We Are Not Terrorists - A4C Press Statement, Sept 29th 2011

A4C PRESS STATEMENT

At KAMPLA, September 29, 2011 –

It is disturbing that the Inspector General of Police has chosen to link our peace loving non-violent group to terrorism.  His statement is a warning that the State will soon increase repression of citizens and persecution of activists.

We hesitated to respond to IGP Kale Kayihura because we may lift his remarks out of the gutter where they belong into the realm of civilized debate.  However, we realize that if his lies go unchallenged they will cause unnecessary fear, create suspicion about the nature of our activities and may erode the public’s confidence in our objectives.  Moreover, our silence will be used to justify further misuse of public funds on ghost security projects.  A4C has inadvertently created a lucrative security industry and boosted sales and commissions for those dealing in anti-riot gear, mambas, and tear gas.  These dealers make losses and police bosses miss their special allowances when we are not campaigning so even when A4C has no activities the ‘security industry’ must manufacture reasons for continuing to drain the national purse.

Since we launched our activities on April 7, 2011 we have chosen overt means of operation.  Our activities are always publicized ahead of time, the public is informed, and we have always acted lawfully and peacefully.  The state on the other hand has responded with harsh retribution; injuring, maiming and killing many innocent Ugandans.

From the start the government was not prepared to deal with citizen’s peaceful protests and defiance.  A government whose reflex reaction to domestic and regional political problems is to reach out for a gun was unprepared and vulnerable when its citizens chose to confront it peacefully.

To this day the government is reeling in confusion on how to deal with A4C and they have chosen the easiest option, the only one this government knows and that is to criminalize any group that oppose its policies.  Our simple programs and methods have evoked the most panicky and aggressive response from the state.  Since February this year the State has increased the visibility and presence of security forces on our streets not in fear of a sinister terrorist organization but in fear of its own people.

The use of non-existent rebel groups to malign political opponents of government is well known.  Even polite NRM dissenters are immediately ostracized and labeled as subversive.

It may be recalled that in 2001 Government seized a consignment of pangas alleging that it’s political opponents had imported them plotting a genocide. In the end, Ugandans paid billions in damages to the importer in compensation.

During the W-2-W campaign, Government arrested ordinary hard-working citizens trading in bows and arrows, claiming that it was A4C getting arms to cause chaos!  It was also during the W2W campaign that police announced that it discovered plans by Al Shabab to plant roadside bombs in Kampala!

A4C is not a secret organization.  Its coordinators are well known and appear in the media often.  Our activities are well publicized and require no covert planning.  All charges that have been brought against A4C activists since the Walk to Work campaigns began have been dismissed by Ugandan courts with contempt.  Many activists are indeed preparing to take legal action against the state for malicious prosecution.  We are also instructing our lawyers to start private prosecution of the Inspector General of Police, Kale Kayihura for the criminal statements that he made against us in the media. 

When popular dissent started in Benghazi early this year, Gaddafi declared that the demonstrators were pot-smoking terrorists linked to Al Qaeda; an organization that trains terrorists in Afghanistan.  Therefore, the attempt to link A4C to terror groups in Afghanistan is not original for a sinking government, but it cannot be taken lightly.  It is inconceivable that the IGP can go public with such statements before using such important intelligence information to arrest the culprits.  A4C categorically denies recruiting non Ugandans into any of its campaigns and scorns on the attempt to link it to foreign terrorist groups.  We encourage the Police to do its job by quickly hunting down such unsavory characters if they exist at all.  

A4C activists are committed to hand over any criminals who try to infiltrate its campaigns to the Police.  However, we must state that the immediate enemy of Ugandans is not the terrorist outside our borders.  The real and imminent danger is from internal terrorists who are killing Ugandans by failing to address pressing economic problems.  The most lethal enemy is the one killing Ugandans by stealing funds meant for projects that support the poor.  The real enemy is the one who is blind to the thousands of Ugandans who go to sleep hungry every night.  Kale Kayihura should heed the advice of Justice Katutsi and turn his guns on corrupt government officials to save Ugandan lives. 

A4C is not the problem, activism is not the problem; in fact we believe that increased activism is the answer to the problem.  Our activities will continue and they will be better organized and executed.  Our message to Kale Kayihura and the government is simple: Do not shoot the messenger.  Deal with unprecedented stealing of public funds, unemployment, poverty, skyrocketing fuel and food prices, scandalous health services, pay destitute teachers, medical workers, and Yes, even the policemen a living wage.  – Deal with our message and stop brutalizing the messengers.  Our message is crystal clear.  We will not back down because our rights are not guaranteed by Kayihura, but by the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda.

The W2W campaign was called off to offer government an opportunity to address the concerns of Ugandans through the 2011/12 National budget. The plans and actions of government are now clear. It is business as usual.

When we started protesting, a liter of petrol was UGX 3,400=, it now goes for UGX 3,900=; a kilo of sugar was UGX at 2,800/- and now it is UGX 6,000/=. A sack of charcoal was UGX 25,000/= and now it is UGX 75,000/=.  Every day there are reports of billions of shillings lost in shoddy contracts; even cash is stolen from State House vaults. New districts are mushrooming everywhere.  The president can spend billions more on a private visit to India and donate to foreign countries, but the long suffering teachers cannot find any relief from destitution.

This grotesque betrayal of public trust is what A4C protests. We call upon all patriotic Ugandans to join hands once again in protesting the mismanagement of our affairs.

For God and My Country

Hon. Mathias Mpuuga (MP)

National Coordinator A4C

A4C Stands in Solidarity with North Africans

A4C PRESS RELEASE

At Kampala, 26^th August 2011;

Today we would like to dedicate this press conference to the people of North Africa for standing up for their rights and reclaiming their power from the fallen dictators of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.  A few months ago it was unthinkable that Ben Ali would be living in exile, that Hosni Mubarak would be appearing in an Egyptian court locked in a cage; on charges of corruption and crimes against humanity.  It was even more unimaginable that Muammar Gaddafi of Libya would be hiding from the same people he called rats last week.  Their experiences have taught us that when the people of any nation are determined to stand up against oppressive rulers, they win.

Many comparisons can be made between what we are currently experiencing in Uganda and what was happening in pre-revolution Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.  The rulers of these countries are from that generation of rulers that have overstayed in power.  Zine El Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia came into power in 1987, one year after President Museveni’s NRA shot its way to power; while Hosni Mubarak took power in 1981 and Muammar Gaddafi in 1969. The majority of Ugandans were not born when these leaders first took office.

Each of the ousted rulers claimed great success in transforming their economies and catering for their populations through heralded welfare projects.  Yet these leaders were abhorred by their people for creating lopsided economies that strained relations between the wealthy and the poor due to wide gaps in incomes and lifestyles.  The North African dictators built vast financial empires run shamelessly by wives, sons, daughters, sons and daughters in law, relatives and tribes mates; in a manner reminiscent of Sicily’s mafia families.  In 2010 the estimated wealth of these dictators stood at US Dollars128 billion for Gaddafi, 70 billion for Mubarak, and 5 billion for Ben Ali. |It has been reported that Uganda’s President is 13^th wealthiest African. We are also aware of the hundreds of billions of shillings that are consumed by State House every year.  A former Vice President revealed that our government was indeed being run by a mafia gang, and each day Parliament and the media expose multi millions dollar deals involving close relatives and friends of the First Family. 

This wealth which is difficult for the ordinary man to imagine was juxtaposed against profound poverty which in Tunisia led a young unemployed man to self-immolation; triggering a revolution that ousted Ben Ali.  At the time of revolution Tunisia’s unemployment rate stood at 13%, Egypt at 11.08% and Libya at 30%.  In Uganda thousands of graduates pour onto the streets every year looking for jobs. A 2007 report from our labor department showed that the 390,000 students who finish tertiary education each year have only 8,000 jobs to fight for. This means that for every one job that is available there are about 50 people to fill it. Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), reported that of more than 400,000 Ugandans who enter the labour market each year, only about 113,000 are absorbed in formal employment, leaving the rest to join the informal sector. Uganda’s unemployment rate stands at 80% and underemployment, which is mainly prevalent in rural areas, is at 17%. Statistics from the Labour Department show that the labour force in 2007 was estimated at 9.8 million, of which 53% are females and 75% of the labour force are aged below 40.

In Uganda, the First Family is well represented in Cabinet, Parliament and in the military.  They are well placed to influence and implement government policy.  In fact they like to take credit for introducing UPE and during presidential campaigns they promise us prosperity for all, yet the poverty levels and economic indicators are worse than those that existed in North Africa before the revolutions.  In July Uganda’s inflation rate stood at 18.7% while in February the Egyptian government put its inflation at 12%.  In Tunisia, where food prices were among root causes of revolution, inflation was only at a modest 5% in 2010. 

Another pre-revolution commonality among North African countries and Uganda is State repression.  This commonality was well described by Tunisian opposition politician Mohammed Abbou while describing the state of his country after 20 years with Ben Ali in power.  I will quote him to save us from repetition because his words could have been said of Egypt and Libya a few months ago and of Uganda today:

‘A State that does not respect the rule of law, a people paralyzed by fear, and a weak opposition, (are) the result of 20 years in power of the second President of the Republic of Tunisia.’  He added that the state ‘…deliberately places above the laws the powerful who are not accountable to anyone. Nobody is allowed to criticize the powerful, nor to denounce or to evoke the corruption they are involved in. If you do, you will be thrown in jail. No attention is ever given to the cries for help coming from inside, nor to the declarations of our Western partners which sometimes conflict with the secret positions of those who rule Tunisia.


These very institutions (of the state) are sometimes used to persecute the opponents to the current regime who dare criticize it. Their resources are cut short, they are starved and humiliated in such a way they will never forget. They are attacked on the street. Their children are harassed. All this is aimed at ensuring the continued existence of the regime and at guaranteeing its absolute power, a power whose legitimacy rests upon elections which take place in a climate of fear.’

If one were to pick a state in Africa that is ripe for revolution after Tunisia, Egypt and Libya; one would pick Uganda.  We congratulate the people of North Africa for leading the way in mobilizing their populations to bring an end to dictatorship.  As A4C we subscribe to nonviolent action for change and reject the use of arms or violent means to bring about change.  We call on Ugandans of all political shade to join us as we celebrate with the people of North Africa.  We will be hosting a solidarity event at Clock Tower on Friday 2^nd September 2011.  Our ‘Light A Candle’ campaign continues and the next location for the event will be in Gulu next week.

We too shall overcome!

For God and My Country

Hon. Mathias Mpuuga (MP)

National Coordinator

'Light A Candle Campaign' Fundraising Appeal

Dear Friends,

Let me start by thanking each and everyone of you for supporting Activists for Change through dedication to our activities.  A special thanks to those who have gone a step further  to contribute time, ideas, material, financial and moral support to the foot soldiers of our campaigns.  There is no doubt that we are setting the agenda for change for our beloved nation and that is because you have empowered us with your trust, confidence and support.

As you know our current project, 'Light A Candle' campaign is taking us to different regions of the country to remember those who were brutally killed during the Walk to Work campaign of April and May 2011.  Our peaceful activities continue to be met with arrogance, violence and brutality on the part of security forces but we remain focused on implementing our program peacefully nationwide.  With each confrontation we improve our methods of carrying out our peaceful activities.

I am writing to ask for your support for the upcoming regional activities.  We do not pay activists allowances to participate in any of our activities but we do have expenses for organizing each event like hiring Pulic Address Systems (and now we know we may need more than one on standby), travel costs for organizers to event locations, dozens of candles for each event, drinking water and we usually end up with emergency medical and legal expenses as well.  Our activities are 100% supported by individuals at home and abroad.  We have been surprised by people who walk up to us and hand us UGX20,000/= and those who email us and ask to send anywhere from USD$20 to $500 dollars.  Each of these donations is received with humility and gratitude.  The nature of our work is such that even human rights NGOs are afraid to be identified with a group that is increasingly defined as 'terrorists' by the state.  They would risk losing their license if they cooperated with us in anyway.  Those who have given us funding have trusted us after seeing our impact on the ground.  We are nonetheless developing reporting and accounting systems so that people who contribute know exactly how their money is spent.

A4C is making a real difference and their activities are creating waves internationally.  We need funding to continue with our regional activities as scheduled and I would like to invite you to consider making a donation to A4C.  For more information please contact us through our email activists4change@gmail.com or through the Facebook inboxes of any of the A4C Group Administrators. 

Yous faithfully

Anne Mugisha
A4C Promoter

PRESS STATEMENT - Next Remembrance Event at Kireka, Tomorrow.

At Kampala, Uganda August 16^th 2011

We have heard with shock and contempt the disparaging and desperate attempts to associate A4C with plans to carry out violent activities around country.  We are surprised that while we have not made our identity a secret, the State continues to shroud our activities in secrecy and disrepute whereas all our engagements are public, legal and peaceful.  It is a sign of the times that the government chooses to disguise its fear in a web of deceit in order to camouflage its failures and criminal acts against the public.

Our methods are well known to the public by now.  We always engage openly and invite people to peacefully participate in a public show of their discontent without causing any harm to any person.  We despise violence and the use of arms.  We are confident that the people of Uganda can express their displeasure at the status quo without harming anyone. Our activities are deliberately and violently sabotaged by security forces; who have testified in open court that they act on “orders from above.”  We are aware that if such orders were not handed to them, the security forces would be the first to support our demands for sanity in the management of the country and restoring a crumbling economy.

Activists for Change is an open group for all Ugandans who are willing to stand up for what they believe in.  We refuse to witness an economic meltdown without standing up for ordinary Ugandans. We appeal to all conscientious Ugandans to engage the government without fear or favor and to embrace the struggle for change.

We will continue to highlight the failure of government to address the problems of the ordinary person and we shall continue to stand by the man on the street who is suffering as a result of government’s intransigence and failure to implement meaningful and pragmatic solutions.

A4C has a well thought out program of how to call Government to account during the current crisis.  We know that the economic crisis cannot be halted by destroying Mabira Forest to lower sugar prices.  Selling off a natural resource like Mabira will not solve the impending melt down of the economy.  It just serves to distract our attention from the 19% inflation rate, the plummeting shilling and the skyrocketing prices of fuel and food prices which we have lived with since the last general elections.

We call on Ugandans to remain focused on the broader picture.  We can barely afford one meal a day.  We cannot afford transport fares.  We barely afford school fees or the most basic health care.  We are a country under siege by our own security forces.  Our people who rose up to speak on these issues and those who came to witness our campaigns against the crisis were killed in a brutal manner in April and May of this year.  We cannot forget them.

A4C made a deliberate decision to recognize the lives of those innocent lives through the ‘Light A Candle’ Campaign which we launched last week in Masaka.  We shall not be deterred by state inspired shenanigans to lose focus of our set program.  Our remembrance events continue tomorrow Wednesday 17^th August, in Kireka.  The Honourable Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda will host us in his constituency to remember all those who were killed or buried in Kyandondo East Constituency. 

We invite all of you to come and honor the lives of innocent Ugandans who paid the dearest price during the Walk to Work Campaign.  Our activities are peaceful and legal and we do not associate with anyone who wants to break the peace in any manner.  We are aware that the Police is mobilizing thugs to create a situation that aims to taint our good name.  We denounce all violence and any attempt to discredit our activities with violence.  We call on the Inspector General of Police and his cohorts to respect our right to mourn the dead.

We shall also use the occasion to celebrate the acquittal of all our colleagues who were maliciously prosecuted during the Walk to Work campaign.  We ask those in charge of security to ensure that our events are peaceful and protected from unlawful activity.

Mathais Mpuuga (MP)

National Coordinator, A4C

A4C to Launch Light a Candle Campaign in Nyendo, Masaka on August 5, 2011

PRESS RELEASE

Wednesday July 27^th 2011, Kampala, UGANDA

Early last month we took a decision to pause our activities and give government a chance to respond to the people’s cry for help in a distressful economic environment.  We hoped that government would respond to some of our demands through the budget for the new financial year even if the downward economic spiral could not be resolved in one budget speech.  Nonetheless we decided to give government a chance to demonstrate its concern for ordinary Ugandans.

We are now in the last week of July, the budget was read but the band aid solutions to address escalating cost of food and fuel were not enough to seal the gaping wound in the economy.  A cut in taxes on sugar and kerosene was not enough to lower food prices because the price of diesel to transports food and essential commodities to the market has continued to rise. The inflation rate hit 16% in July 2011, as the shilling depreciated very fast against the dollar reaching UGX 2700 to USD$ 1 at one low point.  The impact has been devastating on individuals and small businesses.  More families have stopped buying sugar and many more are getting by on only one meal a day.  Small businesses are closing at an alarming rate because their capital was eroded by the skyrocketing inflation rate and depreciating shilling.

A4C may have stepped aside to give government a chance to respond to the economic crisis, but we had already set in motion a process of citizen engagement and defiance that spread to different groups.  Soon after phase one of our ‘Walk to Work’ campaign, different civic organizations took nonviolent, defiant actions against government to defend their interests or the wider interests of society.  Women in civil society organized a peaceful demonstration over the rising cost of living and against wanton state brutality.  Uganda Law Society organized a demonstration and petitioned the Chief Justice over state brutality against peaceful protestors and innocent citizens.  Free Uganda Now organized actions like the rally in Nsambya to promote free and fair elections but its leaders were blocked and flashed back into Uganda House with powerful water hoses.

KACITA, a traders association; turned Kampala into a ghost city when they defiantly implemented a two-days shut down of their shops to protest the rising cost of doing business.  They were joined by importers and exporters who demanded that government stops the downward spiral of the shilling against real currency.  Shortly thereafter, taxi drivers and conductors under their umbrella organization defied government and UTODA to stage a stay at home strike that made walking to work the only option for many people.  Teachers have become more determined to get a pay raise to the point of rejecting government’s half-hearted responses to their demands.

We watched these events with pride and excitement, observing that Ugandans are becoming more assertive and holding their rulers accountable.  Government has been on the defensive for the last three and a half months and they have failed to come up with plausible excuses or credible interventions to avert further economic crises.  The situation is about to become worse as international relief agencies warn of drought. 

We have used the interlude to get better organized and plan new activities for civic engagement and defiance of bad governance.  The threat of detention without trial is looming over our heads but we shall not let that threat detract us from the suffering of our people.  We intend to carry on with our campaigns regardless of what new punishments the government plans.  We are well aware that even as politicians debate this proposed travesty of our God given rights, some Ugandans will die today for lack of a meal or medicine. We are putting that ordinary Ugandan’s need for nourishment and health ahead of our own need for security and freedom.  To that end we have planned a series of new activities to start next month.

But first we will be honoring those innocent people who lost their lives during the campaign.  We will launch the national campaign in Masaka on August 5th 2011, to mourn Baby Juliana who became a symbol of state brutality against innocent civilians. We shall hold an open Mass in Nyendo Town and we invite you all to join us in remembering those who were slain by our security forces when we came out in peace to campaign for the needs of the ordinary person. 

Let’s light a candle and remember:

Dan “Musa” Wasaga, Charles Odur, Adoni Mugisu, Baby Juliana “Gift” Nalwanga, Ssemugga Kanabi, Sam Mufumbiro, Frank Kizito, Wilber Mugalazi, Augustine Guwatudde, James Mukiibi and other unknown, innocent Ugandans who died at the hands of the State.

Thank You.

For God and my Country!

Hon. Mathias Mpuuga (MP)

National Coordinator, A4C

Obama's Non commital Response to W2W Violence

I wrote a letter to President Obama at the height of W2W campaigns in April/May.  Attached is his dubious response - full of high sounding phrases but absolutely no comment and no committment to Uganda.

Here is the US President's response via my email:

Thank You for Your Message‏

The White House - Presidential Correspondence

To anne@fdcuganda.org

From:	The White House - Presidential Correspondence (no-reply@correspondence.whitehouse.gov)
Sent:	Thu 7/21/11 5:50 PM

July 21, 2011

Dear Friend:

Thank you for sharing your thoughts with me.  Many Americans have written to me about human rights around the world, and I appreciate your perspective.

The United States was founded on the principles of freedom and equality, and our history is marked with triumphs and struggles in fulfilling these timeless ideals.  Our task is never finished, and protecting these core values is a shared obligation and a priority for my Administration.  No nation should be silent in the fight against human rights violations.  When innocents in places like Sudan, Kyrgyzstan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo are raped or murdered, it is a stain on our collective conscience.  I am committed to reinvigorating America's leadership on a range of international human rights issues.

As the struggle for human rights continues around the world, we have witnessed an extraordinary change in the Middle East and North Africa.  Country by country, people have risen up across this region to demand their basic human rights; too often, these calls for change have been answered by violence.  The United States opposes the use of violence and repression against these men and women.  Rather, we support a set of universal rights, including free speech, the freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of religion, equality for men and women under the rule of law, and the right of people to choose their own leaders.  We also support political and economic reform in the Middle East and North Africa that can meet the legitimate aspirations of ordinary people throughout the region.  While change may not come easily, America will stand squarely on the side of those who are reaching for their rights, knowing their success will bring about a world that is more peaceful, more stable, and more just. 

As you may know, the United States has joined the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) and is working to make this body as effective as possible.  My Administration will also advocate for human rights in other international settings.  In our relations with other countries, the issue of human rights will continue to be raised as clearly, persistently, and effectively as possible.  Among other things, we will continue to promote accountability for mass atrocities, respect for the rights of minorities and women, freedom of association and speech, and the freedom for people to live as they choose and love whom they chose. 

Our commitment to human rights is an essential element of American foreign policy and one of our best national security assets.  Through it, we will help to shut down torture chambers, replace tyranny with good governance, and enlist free nations in the common cause of liberty.  To learn more about my Administration's human rights agenda, please visit www.HumanRights.gov/CPo or www.WhiteHouse.gov.  Thank you, again, for writing.

Sincerely,

Barack Obama

Light A Candle

Light A Candle

On Saturday August 5th to 7th, 2011

Light a candle in memory of those Ugandans known and unknown who lost their lives between April 11, 2011 and May 12th or thereafter in the course of campaigning for change or as bystanders who became victims of state brutality.


Light a Candle in Memory of:
People shot and killed in Gulu on April 14, 2011

1. Dan “Musa” Wasaga

2. Charles Odur
3. Adoni Mugisu 

A Baby fatally shot in Masaka on April 21, 2011

4. Juliana Gift Nalwanga

 

People shot and killed in and around Kampala on April 29, 2011

5. Ssemugga Kanabi

6. Sam Mufumbiro

7. Frank Kizito

8. Wilber Mugalazi

9. Augustine Guwatudde

10. James Mukiibi

Light A Candle for the unknown activist and the unknown bystander who died at the hands of Ugandan security forces. 

Join us as we travel around the country lighting candles to honour those who died during the first phase of the Walk to Work campaign.  Venues will be announced next week.

Anne Mugisha

Activist 4 Change