WB Kyijomanyi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
1980 polls were rigged, period
The Author: DR Paul Sebuliba
--It is not true that all Ugandans prefer dubious politicians
I wish to respond to Gawaya Tegule�s opinions published in The Monitor on April 6, on who won the 1980 election and Paulo Muwanga�s role in manipulating figures to proclaim Obote winner and the statistical data to back up the allegations:
Here is one bit of statistical data that may be of interest to Tegule and other readers: The Mubende North-East Constituency results of December 1980 elections:
Dr Paul Sebuliba (DP) 19,328 votes, Mr Samwiri Mugwisa (UPC) 3,832 votes, CP 2,468, UPM 1,898. Sorry, I do not have the names of the last two candidates.
Dr Paul Sebuliba (DP), the writer of this article, with 19,328 votes, won the election in this constituency in December 1980, defeating Mr Samwiri Mugwisa (UPC). The Parliament seat was simply given to Mugwisa, the UPC candidate. The details of the result were never announced.
Even Obote, in his ongoing My Story series in The Monitor dated A pril 14, acknowledges this: �The first (results) to come in were from Buganda which is geographically near Kampala and UPC was been (sic) losing badly. Out of 35 seats, DP had won 34, and one remained undeclared.�
Obote does not say why this result remained undeclared. Mubende North-East, which combines today�s Mityana North and Kiboga East constituencies, was not the remotest part of Buganda. It started at Busunju, 32 miles from Kampala.
At Mubende, I saw the correct results that were sent to the late Paulo Muwanga after his usurping of the duties of the returning officers and the Electoral Commission. I can only guess that his (Muwanga�s) conscious, which I cannot describe here, since he is dead and cannot defend himself, prevailed and he could not bring himself to read out the figures. It was the most shameful act any decent human being could have contemplated doing.
Some members of the UPC, whose names I will not mention, were afraid I would appeal, and th e returning officer would disclose the results in the High Court. They decided to kill me. A doctor, whose name I will not reveal, was kidnapped by a prominent member of the UPC and taken to Kireka Army barracks, which was a human slaughterhouse at the time. The soldiers were given orders to finish the hapless doctor off. He was lucky, a young Acholi officer came in before he was killed and ordered his release. The poor man ran on foot up to Busia.
His only fault; he was a doctor, his name was similar to Dr Sebuliba�s, and like Dr Sebuliba he comes from Mityana.
I was smuggled out of Uganda by my in-laws, who were high ranking officials in the Ministry of Internal affairs, the portfolio of my former friend and colleague, Dr John Luwuliza Kirunda. They had full knowledge of what was in store for me. If anyone has doubt about the figures, let him check at Mubende district headquarters. A Mr Mulala was the returning officer. I do not know his whereabouts these day s. Mr Vincent Ssekkono, who was the technical head of the Electoral Commission at the time can be contacted. He is now Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government. More statistical data can be found from Busoga. The story of Mr Paul Wangoola (DP) versus Dr John Luwuliza Kirunda (UPC) was very similar to mine. Wangoola, of course, fled for dear life.
For even more exciting statistical data, the results of Tororo Constituency can be checked. The returning officer there read out the detailed results before Muwanga�s coup. He declared the DP candidate the winner. The UPC candidate, duly conceded defeat. He was surprised when on arrival at Uganda House, people were congratulating him on his �win�. He informed them he had lost, and he had already openly conceded defeat at Tororo. The man had to take up the seat in Parliament, and accept a senior ministerial post in the Obote II government, possibly out of fear for his life.
lOn Museveni�s justification to wage bush war, I do not think Museveni needed any justification or moral ground to wage �his� war. It was his birthright to fight what he understood to be an injustice.
l�Anything produced to the contrary could rid the bush war of due legitimacy�: I am not a lawyer, but winning the war automatically made it legitimate. I think the outside world got to know the true results of the 1980 elections. That could explain why the Tanzanians decided not to help Obote to fight Museveni.
l On whether voters would choose Ssemogerere over Obote outside Buganda, it was not Ssemogerere versus Obote the voters were choosing. It was DP versus UPC, CP and UPM. We do not go for personalities, we vote for policies, which are found in party manifestos.
A few examples: The late Yoweri Kyesimira won for DP in Busoga, so did the late Dr Muzira. Kuteesa won in Nyabushozi for DP against a heavyweight for another party. Nyabushozi is in Ankole, not in Buganda. Kaheru won for DP in Fort Portal a gainst the late King Patrick Kaboyo of Tooro for UPM. Fort Portal is not in Buganda. I could cite more examples.
In the 1960s Baganda abandoned DP for UPC Obote. Even the DP Secretary General, the late Basil Bataringaya joined Obote. The few who stuck with DP to the end were three Acholis, and a few others from West Nile. Acholi and West Nile have never been part of Buganda.
The Sunday Vision, April 17 ran a story, �Bakoko Warns Obote of Revenge�. Bakoko represents Nebbi women, most of who are Luo, like Obote. Why would the Alur revenge against their own? It is because UPC �manipulated events� in West Nile in 1980 and got �22 unopposed seats�.What Obote does not reveal is how UPC got the �22 unopposed seats�.
The UNLA, read �Kikosi Malluum�, Obote�s personal army in 1979 to 1980, put up road-blocks on all roads leading to the registration centres in West Nile and Acholi. Only UPC candidates were let through to register as candidates. The other candidates wer e held at gun-point until the registration exercise was over. Twenty of the �unopposed seats� were from West Nile, two from Acholi.
It is unlikely that the people of West Nile would have voted for UPC or Obote, after the Ombaci and Muni massacres. Even today, the people of West Nile have not forgiven Obote for what his Kikosi Mallum did. But even before these events, West Nile was a DP stronghold. Is Kassiano Wadri, DP Secretary General a Muganda? And Gulu Municipality MP, Nobert Mao?
lOn Ssemo being too good and too soft, many Ugandans will partly agree to this. Many of us did not agree with Ssemogerere when he took up parliamentary opposition to Obote. Neither did we agree with him when he teamed the late Tito Okello and Basilio Okello. He has every right to refuse violence and shun war, but he has no right to sell his soul and that of his party. He could have fled the country like other cowards, including myself. However, not everybody will agree that Ssemo is no t shrewd, and that we all prefer the �dubious� politicians. Perceived �weak� individuals do not always fail as leaders. Since independence, Botswana has been ruled by �weak� men but there has never been a civil war. Their economy is the envy of most of Africa. That is what Uganda missed when �shrewd and dubious� politicians got the better of DP in 1962.
I don�t know if Gawaya Tegule believes in Jesus Christ who lived in Palestine 2000 years ago. Jesus would not fit Tegule�s definition of a leader for he taught people to turn the other cheek! Today many people profess to follow him. We should not underestimate the �weak�. Anyone is free to admire his hero, but we should not whitewash their wrongs. There are many Ugandans, like Bakoko, who might forgive, but will not forget.
The writer was Mubende North- East DP contestant in 1980
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