

Go Forward: Statement on Filling of Election Petition Challenging Process and Outcome of the Presidential Elections 2016 (01.03.2016)






http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvdtQDhj-SA
“Uganda’s opposition leaders Kizza Besigye and Amama Mbabazi are expected to announce their decision on whether they will file their respective petitions at the Uganda Supreme Court challenging President Museveni’s win in the country’s 18th February poll” (…)”Besigye who has been held by Ugandan police nine times is still under house arrest at his home in Kasangati” (…)”The Ugandan opposition leader has protested his arrest saying a 2011 Kasangani Magistrate Court order still stands” (NTV Uganda, 01.03.2016).
“Uganda: Democratic party president Nobert Mao turns to cast his ballot on February 18, 2016 with an iPad to capture every development”.
Worth taking a look at and listening to, the man who has been voting for a long time. Also the view on how the process and the way voting where going. As a former presidential candidate, it is a good insight to hear him give his view and aspect from Gulu. Peace.

This here is something that has surfaced after Gen. Benon Buta Biraaro entered the premise and compound of Dr. Kizza Besigye on the 26th of February 2016. This is just days after the announcement of victory of President Museveni on the 20th February from the Electoral Commission.
So that the days of arrests and detaining of Dr. Kizza Besigye together with the oppression of the opposition party and his loyal officials and agents has been violated and arrested for following up on a flawed and a fraud of an election. The violence and police utilization as a tool to oppress the men who has declaration results forms from the districts agents as the candidates are getting to validate the counting of the ballots from the district before being announced and getting the right verdict of the will of their constituency. This here says it all when the police follows the men and trying to get the FDC officials and agents jailed and at gun-point or to rewrite the forms to fix the malfunction from the registered outcome that was announced from the Electoral Commission; it is in this context there have been talked about the opportunity to have talks to make President Museveni still in power, while giving Dr. Kizza Besigye to become his Vice President (V.P.) in a new government.

Let me be clear: this comes as the presidential candidate of the Farmers Party Gen. Biraaro have been at Kasangati home of Besigye; there been reports of meetings between Inter-Religious Council of Uganda and the Commonwealth Observer Group leader and former Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo, as he is supposed to mediate between President Museveni and Dr. Kizza Besigye; he is supposed to be able to talk them both into a deal that with power-sharing and keeping the peace between the persons in question.

This here happen between Morgan Tsvangirai of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) and President Robert Mugabe of Zanu-PF this happen after 200 dead and violent election during 2008 after a fraudulent election that opposition leader Tsvangirai was expected to have won as his popularity had risen in the public, while the economy had gone bonkers. Thabo Mbeki the President of South Africa mediated in this crisis of leadership and got the deal between the parties, where Tsvangirai accepted becoming the deputy in a coalition government that one that still President Mugabe controlled.

In the South Sudan there been issues in the leadership between the fractions of the Sudan People Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/SPLA) as they even have an outfit that is SPLM in Opposition (SPLM-O). This is as the power-struggle between President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar; they had even used arms against each other. So when they signed a peace-agreement that was settled during the winter of 2015, has stopped the months on months with violence and destruction in the country. President Kiir has become of this also made his former enemy and now Vice President Machar. He was re-appointed after on the 12th of February 2016.

This here shows examples of it of power-sharing deals between the ruling-party and the opposition. That is the dream of some people now as the tension is running high while the Police is harassing and detaining the FDC party officials and agents. While house-arresting Dr. Kizza Besigye since the Election Day; so that he cannot file in the petition to counter the declared results of the election results. Something that President Museveni and his security outfits works to stop by any means these days and also destroy the evidence of the actual rigging of the 18th February 2016.
The way the Police have deteriorating the opposition after the elections. So they could not gather their evidence and they continue to arrest candidates agents; as they try to deliver evidence and Declaration Results Forms to the Central Organization to secure the evidence and gather the basics to the petition. If you think this kind of actions talks of somebody who want to share power. Then your blind man trying to lead another blind man; that will lead the government with somebody else, seems more like a man who wants to own the executive position. Especially also his own words for the opposition and blame of stifling development on MPs, Opposition MPs and LCV of Opposition is usually the reason for the wrong kind of development. The last straw was when he wrote in the article on the 27th February that the opposition is an “endangered species”. That says what kind of methods he will use together with the “knock-out” victory he proclaim in the article is just wild-talk from a President.

If President really wanted to have dialogue and actually honor Dr. Kizza Besigye and his FDC; than he hadn’t constantly stopped his movement and opportunities to make a petition or meet fellow officials to make a best casework possible. This here is viable and exercise of violent behavior that does not give credible and legitimacy for President Museveni. Except for his loyal cadres and payed mouth-pieces; the ones that has accepted his salaries for being there for the NRM and the Government under the Museveni umbrella, it is not like that will change with Dr. Kizza Besigye as V.P. The only result of such a match is to give credit to the fraudulent elections and kiss and make-up. But not do a substantial groundwork and honor the voters that were not taken care of during the Election Day and the tally that followed.
I do not believe that this is a good idea. For the simple argument: Legitimacy of a NRM-Regime and the NRM led Government. I stay clear on that point as the results has been deliberately cooked while mouthpiece of NRM Andrew Mwenda blames on twitter that opposition is lying; Mr. Mwenda there to many perfect scores and polling stations that doesn’t make sense; especially that 100% for Museveni in 133 stations, every single registered person, living and dead, every ballot and not a single invalid ballot. For some strange reason Mr. Mwenda every single ballot in those polling stations went to President Musveni! That is an amazing achievement when NGOs and CSOs who followed the elections claimed that the voter educations was lacking and missing during the pre-election period. So there are certain and even more questionable acts of fraud as the Declarations Results Forms that has altered so they can be compared to the released result from the Electoral Commission. And the voter intimidation and the way the army and police acted accordingly even facilitated rigging in certain areas, questions also the faith in the ballots and the tally result from this presidential election exercise. And with all of that mind; the FDC and Dr. Kizza Besigye should not legitimize a government who got power in that way, and by house-arresting their presidential candidate days in and days out without a warrant or reason.
The only one earning on this President Museveni and his NRM, by trading away a ceremonial position of the Vice President; silencing the opposition and their claims while still having the Executive power. The same way President Mugabe through thorough negotiations gave the V.P. to Morgan Tsvangirai, but got little legitimacy and even credit for sorting out peace between political parties. That gave him also time to give more power and access to it to the Executive. That is the same way would happen with President Museveni and instead of Mbeki negotiating the agreement; It would be Obansanjo. He is not the kind who serve power away and if a person get to much of following. And that follwing not beeing directed to him or he feels that person has to much control in the NRM; then he clips your wings. Just as he has done in the past with Gilbert Bukenya and Amama Mbabazi; they are the essential former loyalist to NRM and Museveni, but is now outplayed by their former master.

In the same way President Museveni would have done with Dr. Kizza Besigye. At this point former Nigerian President Obasanjo should just take a ticket home to Lagos instead of trying to mediate between the NRM and the FDC. As this here is a stalemate and deserve to be one until justice and rule of law is followed; not only orders from President Museveni. That is the tale of the day and the way the Police and Army uses to oppress the opposition.
As he has said he wants to destroy the opposition and make them go away as they are burden to his rule. And when a President has that kind of wish and does not respect the ballots or electoral reform that does not fit him. Why should the opposition give him the honor of legitimizing his stay in power?

Dr. Kizza Besigye, Amama Mbabazi, Olara Otunnu, Norbert Mao and all the other opposition leaders should shun the President and not honor him. Instead they should stay away from or not negotiate with him, until justice prevails and the truth of the matter get to the surface as the blatant disregard for the election from the regime is obvious and carefully orchestrated and taken care of to secure President Museveni, not the will of the people, just as Dr. Milton Obote did what he could to secure his will in 1980 election.
Kigwa Leero! Peace.

I will hear go through the basic statements, I will not offer the President of Uganda, his excellency the whole article as he in my opinion doesn’t deserve it as his police is harassing innocent opposition people and people visiting opposition people. Therefore as that happens this here will be an exercise of questioning the quotes I feel matters from his recently released article, but we know that President Museveni loves himself. That is easily showed through the article that I now has questioned. Take alook!
His vision of what he has done since 1986:
“Since 1986 we have successfully defended the revolution against a whole spectrum of counter-revolutionaries and terrorists, many sponsored by external forces. We, therefore, as in the resistance wars, used bullets to successfully defend the Revolution” (Museveni, 2016).
Well, Mr. President, but it is okay that you were supported during the bush-war of Colonel Gaddafi of Libya during the 1980s, but hey! You needed the support and blessing from them and that is the difference, right? The same has been with the continuation after gaining power having and getting support from United States for his armies to fight the wars. That they don’t want to engage in, but that is okay, right? Since you talking about bullets, is that the same you use against the people who demonstrates and dies as they oppose your reign or have they not understood your revolution that you seem to own?

Direct Service Delivery:
“Even then, that should not have been the vote we should have got given the work NRM has done, especially in the area of infrastructure (roads, electricity, schools, health centres, piped water, etc.) and also in the area of peace and security. We should have got 80% in my opinion” (Museveni, 1986).
Well, Mr President, the issues of governance while following the magical works of the NRM, there can nearly in any district show that the money is not going where it supposed to, the roads are not built or in a sub-standard way, except for the ones that are built by direct investments or donor aid from foreign powers. The schools are depleting, the UMEME is half of the time on, the other half on, always a district where the electricity is gone. I could go on, but a bit boring Mr. President, right? You have given a peace and security, but to what price when you go against everybody who is not you ally. The country has national security, but the public is not safe as the people who are opposition can be detained for just existing and you address the people of Kampala rats as they votes opposition is not validating your own people. Your opinion that you deserve 80% is something you to have talk about with Eng. Dr. Badru Kiggundu and he might can alter the results they was on the 18th February; as he has already assured you 60% and with the strength of the opponent you keep under house-arrest. You should think about the rigging strategy and might splash out more money under the next pre-election period, maybe even earlier than a month before the polls.

His own leaders under him:
“The other mistake is the selfishness and dishonesty of some of the NRM leaders. When money is sent to do political work, these leaders steal it. The money that was sent to help the Village Committees to buy stationery was stolen by some leaders. The masses come to know about it and they, really, get annoyed. Those who stole that money must refund it or be arrested. It is not only the dishonesty; but there is the attitude of only undertaking missions for money” (Museveni, 2016).
Well, Mr. President you have set the premise when you let people eat grant-money and secure funding projects never existing, while eating the money. As long as you have splashed money to loyal subjects who creates ghost schools and teachers than you have made the dinner and dessert, but only the subject that got the money got to eat; not the public in the constituency or county in question. The thing is that you should give back all the money you have been embezzling before the cronies does, as the nations has higher debt now than ever because of the monetary policies you have made in recent years. So that your loyal cadre steals money on your watch and does not get punished, is a token of your leadership and your values, as you know than they can be bought and shut-up for a lollipop while you take a ride in your expensive car to your extravagant farm.

Leadership culture in the Parliament:
“This spirit was undermined by the ego-centric MPs that were misusing their presence in Parliament and the vague Constitution of 1995 on the issue of remuneration for Public Servants to award themselves huge salaries. This selfishness and short- sightedness transformed the MP job from being a mission – oriented job to being a rewarding job for the individuals involved” (Museveni, 2016).
Well, Mr. President, these MPs are often the men you have handpicked during the selections in inner-party circle, you’re the primary leader and de-facto chief of them. You see the premise of how the parliament is conducted as even general in the army said publicly that they fear you. You have made them selfish, as you are selfish and the centre of attention, as nothing gets put forward unless you have stamped. That has been told by many sources Mr. President. You have yourself together with loyal cadres offered cars, higher salaries, higher nominations fees for MPs and that they need to earn back, secondly: there been steady reports under Ninth Parliament that the MPs got paid to vote “Yes” or for a law that was in favour of your stance and for that they got millions of shillings each. That is the vision you give them and how your cadre and loyalty model feed the MPs and Parliament. So you have made this leadership structure and the way the usage of Parliament is. So you have been rewarding them for this behaviour and wanted them to act this way.

What NRM always do:
“We were able to give a knock-out on the first round to the opposition, as we always do, because of, mainly, four factors: promoting unity among the people; peace; electricity; and the new tarmac roads in areas that had never seen much development” (Museveni, 2016).
Well, Mr. President if your rigging the votes calling it a knock-out, or the police and military continue to presocute and arrest fellow opposition while calling out for unity is a little wrong. If you really wanted peace and unity you would not arrest and detain Amama Mbabazi and Dr. Kizza Besigye. You would not get a helicopter to throw tear-gas into the FDC headquarter in Najjankumbi, but that is just me Mr. President. If you really won a knock-out, wouldn’t the streets been filled with people in similar ways the Kampala went blue on 5th November 2015. As your hired Crime Preventers at Kololo was stuck in town after your rally the day before, I am sure you’re neglecting or trying to forget that fact.

Last remarks:
“The NRM Secretariat must be very active in sensitizing our masses” (…)”We have the capacity to resolve the residual problems, one by one. That is why the opposition in Uganda is an endangered species” (Museveni, 2016).
Well, Mr. President have called them rats, now the opposition is endangered species, this kind of talk proves the values that the President owns up to. It is a dangerous ways that the NRM secretariat should be active to clear the opposition behaviour and thinking by sensitizing it, as well as the problems shall be resolved one-by-one as the opposition will be destroyed as it is an “endangered species”. He must see how this rhetoric and words complied with the security outfits arrests, detaining, house-arrests and violence towards them does not clear the masses or the population, but instead make him and his party look like a militarized politician who incarcerate the citizens and makes them subjects who follows his orders, instead of making up their own minds, as the police continuously attacks the oppositions.
As you see, I got bored by the fact of the article that President Museveni is discussing the victory, but not telling the reality of the victory or how he got the crowds to all those rallies as he paid so much money and spent so much funds to ferrying crowds. As he struggled many places to get them to come! As eye-witnesses said there we’re people in the area they had never seen before, something he did certainly not to write about. We all know why because that notion hurts his pride and honour, especially also his beloved National Resistance Movement aka the Movement.

Now that I have discussed his article, let me just briefly look at some aspects of the rant the State House of Uganda dropped on social media on the 25th February:
“A lot of (Opposition leaning) ‘Facebookers’ are alleging that the #NRM rigged the election. That is all #NOISE or even #TANTRUMS.
* Why don’t you get and/or provide evidence and go to courts of law?”(State House Uganda, 2016).
Well, you writer of the State House, you have missed one important aspect, how can the opposition create any evidence or any indication on the rigging into a fully-fledged paper or petitions, when your army and police arrests, detains, house-arrests and beat the opposition aides, officials and leaders. It is not easy to send petitions in to Court when your operations are being sieged by the security outfits. That is direct orders from the State House and the incumbent President! I am sure the State House would struggle to do proper work if the locals in Entebbe would siege the buildings and have guns around the gates, telling who to come in or go out. But that is just me!

Let me continue as the rants of the State House continues apparently:
“If the elections have been rigged, let’s hear from the winning Opposition candidates (MPs, Mayors, Councillors) to that effect – otherwise their behaviour smacks of double standards. Did they win through rigging?
* Losing NRM candidates (including 24 Ministers) have exhibitied political maturity by conceding unlike losing Opposition candidates and supporters who shout ‘rigging’.
* It is the Opposition who have been rigging knowing that the NRM still has widespread support in the country.
* Talk or comment in your individual capacity – don’t assume that your opinion is that of all Ugandans or readers” (State House Uganda, 2016).
Well, State House writer certain winning MPs from the Opposition has come with the claimes Francis Mwijukye, Ibrahim Ssemujje Nganda, Nathan Nandala-Mafabi and the list goes on. So the State House has a deaf ear or only reading into things as they see fit. It is not double standards; it is just that they don’t have faith in a system where the majority of winner seemingly fits the NRM-Regime, while the reality on the ground has not been likely for that. But the State House is directly paid by the President, so surely your loyalty lay to him and not with the people. The NRM candidates are surely been spoon-feed and secured their position in the hierarchy of loyal cadre, certain NRM losing MPs has been violent used police forces to attack the courts like in Lira, or the men in Gulu who went all out to change the results. There is also the stories of Kasese and other areas where the NRM losing MPs has not showed maturity, as we also saw the maturity of the NRM when the Independent NRM candidates lost the NRM Primaries, but that is just me right?
The opposition would not have issues keeping Declaration Results Forms if they we’re rigging the elections as the Police are putting FDC officials at gun-point and putting the Headquarters of the party under siege, if they was rigging the elections, there would also most likely been more FDC or opposition party MPs. The actions of security agents and outfits proves that they have not done so, if so it would be foolish as the NRM and the Police are close connected in the works of rigging this election to the benefit of the man who secures the salaries of the writer from the State House. That means your blind loyalty is proven in this text and your rant is not better or worse than the opposition on social media. The difference is that the opposition get behind bars while you drink tea in safety.
I know that my comments is far from what everybody’s view in Uganda, as I am a man who has no problem to counter everybody. At this moment I doubt I do so. If I did that, then the Mr. President hadn’t needed to write this article defending his “knock-out win” or the State House writing their rant! As much as your view is not the ones everybody in Uganda stand by either, while you complain of the rants online, you did the same; to defend the State House and the master of the House; President Museveni. Your defence of the matter and the election is weak tea and giving a bitter after taste. We all have seen the party partisan ideas and acts of the police have become and is now used as a tools for the President. This is something the writer of the State House of Uganda certainly knows by now!
Well, Mr. President, I did not like the rhetoric of your article and the way you described that people would not understand certain aspects that is disrespectful of your own people.

Let me show one phrase:
“I talk of moneylessness, rather than poverty. This is because the poverty statistics are not easily understood by the public“ (Musveni, 2016).
Well, Mr. President, thank you for disrespecting the ones who so-called gave you a knock-out victory as they can’t understand statistics, if that is so, haven’t you had 30 years to teach them that, if that a lost cause since they live in poverty or are money-less while your government supposedly collecting more revenue, but while the numbers are higher so is also the issuing of money and the amount of money is connected to value of the currency over the 30 years, the 100 shillings used in 1980s cannot buy as much today as it could back then, right? So the steady inflation and deteriorating of monetary policy has surely not made the economic climate better, as much as the education who cannot be understood by the general public; your wrote that yourself Mr. President, not me. That says enough for that you have neglected certain parts of the education and the levels of understanding of own society as they cannot be trusted with statistics while you in your own article live on dropping number of collected tax. As you do not show the value of the shilling or the rates that gives real indication of the revenue made by this. But that would not be good for your result or argument, right, Mr. President?
I know you won’t read what I have written, I doubt any of your cronies, but surely somebody will catch a whiff of it. As they can question your words and behaviour as they should. Peace.





The U.S. Embassy calls again on Ugandan authorities to release Dr. Kizza Besigye from house arrest and to permit him to travel freely. We note that Dr. Besigye has been under near continuous police detention since the February 18 election, has not been charged with any crime, and was denied his constitutional right to participate in the February 24 elections.
We further call upon Uganda authorities to cease and desist from any further harassment or intimidation of members of the opposition, such as the reported arrests of FDC party agents. Officials of all parties, including the opposition, must be allowed to provide their leadership with polling data collected during the vote, free from intimidation or threat of detention, in accordance with international norms and the principles of a democratic society.
We are also deeply concerned by the Electoral Commission’s delay in releasing polling data. This, along with Dr. Besigye’s detention and arrest of party agents, has inhibited citizens’ ability to verify vote tallies and potentially challenge the election results in court within the constitutionally mandated ten-day period.
We expect the Ugandan authorities to uphold the rights of all of their citizens, regardless of political affiliation, and allow the opposition to play a legitimate role in the country’s politics. We further expect all parties to refrain from actions or rhetoric that may lead to violence and to resolve their disputes peacefully.

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.
For the last 5 days in a row, the morning of 22nd February 2016, we witnessed the arbitrary arrest of the opposition leader Dr. Kiiza Besigye, Secretary for mobilization of FDC party Ingrid Turinawe and a host of staffs at the FDC party headquarters.
The Uganda Diaspora P10 an international communication arm of the FDC Party is deeply concerned by the continued persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention without trial of opposition leaders and our supporters by the dictatorial regime in Uganda. This raises serious concerns about restrictions on the freedom of expression and assembly in Uganda.

Uganda has degenerated into a police state with a heavily militarized police force. The police have been used to vent violence and abuse the fundamental rights and freedoms of Ugandan citizens especially the opposition.
The Opposition and citizens of Uganda have a right to express their dissatisfaction with the outcome of the February 18, 2016 election through peaceful assembly. The right to assembly and freedom of express are universal right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Uganda is a party.
We condemn in the strongest terms possible state inspired violence and the show of force on February 22, 2016 in arresting opposition leaders, DC members of staffs and hundreds of our party supporters.
Opposition parties that peacefully voice criticism of the government play a vital role in inclusive, pluralistic societies.
We are engaging all forms of justice from, local, regional and international courts to ensure that the elements of the Uganda police, military and government involved in the abuse of the fundamental rights and freedoms are brought to justice.
DEMANDS
1. We demand Government of Uganda to protect the universal rights of freedom of expression and assembly.
2. We demand the immediate release without and delay or conditions of all persons arrested without due process.
3. We demand the immediate cessation of state violence against the people of Uganda.
4. We demand that the government elements desist from any intimidation, fear mongering and arbitrary actions against the people of Uganda.
5. We are collecting and analyzing all evidence of these violations which we shall present it the appropriate fora at the appropriate time.
We shall not relent in our fight for a free and fair election in Uganda. We will seek justice in all forms at all levels collectively and as individuals against institutions, individuals and the state for violation of fundament rights and freedoms of the people of Uganda.
Chairperson Uganda diaspora P10
MS JACKIE OLOYA.

The Government of the Republic of Botswana has taken note of the reports of international observer groups on the recent General Election held in the Republic of Uganda. The Government of Botswana has observed that based on the findings of some international observers, the elections were characterised by, amongst others; lack of transparency, reported incidents of intimidation and harassment, social media restrictions, as well as continuous arrests and detention of a prominent leader of the opposition.
In view of this, the Government of Botswana remains deeply concerned that such conduct during an election would have deeply undermined the norms of best practice governing democratic elections, as well as, the continent’s efforts towards consolidation of democracy. Going forward, the Government of Botswana therefore encourages all concerned Parties to address the election disputes for the peace and stability of their nation.
(Ministry of Foreign affairs and International Cooperation)