDC adherents are the biggest danger to democracy in Uganda
for not only are they outright opportunists but they are also wolves in sheep's skin!
Democracy does not change to suit ones' circumstances and so since it never suited them
then,there is actually no reason under the sun why they should now be claiming on mountain
tops that it is suitable for Uganda and that they are at the vanguard of promoting it.
I also know that to live is to change, but when we so often have the propensity to adopt changes based on exigencies,then such changes deserve to be stilborn for they are only
masquaredes!
Let these saints from the FDC now tell Ugandans why they went ahead to endorse a fraudulent
document which they now want hoi polloi to believe otherwise.
Thank you and wish every member of this forum a prosperous New Year.
Aluta continua!
Kipenji
gook makanga <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
FLASHBACK: The 53 who refused to sign Constitution Fifty-three Constituent Assembly delegates refused to endorse the 1995 Constitution. Below is a heavily edited September 22, 1995 press statement, they issued to explain why. It is an interesting flashback in light of the ongoing constitutional debate in Parliament:-
Constituent Assembly P.O. BOX 7272 Kampala
President Museveni posing with CA delegates
---------------------------------
Signed by the following CA Delegates
1. Imat Cecilia Ogwal (Lira Municipality).
2. Paulo Ssemogerere (Busiro South).
3. Robert Kitariko (DP).
4. Okeny Tiberio (Chua).
5. Dani Nabudere (Budadiri West).
6. Adoko Nekyon (Maruzi).
7. Sam Ringwegi (Padyere).
8. Ben Wacha (Oyam North).
9. Okula Charles (Moroto).
10. Oneti Batia (Maracha).
11. Dick Nyai (Ayivu).
12. W.G. Wanendeya (Budadiri East).
13. Charles O’let (Erute South).
14. Omara Atubo (Otuke).
15. Alice Akabo (Kitgum).
17. Juliet Rainer Kafiire (Pallisa).
18. Winfred Adio (Soroti).
19. Aggrey Awori (Samia Bugwe North).
20. Okwonga Latigo (Omoro).
21. Leander Komakech (Aruu).
22. David Mwaka (Nwoya).
23. James Okanya (Butebo).
24. Darlington Sakwa (Bunghoko South).
25. Muyiisa John (Bujumba).
26. Damiano Lubega (Lubaga South).
27. Waswa Lule (Lubaga North).
28. Etuku Onyok (Moroto).
29. Omilo Omara (Soroti).
30. Malinga (Usuk).
31. Awoki Ambrose (Youth North).
32. Obua Otoa (Kioga).
33. Timony Langoya (Lamwo).
34. Onegi Obel (Jonam).
35. Okwakol Nathan (Pallisa County).
36. Olwa Ben (Kole).
37. Okulo Epak (Oyam South).
38. Akisoferi Ogola (Kisoko South).
39. George Masika (Mbale Municipality).
40. H. Okalebo (Bukedea).
41. Mwondha Patrick (Bukooli).
42. Dick Odur (Dokolo).
43. Anthony Ssekweyama (Mawokota South).
44. Charles Owor (Aswa).
45. James Ajai (Kilak).
46. Ben Etonu (Amuria).
47. Nsubuga Nsambu (Makindye West).
48. Andrew Adimola (Gulu Municipality).
49. John Kawanga (Masaka).
50. A.B. Ssengooba (Kyotera).
51. Mary Lubega Mutagamba (Rakai).
52. Stephen Semaala (Kyamuswa).
53. Byakika Kasajja (Bunyole).
The National Caucus for Democracy has, after two days debate on the enactment of the new Constitution, decided that it will not endorse in toto the new Constitution in its present form.
The NCD has decided to take this decision because we object to the constitutionalising of the “Movement Political System” in the new Constitution. The NCD also disagrees with the refusal by the Assembly to endorse a federal system of government for the regions, which want this form of governance in their areas.
For this reason, NCD has decided to reject those parts of the Constitution, which have denied Ugandans their fundamental human rights and freedoms as well as their sovereignty to govern themselves through a federal form of government. The effect of this decision is that the NCD delegates will not endorse the new Constitution by signing it or attesting to it by promulgation until those objectionable parts have been amended.
It will be recalled that when members of the NCD returned to the Assembly after our walkout of the Assembly on the 20th June, 1995, we undertook to press for the reconsideration of certain fundamental provisions in the draft Constitution that had been rejected by the NRM Caucus. We promised to work together with the other delegates in a spirit of cooperation hoping that our colleagues would consider their positions and allow the re-opening of discussions on federalism, multi-party democracy and the election of parliament and the president on the same day.
Although motions to re-open these articles of reconsideration were moved by our members, the NRM Caucus rejected them out of hand without allowing a debate on them. In contrast to this arrogant and contemptuous rejection of our motions on these important issues, the NRM Caucus readily re-opened discussions on trivial motions, which were moved by its members, some of which had to be abandoned at the last moment.
Furthermore, the NRM Caucus introduced motions which revised earlier agreed positions during the consideration stage for the worse. For instance, the position of the political parties to open and “operate” party branches before Parliament has made a law regulating political party activities. This is a flagrant infringement of the rights of Ugandans to associate themselves freely through political organisations of their choice.
The NRM Caucus also made new amendments which further hardened the provisions which would have sought the changing of the political system from the “Movement Political System” to multi-partyism by requiring that Parliament shall not, even by a two-thirds majority, amend this part of this Constitution without holding a referendum on the issue.
All these manoeuvres were in fact aimed at entrenching the “Movement Political System”…
Furthermore, the motion by Hon. Medi Kaggwa to “deem” the districts of Buganda to have “agreed to cooperate” (dubbed ekifedero federo) was a cynical attempt to deceive the people of Buganda that they had been given “their things” when at the same time another motion was moved by Hon. Sam Kutesa which allowed those districts which did not want to cooperate with the others to “opt-out” of the ‘’deemed” union which is tantamount to segmenting the unity of Buganda even more.
This cynicism and arrogance exhibited by the NRM Caucus in the Constituent Assembly has revealed a fundamental flaw of the whole constitution making exercise.
First it has shown that the whole purpose of creating special representation in the Assembly was intended to create an artificial majority in the Assembly for the purposes of blocking the achievement of a consensus among popularly elected delegates.
Secondly, the use of material inducements to buy off some delegates from carrying out their mandates has characterised this whole exercise. It is an open secret that a majority of delegates who were elected in Buganda were elected on a federo ticket. It is also an open secret that many delegates from other parts of Uganda who joined the “movement” bandwagon were originally elected on a multi-party ticket.
Since these delegates came to the Assembly, they were diverted from their mandates by offers and promises of ministries, ambassadorships and positions on boards of directors of certain parastatal corporations and membership of certain public commissions.
Thirdly, there has been a persistent interference by government in the work of the Assembly on issues like decentralisation versus federalism and NRM versus multipartyism. A clear example of this was the letter written by President Museveni to “NRM Caucus” delegates in which he directed them to support certain positions which he personally preferred...
This made consensus on the above issues impossible to achieve in the Assembly since the NRM Caucus took the positions of the government and the President to be sacrosanct which had to be passed and inserted in the constitution at any cost while rejecting those positions which were advanced by the NCD delegates. The NCD therefore feels that the constitution making process has been hijacked to suit the sectional interests of one political opinion on very fundamental provisions of the new Constitution because of the inflexible positions which have been adopted by the NRM Caucus in total disregard of the views of Ugandans who did not agree with the President’s position...
A constitution is not a document where the majority imposes its positions on minorities. A constitutional dispensation should seek to accommodate all the views of the people because a Constitution is a contract between all the people and their government as well as between themselves. This fundamental condition has not been met in the new Constitution.
What has happened instead is that the Constituent Assembly was turned into an NRM delegates’ conference to implement their hidden agenda which the people of Uganda had feared, according to the Odoki report.
The people feared all the time that their involvement in the constitution making process was being used to legitimise an NRM institution which had already been predetermined... The NCD has therefore decided to reject the following parts of the new Constitution because of the reason we have given above: We reject Article 69,70 and 71 (all dealing with the “Movement political system”) because they deny the people of Uganda their fundamental freedoms and rights to associate and to compete for political power through political organisations of their choice.
We reject Article 5(2) because it does not reflect the regions of Uganda which were purportedly created in the first schedule. Moreover the import of this Article does not put into account Chapter 11 on Local Government. We reject Article 176, which rejected regions as units of federal governance, as well as Article 178 (3-4), which “deemed” Buganda to have agreed to unite, while at the same time giving those districts, which did not agree to be deemed to have united to “opt-out” of such arrangement.
This was not only deceptive, but also defective in that it created a situation where Buganda’s territory would be dismembered and creates conflict in the country.
We finally reject Articles 269 and 271 in Transitional Provisions because these provisions violate the freedom of political parties to operate normally. These articles will also subject Ugandans to a system of election for the forthcoming general elections, which is inconsistent with their freedom to associate freely. This right was guaranteed in Article 29 (1) (e) of the new Constitution...
When Kyakabale declared new war
Lt. Col. Anthony Kyakabale of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), vowing to wage war against the government of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, joined some 50 UPDF soldiers who defected last week to Rwanda, The Monitor reported on June 30 (2001).
Kyakabale called the newspaper from Kigali on the evening of June 29 to say he had joined Colonel Samson Mande to launch an armed struggle against the government of Museveni. “As a revolutionary who went to fight against electoral violence and rigging in 1980, I cannot sit by and watch Uganda go back to its violent past,” Kyakabale said.
“I have decided together with Colonel Mande and other UPDF officers and men to launch the struggle to liberate Uganda from the tyranny of Museveni.” Kyakabale said that his organisation, which would be named soon, had extensive networks in central, eastern, northern and western parts of Uganda, as well as within the UPDF and Museveni’s official residence itself. Responding to the defections, Museveni told a news conference on June 30 that “these two [Kyakabale and Mande] are renegades who were undisciplined. In fact, Mande jumped bail.”
Museveni also wondered why
Rwanda would allow UPDF officers to make statements against Uganda. “For us, we will not at all allow anyone fighting Rwanda to operate from here. But we do not know why they are doing it,” Museveni said.
- From IRIN-CEA Weekly Roundup June 30- July 6, 2001.
Editor: Kyakabale and Mande were subsequently relocated to Sweden.
Gook
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