His Excellency, President Y.K.
Museveni
P. O. Box 25497, Kampala
UGANDA
Dear Mr. President:
RE:
RESPONSE TO YOUR LETTER ON ELECTION RIGGING IN UGANDA, 1961 - 2014
Reference is made to your letter
dated 25th May 2014 [1] on
‘election rigging in Uganda, 1961 – 2014’ which was widely carried by the media. Your letter made special reference to the allegedly
“stolen” Luweero Woman MP by-election held on 22nd May 2014 and went
on to question the credibility of elections in Uganda and the independence of the
current Electoral Commission. Whereas the Citizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy
in Uganda (CCEDU) observed the Luweero Woman MP by-election, we take exception to
the allegations around vote rigging carried in your letter. Our team of observers who monitored the
Luweero by-election noted a number of issues that your letter doesn’t generally
seem to address. Issues around missing
names on the voters register, heavy police clampdown on opposition rallies as
well as vote-buying especially during the campaign period. The myriad of
electoral challenges in Uganda, some of which you highlight call for the passage
of substantive electoral reforms to restore trust of all stakeholders.
Going by the language and content
of your letter, CCEDU wishes to acknowledge and appreciate your new stance on
reforming the electoral system in Uganda.
We are very optimistic that you are equally interested in and committed
to ensuring that among other things, the broader electoral reform proposals
that have been on the table since 2005 are considered and passed in order to
remedy what you described as ‘a collapsed system’ and avert scenarios where people who
should not have been elected are elected because of ‘sectarian intoxication’ or
because of ‘cheating’.
CCEDU remains the broadest active
civil society coalition on issues of elections in Uganda, bringing together
over 700 member organizations spread across the country. CCEDU has since its
formation in 2009 worked towards promoting a social and political system that
enhances fair, equitable and transparent electoral processes. In the aftermath
of the 2011 general elections, CCEDU developed a Citizens’ Electoral Reform Agenda.
The agenda calls for: the restoration of presidential term limits; putting in
place a clean and credible voters register; instituting mechanisms to guarantee
the independence and credibility of the Electoral Commission; streamlining the
role of security forces in elections; the introduction of campaign spending
caps among others. These and many more reform proposals are being fronted by
voices across the civic and political spectrum.
Your Excellency, recent opinion polls also indicate that it is the hope of
many Ugandans that sooner rather than later, the government and the opposition
political parties will dialogue and agree on the proposed electoral reforms
with the aim of safeguarding electoral processes to ensure that the 2016
general elections are free and fair.
While improving the integrity of
elections requires reforms in many wider areas, safeguarding the independence
of the Electoral Commission, as the cornerstone of the electoral process,
requires specific and priority attention. As we approach the 2016 general
elections, you too seem to agree that the Electoral Commission should be
insulated against any external influences, secure its independence and provide
it with increased powers in such a manner that shall address the trust deficit
Ugandans (including yourself) have towards the electoral process.
The continued attacks on the
Election Management Body undermine the electoral process and present
undesirable ramifications including lack of confidence in the outcome of the
poll, the possibility of using undemocratic means to achieve power, and above
all, the prospect of violence.
In the second part of your letter
Mr. President, you strongly encourage the adoption of new technologies in
elections. However, we would like to draw your attention to the discomfort that
the adoption of electronic voting technology has caused in elections (BVR[2]). In
many countries, electronic voting systems have collapsed during elections and
this has left a trail of doubt cast around the credibility of election results
in those particular countries. Examples
of such occurrences can be drawn from Ghana (2012), Kenya (2013), and Malawi (2014).
Your Excellency, countries which
have adopted these systems have been motivated by the urge to have an election
system free of loopholes. While it is true that technology in elections may
optimize credibility, improve efficiency, and reduce disputes; we should be cautious
about the temptation to expect use of electronics to guarantee integrity of the
electoral process – a conjecture you seem to be falling prey to, Mr. President.
We therefore stress the need for a
thorough needs assessment and feasibility study before deciding to introduce
biometric technology in either voter registration or verification. The various
challenges associated with the use of ICT, the time required for implementation,
as well as availability of an enabling legal framework for the same must be
taken into account alongside a cost-benefit analysis.
Mr. President, electoral
irregularities that continue to occur in Uganda demonstrate the underlying
breakdown in the value system of the country. Preserving electoral integrity would
enable the voters to participate in genuine elections, which take care of transparency,
accountability, and accuracy as well as the ethical behavior of key players.
Mr. President, election observer
reports around the 2006 and 2011 elections highlighted the fact that
politically-motivated violence, intimidation, and bribery of voters have marred
previous national elections in Uganda. The reports also stressed that,
accountability for such crimes has been very weak and that impunity for past
electoral violence has been a major barrier to free and fair elections in
Uganda.
Our fear is that such impunity in the
electoral process has bred a society that is easy to compromise as you too acknowledge.
We therefore recommend that all electoral offenders be punished in accordance
with the provisions of the law. The safeguards to electoral integrity must be
strengthened and supported by an active and educated electorate, effective and
responsible political parties alongside objective national and international
election observation processes.
Mr. President, we urge you to
embrace the proposed reforms in Uganda’s electoral system as the sure way of
achieving electoral democracy.
Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana
Chairperson,
Executive CommitteeCitizens’ Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU)
Democracy House
Plot 1111 Lulume Road Nsambya
P.O. Box 11027 Kampala, Uganda
Tel:
+256-794-444 410+256-794-444 410Fax: +256-414-510498
E-mail: info@ccedu.org.ug
[1]
On 28th May, 2014, H.E YK Museveni wrote a letter on Election
Rigging in Uganda since 1962. In his letter he accused the opposition parties
of rigging elections in Uganda.
[2]
Uganda adopted use of Bio-metric Equipment in the Update of the National
Voters’ Register ahead of the 2011 general election.
No comments:
Post a Comment