MALAC: The U.S watching 2021 election

Police crackdown on the opposition

There are guidelines and regulations for implementing the Public Order Management law but obviously there is a lot of creative and selective implementation of this law. Certainly citizens have an obligation to act peacefully because violence is not in anyone’s interest wherever it comes from; whether it is people destroying property or the police force beating someone up or dragging someone off the street. Police have an obligation to protect people and their property and they need to do so in a way that makes sense. In so many ways, security forces should exercise even more restraint because they are the force of the government. We hope that there will be some effort exerted to help the police understand the proper interpretation and implementation of the Public Order Management Act.

Military’s role in law enforcement

We are also concerned about the fact that the military or elements of the UPDF are more frequently seen engaging in law enforcement and their excesses being explained away as, “oh they are not trained as police officers.” Then don’t put them into those situations because those things do end badly.

Erosion of civil liberties

We as the American government have been clear; we share the hopes and desires of Ugandans;the freedom of expression, assembly and speech— are protected. The government has an obligation to create space where citizens can say what they think but those people who wanna stand up and say what they think also have an obligation to be good citizens. Ugandans have a right to be heard. The government has an obligation to protect the constitution and the citizens’ rights.

Violence

Violence and destruction is not in anyone’s interest because picking up the pieces takes some time and can be very difficult. I know this having served previously in Liberia right after the civil war.  You have a lot which is very valuable here in Uganda already and none of us wants to see that disappear.

Presidential succession debate

If you look across history, governments and regimes that stay in power for a long time and do not plan for what comes next, it often will end badly. None of us are immortal. The failure to plan creates frustration; particularly against a backdrop of a country like Uganda that has never had a peaceful transition of power since independence. The government has a role to play in not feeding that concern.

Corruption

The corruption issue is a really difficult one. We all know it is a problem in Uganda; it results in lesser economic growth and a lot of distortion of the market place. But it cannot only be the government to fight this (problem) because if you standby and allow somebody to engage in some corrupt activity, you are equally complicit. It’s a difficult vice to root out, it does take concerted effort by the government and they must hold people accountable but you also have a role as citizens to hold the government accountable.

Growing role of women in society

Having spent so much time in developing countries largely in Africa, I have had the opportunity to meet with women; from market women, poor rural women living on subsistence farming to very accomplished women who are doing very incredible things in the private sector, government and civil society.  We know that what works is giving those girls opportunities that the boys have; that the girls get an education and are kept in schools; that they are not married off at a young age. So we collectively need to redouble our efforts but we cannot relegate this to simply a women’s issue.  Men have to be part of the equation. We know that countries cannot develop and reach their full potential when they leave half the population behind.

Chinese influence in Uganda

Certainly we are concerned about China’s growing role in Uganda’s economy because it is not in Uganda’s long term interest to have its economy dominated by one actor (but) we remain Uganda’s largest bilateral foreign assistance partner. As we have documented every year over the last three years to the Ugandan people, we have put significant amount of money largely investing in Ugandan people, not in infrastructure, but in people’s livelihoods, health, education and economic opportunity. The U.S government made a decision a number of years ago that investing in people (soft side of development) has greater reach and impact but it is also not tangible. It is much easier to see the road, the buildings or the dams that the Chinese or any other actors are willing to invest in. We just don’t do that through government funding any longer because we believe the private sector is a better approach. What we don’t wanna do is see Uganda continue to saddle itself with debt which all of you will have to repay for many more years. It is an issue we continue to watch and it is conversation that we continue to have with many in the Ugandan government. We are trying to create a more level playing field because we know some of our competitors don’t always play by the rules.

The future of Uganda

The future of the country must be and has to be determined by Ugandans. It is not gonna be determined by what we as the United States do or say; or what I as the ambassador or the next ambassador does or says. We want to take our cue from Ugandans. You are the ones to make the decision about where you want your country to go or what you want the future to look like. We can support you in different ways but only on the margins. Ultimately it is up to all of you to find that space and to demand to be heard. Finding that voice is important and that voice can be expressed in very many different ways. One of the fundamentals of democracy is that the government derives their authority from citizens so that means citizens have a right to express themselves. There is power in collective voices, so finding ways of standing together helps increase the volume and intensity of the message that you’re trying to give.

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