By Jumah Kakomo
The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) says the year of 2022 has been a rather tough one from the political rag tags, the ragged terrain though with some positives to bank on, the struggle for democracy continues nevertheless.
While giving his end of year party address at its headquarters Najjanankumbi Kampala on 19th/12/2022, the party President Patrick Oboi Amuriat noted that he is privileged to address the country about key highs and lows that transpired in the political arena in the concluding year, which for certain affects every aspect of life, where the democracy stands in these trying political and economic times as the two are fist fighting for survival space instead of being complementary to each other.
He says the party has rather had a prosperous year as a political party as elucidated below.
Elections
Amuriat revealed that the use of brutal military force, intimidation, excessive money and outright vote rigging continue to characterize the election processes, requiring deliberate building of teams to counter these negative vices;
“This no withstanding the FDC managed to field candidates in the various Bye-elections which were mainly marred by violence mated on us by the NRM regime” Amuriat added.
Contextually, these bye elections took the form of military operations and as has happened before fell short of being free, fair and credible democratic processes.
These bye elections showed the high level of impunity, adamancy and brute force the NRM regime is ready impose on Ugandan citizens even in the elections to follow,” Amuriat said.
National Political Situation
Regarding national Political Situation POA says this has been a far cry dream especially with government in power with sheer determination to muzzle every other voice of dissent in its pursuit to retain power, while trying to portray herself as a democratic and peoples’ centered government.
“The FDC’s continued struggle to achieve democracy and the rule of law in the country will continue even well knowing that all the institutions of the State are fully captured by people posturing as the country’s saviors” Amuriat said.
The FDC’s president PAO also sounded that the state has as always been in cahoots with security machinery and an array of operatives like the RDCs in the practice of jailing ,beating ,and shooting at political actors and the supporters whose only crime was to stand up to the truth and exercise their constitutional rights as enshrined in Chapter Four of the National constitution.
National Economy
Oboi says in brief, all the spheres of life in the country have been slumping due to a couple of factors contributing to continued mismanagement of the meager resources allotted to the several sectors of the economy and this has been an impediment to the country’s development.
“As the economy was making a recovery from the tough times, the global prices of fuel shot up exponentially and this has had a trickle-down effect on commodities price indexes,” Amuriat said.
He further noted that the regime has instead of intervening to manage the crisis of fuel prices kept a deaf ear, leaving the decision in the hands of speculative businessmen.But the government Agriculture Budgetary figures are still lower compared to what’s supposed to make the realization of agricultural mechanization.
He says the Agro-Industrialization takes eighth position on the budgetary priorities list clearly showing the lack of political will to get from the government to push it further.
“The 2003 AU Maputo Protocol where our country committed to allocating 10% of the National Budgetary resources to agricultural and rural development remains a farfetched dream. Instead we have been treated to ill financed community development programs like Parish Development Model which like the others before has turned into a gimmick intended to hoodwink Ugandans” Amuriat Added.
He also tackled the country’s public debt stands tall at UGX 79 trillion translating in a per capita debt burden of UGX 1.8 Million. Debt refinancing takes the largest portion of the country’s budget, and if the government was making deliberate efforts to reduce it in the future and then tighten its grip around wasteful expenditures, this should take place soon enough before we go above the acceptable threshold of 52% debt to GDP ratio.
Security
Oboi says the year 2022 saw the resurrection of high insecurity and inter communities’ skirmishes in Karamoja region coupled with cattle rustling and a whole lot of human rights violations largely by the UPDF in the name of enforcement of the law and order with the suspects some injured other put out of action.
A government press release in September referred to 400 deaths, while the Karamoja Development Forum counted 600 deaths between 2019 and July 2021.
“As FDC we believe a lasting holistic solution with political will in hindsight is dialogue of warring factions, social economic interventions by IGAD member states, which would be the case of ushering the whole region into transformation other than embarking on arms disarmament campaigns which has been ongoing forever without lasting peace” he added.
He highlighted that the last quarter saw a series of Security installments attacks by unknown assailants majorly in areas of Luwero where some security operatives have lost their lives which led to the Uganda Police Force top leadership resorted to merging of numerous police posts in an effort to protect their officers’ lives from errant attacks.
“The vacuum left behind in these areas has made them susceptible to criminality more especially in these times of economic hardship faced Nationwide, so some criminal elements are taking advantage of the situation to terrorize the communities” Amuriat added.
Amuriat also raised concern that President Yoweri Kaguta M7 is blaming these attacks on opposition leaders, but this has been his trick of arresting and detaining members of the opposition in order to suppress their voices.
National Environment and Climatic Situation
Oboi says Uganda is one of the most naturally endowed countries on earth, boosting of diversity in flora and fauna, but in the recent most of this has been gradually eroded and destroyed.
He revealed that according to statistics from NEMA Uganda’s wetland cover has reduced from 15.5% to 13% within a space of 28 years. In total, between 1990 and 2010, Uganda lost 37.1% of its forest cover, or around 1,763,000 ha. Uganda’s forests contain 109 million metric tons of carbon in living forest biomass.
“In recent times most lakes Victoria, Kyoga, Albert and rivers have burst their banks which is majorly attributed to an increase in erratic rains increasing the water volumes.” He added.
Oboi says the continued exploitation of lake Victoria’s fragile eco system that’s pertinent to the survival of that natural biodiversity largely by illegal Sand and rice investors especially in the Lwera, Bukakatta wetlands in greater Masaka whilst those charged with authority of enforcement are watching on .
Meanwhile he revealed that the FDC condemns such hernias acts towards mother nature and some of the government actors who are always in cahoots with these environmental terrorists hiding behind investment not knowing that their actions put Uganda’s future at risk before natural climatic calamities like floods, famine.
“We are signatories to the Paris Accord to reduce Carbon emissions through environmental friendly policies” he added.
He highlighted that the weather vagaries largely erratic heavy down pours leading to floods, landslides especially in the mountainous areas of Masaba, Rwenzori plus the areas surrounding lakes Albert ,Victoria and Kyoga that had burst the shores, these have left a cluster of climate displaced persons or climate refugees in across the country in several camps.
“As the FDC we continue to run our campaign dubbed “greening Uganda”
We have so far planted more than 500,000 trees across the country abd we shall continue planting more in 2023″ he added.
