Reply To: How Yoweri Museveni Cheated Elections

[Yoweri Museveni]

On the 19 the February 2016, the party leaders of the Forum for democratic change, Uganda (FDC) Presidential candidate; Dr. Col. Kizza Besigye, FDC Party Chairman; Mr. Waswa Birigwa, Party President; Major General Mugisha Muntu, Mobilization Secretary, Ingrid Turinawe and unarmed civilians, were arrested by armed Military Police and Uganda Police who were arrested and detained.

These arrests were heavy handed, unnecessary and unfounded under any laws of Uganda. The illegal and unlawful arrests were made a day after, the presidential and parliamentary elections of the 18th day of February 2016.

Uganda Diaspora, friends and Development partners join to strongly condemn the cowardly acts of arresting opposition party leaders, intimidation of the opposition voters, use of force and violence against innocent civilians.

The Uganda Diaspora P10 an international communication arm of the FDC Party has noted that the recent arrests of opposition leaders on 19.02.2016, are part of a coordinated intimidation of party leaders by the dictatorial regime in Uganda.

These malpractices have undermined the whole credibility of the electoral process, i.e. the campaigns through to the polling, tallying and, in addition, the arrest of Presidential Candidate Dr. Col. Kiiza Besigye, at Naguru on the 18th February 2016, who was acting on a tip-off to expose an election rigging centre.

Notwithstanding the heavy handedness of the Dictatorial regime in Kampala, the people of Uganda defiantly came out in large numbers to exercise their constitutional right to vote for a president of their choice. Provisional results project that presidential candidate Dr. Kizza, Besigye holds a significant.

The Electoral Commission lack of independence has compromised the whole electoral process. The lack of independence of the electoral commission was evidenced by the false allegations by the Chairman Electoral Commission, that presidential Candidate Dr. Kizza Besigye intended to declare himself president of the Country without substantiation.

Uganda Diaspora P10 have evidence of criminal activities ranging from elections crimes to crimes against the people of Uganda
The underhanded activities and election irregularities which have disenfranchised the Ugandan voter include but not limited to;
Voting materials not delivered on time, in some place delivered as late as 3 pm.

Widespread ballot staffing in areas of Kampala, Wakiso and nationwide.
Heavy military presence and illegal militia deployment.

The Uganda police involvement in partisan law enforcement and brutality.
The Uganda police conducting tallying in Gulu District, Naguru among other areas.
Failure of the biometric identification machines nationwide.

The Uganda Diaspora P10 questions the competence of the Electoral commission in managing an election of this magnitude to acceptable, democratic international standards.
To underscore the gravity of the current state of affairs in the country, Ugandans and friends of Uganda are going to the street to protest the outcome of the unfair electoral process.

However, in Uganda, the people’s right to freedom to assemble, demonstrate, associate and express themselves have been curtailed.

The Ugandan people, will not be stopped by intimidation, they will do anything and everything to ensure that the power of the people through the ballot is protected and prevails. As citizens, we will use all fora; domestic and international to protect the people’s fundamental rights of electing a leader of their choice.

We appeal to the police and all organs of state to desist from arbitrary, partisan and undemocratic acts against the peoples of Uganda. To this end, we encourage the police and all organs of the state not to interfere with the will of the people of Uganda but protect and respect the will of the people.

The acts of violence, brutality, and arbitrary arrests seem to be a well-planned coordinated act of terror against the people of Uganda. We are documenting the identity of these individual perpetrators responsible for this criminal acts. We will ensure that they face personal and institutional liability under the domestic, regional and international law.

Let the response of our nation be mature and thoughtful. This is a moment of prayer and unity not of hasty reaction. We ask God to give us wisdom in the face of a volatile situation.

The violent, cruel and humiliating method of arresting our leaders ought to be condemned by the International community because it’s not only a violation of human rights but its meant to cause fear and voter apathy in favor of the incumbent.

We welcome the statement of concern by the American Secretary of State, John Kerry; Head of the Common Wealth Election Monitoring Team, Olusegun Obasanjo; and condemnation by the local observers of election irregularities.

We are also concerned about the safety and security of all foreign citizens in Uganda. The Uganda Diaspora P10 and Forum for Democratic Change appeal to the European Union to join the rest of the international community and our allies in voicing their strong concern against electoral irregularities and human violations in Uganda.

Demand:
We appeal to the European union to put pressure on Yoweri Museveni and the regime to release with immediate effects all opposition leaders and innocent civilians detained without due process.
We ask the immediate halting of counting, tallying and announcing of election results tainted with irregularities.

In conclusion, the current political stalemate in Uganda is so volatile and is threatening to generate into civil strife, human rights abuse and eventual collapse of the state like many other countries in the region.

The patience of the people of Uganda stretched to the limit, the people of Uganda are running out of option and seek the international community to intervene immediately before the situation escalates.

Chairperson Uganda diaspora P10
MS JACKIE OLOYA.