By Patrick Jaramogi
Vibrant former Mbarara Member of Parliament and Ethics Minister Miria Matembe has scoffed at government for not putting in place mechanisms to ensure peaceful and monetised free elections.
The fire spitting FIDA member said it is so unfortunate that today’s politics has been so much monetized. ‘Today’s politics and voting is not about voting people who matter, people who can deliberate on issues but it is about who has the money,” she said. She was addressing the media on Thursday morning at the FIDA offices in Kamwokya at the end of the 16 Days of Activism and Human Rights Day that is held on December 10 every year.
This year’s Human Rights Day is devoted to the launch of a yearlong campaign for the 50th anniversary of the two International Covenants on Human Rights. The theme for this year is ‘Our Rights, Our Freedom, Always”. Matembe who was flanked by the FIDA chief executive Irene Ovonji Odida, Carol Bunga Idembe the FIDA director Programs and Vuura nominated Member of Parliament Lina Zedriga said the Ugandan women see no impact of voting.
“The empirical evidence contained in reports from various surveys conducted in Uganda continues to show that violence against women and girls is unacceptably high,” she said. She said that as the country gears towards election in February 18 2016, the political temperatures are rising as woman rights are being violated.
“This issue of monetizing elections denies the locals the right to choose candidates of their choice,” said Matembe. She said basing on what is on ground, the elections have already been rigged. “Do you hear the NRM saying they have 12 million voters and Badru Kiggundu says he has 15m so does that mean that NRM has 12 million and the other candidates have 3 million to share?? That is a form of rigging because during their Primaries (NRM) they didn’t even raise 5 million voters,” said Matembe.
Irene Ovonji Odida the CEO FIDA urged all partners to break the silence and take action when they witness incidents of violence against women and girls. “Today marks the end of 16 days of activism against gender based violence and the theme is from “Peace in the Home to peace in the country, make education safe for all”, said Odida.
She described the violence against women as uncalled for and inhuman. Commenting on the issue of crime preventers, Ovonji described the creation of crime preventers as ‘militias’. “ I have seen these so called crime preventers being passed by the Head of State and dressed in yellow T-shirts, some bearing the head of one presidential candidate, so whom do they work for?’ she asked. She wondered what their role in elections was if not just wreaking havoc.
Lina Zedriga noted that the issue of ring fencing nomination fees to shs3m by MPs was a violation of people’s rights to deny them the chance to contest.