There is no Democracy without Dissent


By Michael Aboneka jr
(SOURCE: INTERNET)
The right to dissent is by and large an extension of the freedom of conscience, expression, movement, religion, assembly and association enshrined under Article 29 of the Constitution of Uganda, 1995. Uganda too signed the African Charter on democracy, elections and good governance (ACDEG) in December 2008, which espouses the right to dissent and holding opinion important for any democracy. The charter further under Chapter 4 enjoins states to protect such freedoms and under article 27(8), States are enjoined to protect and promote the freedom of expression, opinion and the press and media. Now that Uganda has committed to promote and protect these freedoms, why is the right to dissent in this country becoming increasingly an offence?

Recently, a group of students in Makerere university were opposed to the arbitral increment of tuition to which they took to the “streets” of the University for a peaceful demonstration exercising the right to peaceful demonstration and opinion under Article 29 of the Constitution of Uganda and 27(8) of the ACDEG and to surprise (especially if you live in Uganda), they were pounced on, harassed, assaulted to police cars and arrested. Over 30 students were arrested and bundled to Wandegeya police station, denied access to lawyers and even food! What crime did they commit-having a different opinion? Be that as it may, we also learned later that the arrested and assaulted students were suspended while they were in the cells. This is the worst joke of democracy I have ever witnessed. How do you arrest a student for speaking out on the arbitral increment of tuition? What happened to the great Makerere University where we promote intellectual debates? What happened to the right to fair hearing under Article 28 of our Constitution? Is the Makerere University administration and the State murdering our own Constitution once again?
We need to stop pretending. If we are indeed a free democratic state as we call it, then the practice of the same should be seen! Dissenting views must be respected all the time because that is what democracy is and as long as we don’t respect them, and then we are a pretending democracy.

It has further become increasingly difficult to hold a different view than those in power and it seems that only government and those in power are the only monopoly of opinion. We have had series of events such of which is amending of the Constitution to remove the age limit for the President, which is famously known as the “togikwatako” period where all those that were opposed to lifting of the age limit were pounced upon, beaten, detained including our own MPs. Several rallies were reigned on and stopped because they were opposed to the lifting of the age limit and on wonders why then there was public consultation in he first place only to be suffocated by the sate militia. We have recently had a journalist assaulted, arrested and detained for his beautiful writings to which some thought it was not nice reading to their eyes! Ina democracy you don’t arrest, intimidate and detain “brains,” you rather engage in an intellectual contest-you write back and honorably disagree. No amount of tear gas or heavy deployment of militia can change a mind, at least not mine---so it is fetching water in a basket when the state deploys such means of harassment, assault on dissenting views…they do not take away our opinions or mind.

To those who fill we should not have dissenting views, where should those with dissenting views go? How should we live without debate? How should we live with only one opinion? As a country, we need to think critically about these issues because as a citizenry, we shall always speak out our minds, like I am doing in this article and it is always our right to do so and whoever feels disturbed b our opinions, before they procure tear gas or order brutal arrests, they should invest in reading and writing intellectual rebuttals to our opinions-this is what they call democracy.

Moving forward, our leaders must respect our views whether in agreement or in dissent because they are our views and they matter too. Secondly, public participation in all affairs of the sate is a right guaranteed under Article 38 and for that reason, there will always be different views pinions different policies and decisions and it is still our right as citizens to challenge any undemocratic and arbitral policies that do not reflect our will and power for the leaders are our servants and must at all times respect our views! As we move towards elections (which are supposedly the means of change of government for a democratic state), we need to respect all views and if the right to dissent is abused further, I think elections will be meaningless for Uganda!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why we should worry about the growing inequality in Uganda

by Michael Aboneka   Uganda continues to grapple with worrying inequalities and regional imbalances.  According to World Bank (2022), half of the population was moderately food insecure and the poorest households were unable to buy food products in the desired amounts. This means that half of our population is a hungry one which can do anything for survival.  In 2021 the Ministry of Finance reported that 28% of Ugandans were poor increasing from 18% prior to COVID-19 era with about two thirds of Uganda losing income and the economy and business still staggers while the gap between the poor and rich widens further because the poor and less privileged are affected adversely proving that  Uganda’s growth is not inclusive. Recently; I saw a number of colleagues expressing their disappointment after some young men stole side mirrors of their cars in broad day light in Kampala and they were left helpless; they couldn’t even run after the thieves. The same state of hopelessness is true to maj
Read more

The US Africa-summit: What is in it for Uganda?

  By Michael Aboneka The US Africa summit, the first of its kind for eight years, following the end of the era of Donald Trump and his America first policy, just concluded. With US President, Joe Biden, deliberately playing a different tune from his predecessor Donald Trump. His was indeed a courting ode, with a promise that the US is "All in on Africa's future”. Even more endearing was the declaration that “Africa belongs at the table in every room — in every room where global challenges are being discussed and in every institution where discussions are taking place” that accompanied the promise that US will support African Union joining the G20 group of large economies as a permanent member.  Biden announced $2 billion in humanitarian aid for Africa to address acute food insecurity, with emphasis that Africa has potential to feed itself and the world and a joke that he, like a poor relative, will visit Africa and spend a long time there. The cheery tone and overt support fro
Read more

The Computer Misuse (Amendment) Bill 2022 cures no mischief

  By Michael Aboneka Jr Hon. Muhammad Nsereko sought leave of Parliament to table an amendment bill to the Computer Misuse Act in February 2022 and has now tabled the bill on the floor of Parliament. In my view, there is nothing new that the new law is seeking to cure and I am waiting to read the Regulatory impact assessment and the justifications thereof beyond public debates.  From the proposed long title of the bill, objectives and the clause on defects in existing law, it is not clear and specific enough of what mischief the bill intends to cure. The amendment seeks to largely protect the right to privacy, prohibition of unlawful access to data and spreading of false information which are already protected by existing legal frameworks such as the Constitution, Children Act, the Human Rights Enforcement Act 2019, Penal Code Act, Data protection and privacy Act 2019 among others. All these provide layers of protection that the bill seeks to do and by large, the amendment will only du
Read more