Rosebell Kagumire

Uganda is caught in between the ICC and its need to keep good relations with Sudan. The President has no position yet on Bashir’s visit and whether he would be arrested. He made a phone call to Bashir to ‘apologise’ for a statement made by Minister Okello Oryem that Bashir would be arrested.

To make his minister look like a mediocre who knows nothing about his limits (Museveni said Oryem is not the right person to talk on the issue) and the media like they had exaggerated (he said that’s not what the minister stated) the president seems to have no stand as his hands remain tied.

Well too bad for him minister but for the media, you can’t deny a statement capture by many on camera in front of the ICC prosecutor. If this statement had been told to one journalist, this government would have been quick to say they were misquoted and that it was full of lies. But we were all there and the minister meant what he said and he didn’t say anything wrong. May be because he told the media what he wasn’t supposed to tell them. But such is the position Uganda is in. Most leaders in the country seem to support the arrest anyway so whatever games President Museveni is playing are meant for the international community and Sudan.

We will wait to see if Bashir came make this trip to Kampala which could be fateful or remarkable in that he would go free and make a statement bashing the west when he’s killing Darfurians. But news from Ugandan Foreign Affairs ministry says They have agreed that Bashir could send a deputy.

If Bashir decided to come to Kampala at the end of the month, the Uganda government has to decide what would be more damaging, arresting the ICC indicted man or letting him free

A few views I have so far gathered:

“The institutional framework to practically deliver this arrest seem to be largely absent even at the ICC level. There is a gap as the court operates on the cooperation, failure to cooperate is not fatal to Uganda.” – a Ugandan lawyer.

Many believe that the positions on regional blocks like AU and Arab league are mainly cosmetic and also a deliberate measure to set protective precedents for any other possible arrests. And no doubt some leaders have watched over or facilitated the committing of similar crimes that Bashir faces.

Look at this quote closely, you  will see that Uganda is not about to see the light.

“I will retire if there are no demands,” Mr Museveni said. “I am going to be 65 in September but I am still very strong. I would like to advise young people that if you look after yourself very well you can be strong for quite a long time. For us we don’t look at this as power; we look at it as struggle.”

The man keeps telling himself that he’s strong even when he’s not. He keeps seeing popular demand even when the polls show a different course. Well if Obama thought his message of change and not clinging to power was being taken, this proves otherwise. I hope we don’t have a Kim Jong because a Mugabe we surely are very close.

At seventy five he will say my people still want to see me in the seat and God knows what will be happening in Uganda. As my friend usually say If the president can’t leave power then I will leave the country and leave him to eat entire drum(symbol of power traditionally)  and its skin. But then how many people have the luxury of being able to leave the country. The president keeps saying he has sacrificed too much for this country but who can afford to sacrifice for over 3 decades for people who can ably find an alternative which could be even much better if he gave them support? Well the president must know that To whoever much is given much is expected. His rule is not just about sacrifice, it’s also about gains and the gains way out march the sacrifice,  so Uganda expects so much from him and the best he can do is retire before 75.

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/07/12/ghana-bloggers-react-to-obamas-speech-in-ghana/

My best part of the analysis African Blood’ Saved Obama From Scrutiny in Ghana.

“In sheer American fashion, Obama explained boldly that he picked Ghana because of the West African nation’s “democratic commitment.” 

While Kenyans, Nigerians, South Africans and others were searching their souls, Ghanaians were preparing to do what we Africans do best: dress in colorful attire, sing, dance and chant in praise of presidents.

Although other African countries found their souls very quickly -– “democratic commitment” is such a clear message –- they couldn’t do so in time for Obama to add them to his itinerary.”

I need to hear from you. Do you think African blood saved Obama from scrutiny much more than the blood gave him an edge to chide African governements the proper way that no other outsider can afford without being percieved as being abusive?

My favourite part of the speech was when told African youth that this is their moment. The youth for instance in Uganda make more than 60 percent of the population yet they are the most left behind in political participation, in employment and I think if this country is improve the youth must get out of their comfort or uncomfort zones.

Here’s the part:

“Fifty-two years ago, the eyes of the world were on Ghana. And a young preacher named Martin Luther King traveled here, to Accra, to watch the Union Jack come down and the Ghanaian flag go up. This was before the march on Washington or the success of the civil rights movement in my country. Dr. King was asked how he felt while watching the birth of a nation. And he said: “It renews my conviction in the ultimate triumph of justice.”

Now, that triumph must be won once more, and it must be won by you. And I am particularly speaking to the young people. In places like Ghana, you make up over half of the population. Here is what you must know: the world will be what you make of it. You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people. You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can. Because in this moment, history is on the move.”

When I first heard of the story about the murder of Marwa Sherbini, a veiled (and pregnant) Egyptian woman, as she prepared to give evidence in a German courtroom against a man who physically assaulted her early this week I couldn’t comprehend the situation.

I later read the story over the news sites and I wondered how this could happen. I have heard enough stories from friends, colleagues who have lived in Germany and how they faced racial discrimination and sometimes abuses. In one of the stories story my friends were on a bus ride and some German couple had a child who started crying at the sight of my friends in the bus. A few metres from their stage, the bus driver decided he couldn’t stand the noise made by the child and he ordered these African women off the bus. My friend told me this story and I remember wondering what I would have done. I told her that getting off the bus when it’s public she was giving in to racism. And other stories from German include stepping in a shop and people refuse to serve you but Sherbini’s story was just too much to take in. And this racism is not limited to Germany but my thinking is how can a country that was the epic center of the horrors of Hitler still have such wide spread elements of extremism more than 60 years down the road. But to also think that this poor Egyptian was murdered in court room where people should be seeking justice sends Europe not just German a warning that this segregation is headed to destruction. When I read her story, I couldn’t remember any other horrifying story that I have read. This story reminded chilling stories by former captives of the LRA rebels and how they were forced to kill their families but the cruelty is the only similarity. The murder in German was right inside what is supposed to be the temple of justice. Of course many in German are not this racial but the attitude towards Islam or to some races is still an issue to watch in Europe.

I read a good post on the murder on Huffington Post

Daily Monitor reports that a number of employees at the Directorate of Public Prosecutions were yesterday a subject of criminal investigation after thieves gained mysterious entry into their Kampala headquarters and stole records of high-profile cases, among them Global Fund files.

Justice John Bosco Katutsi is expected to pass judgment on Tuesday against Ms Annaliza Mondon and Ms Elizabeth Ngororano both directors of Valued Health, a local NGO accused of mismanaging Shs18.7m from the Fund. Former Health minister Jim Muhwezi and his ex-deputies; Mr Mike Mukula and Dr Alex Kamugisha are awaiting trial for allegedly misappropriating money meant for HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria treatment as well as immunisation.

Well, there is a mystery to this whole robbery of files. It is really embarrassing that a whole DPP’s office can be raided by thieves. Hope investigations will deliver an answer but the question is if Global Fund money could be stolen and used for all sorts of personal projects with no one raising an alarm until it was too late how you expect files on the cases to remain interact. The truth the Global Fund money incriminated a lot of people and its difficult to point who is more threatened.

We will even spend more money on investigations as we see shortages in the delivery of services to fight Malaria, TB and AIDS. The country has had a shortage of TB drugs for months now and we can afford to make it easy for GF files to be stolen.

I love the ability of the writer to capture problems facings most ugandans like poor health care delivery, falling prices of coffee and the seasoned moves by the state to stifle freedom of expression by dismissing demonstratios. This is one of the few songs that go beyond the wata gwani, bad man, love songs that seem to be the norm.

According to the results of the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Democracy Index for 2008 Uganda ranks 101 in the world in democratisation. The index shows that globally the spread of democracy has stagnated after decades-long global trend in democratisation.

Uganda has performed worst in political participation scoring just 3.9 out of ten. In east Africa, Uganda comes behind Tanzania but is above Kenya, Burundi and Rwanda is the only authoritarian regime in the region.

Here’s the link to the Index, http://graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy%20Index%202008.pdf

With less than 20 months to the preisdential elections and more than half way into the year 2009, do you think Uganda has improved on the 2008 indicators?