Dead AID personified in Uganda

It’s amazing how reading the book ‘Dead Aid’ by Dambisa Moyo has suddenly made me very aware of how the misuse of development aid is destined to keep us poor and dependent. I have not had to wait more than two weeks before the the personification of this fact appeared in the form of the hideous deputy prime minister Gen. Moses Ali.

The issue at hand was the revolt by young members of parliament who would simply not approve a world bank loan because they felt that the reason it was being sought was did not seem to be for the benefit of Ugandans. In short they were saying that we do not need to borrow money if we do not need it.

Common sense, one would think. That was until the honorable retired general Moses Ali stood up and told the rebellious members of parliament to just approve the loan and leave the discussion of the details to another time as the World Bank wanted the agreement signed within the next two days!

When the MPs jeered and booed, he responded by saying he could not understand how Uganda could refuse money when it is being freely offered, other countries might get the money instead. The fact that generations of citizens will be committed to paying off the ‘free’ loan was clearly lost on him, or was it? I guess that fact that the fat political classes have been feeding off the carcass of tax payers for years has insulated from the realities of life, or worse they are far too thick to grasp the basics of economics.

The scenario deteriorated even further today. Apparently the Uganda government Spends close to $150million a year on the treatment abroad for Ugandans. Why this is shocking is that this figure is equivalent to the amount that multilateral donors loan to Uganda to support her health services. And therefore as we get more indebted the same money is used to send people abroad for treatment rather than improve health facilities in the country.

But the real devil is in the detail: Who exactly is being treated abroad and for what ailments? The answer is simple, only the well connected senior government officials and their close relatives have a chance of getting approvals from the medical council and the treasury to access this funding. It’s very telling that the permanent secretary for ministry of Health says ‘ you cannot tell people where they should be treated’!!!! With public funding??? I was speechless.

One can only imagine how much would be needed to put Mulago Hospital back on her feet, how much would it take to provide maternity kits in every district hospital, ow much would it cost to provide an ambulance at every health centre. The truth is the people who can bring about change don’t really care, they borrow money in our names and then use it to send their daughters to Germany to have their babies. Dead AID indeed.

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Will any civil liberties and freedoms survive

President Yoweri Museveni has signed into law the Regulation of Interception of Communications Bill, 2010, giving powers to security officials to listen into private communication if they have sufficient reason to suspect the communication is in aid of criminal activity. (The Monitor Newspaper.)

This is something that has been brewing for years  and was passed by parliament last year and now has been signed into law, a few days after the Al Shabab bombings. And my fears have been growing steadily. Its an open secret that the government has been tapping phones, illegally, for years. Everyone has learnt to watch what they say on the phone and others keep multiple phone lines hoping it will provide privacy.

The only saving grace was that they could not use the evidence gathered this way in a court of law.

 Telecom companies are obliged to give government security agencies cooperation to place their (agencies’) tapping gadgets on their network equipment with the aim of enabling the security men access private conversations or exchanges.
But according to the law, only a High Court judge can grant permission to a state security operative to tap into a person’s communication. The Act provides for the establishing of a monitoring centre manned, operated and controlled by designated technical experts appointed by the Security minister.(The Monitor Newspaper) 

Now initially in the draft law all that was required was that the minister of security, or the inspector general of police, or the head of the prisons service, or either of the heads of the external/ internal security intelligence services, or the army commander could order for your phone to be tapped.

Clearly this was scaled back to require judicial consent for such an act. However, with constant tapping taking place and the wanton disregard for the laws of the land, can we honestly believe the officers mentioned above or their juniors will not take liberties with the civil liberties of the man on the street, or even more likely, those of people considered ‘enemies of the movement system.’ And with the business world tied into an incestuous relationship with the political and security apparatus it is foreseable that commercial communications could be intercepted and abused.

Having multiple sim cards is pointless as everyone is required to register their phone lines. Thus the only way to really have a really private conversation is to do it the old fashioned way, at the pub huddled over a bottle of beer. So there is some benefit to all this, we just might regain the social contact we have lost due to the advent of the mobile phone.

But then again, there is an ominous erosion of civil freedoms in Uganda, it is slow, but very steady. Currently in kampala one needs clearance from the Inspector General of Police, no less, in order for more than 5 people to meet in one place. He insisted that all one needs is clearance to meet, not permission. Splitting hairs? I agree, but the implimentation with be interesting to observe and politics will intrude………elections are round the corner. After all who really can keep track of all the Kwanjulas, night prayers, funeral vigils, birthday parties etc in kampala….it is impossible!!!

With the Public Order Management Bill also on its way to Parliament, will Ugandans finally be denied the right to meet, talk in privacy, protest in public or speak on a radio talk show.

 There is a Bill Of Rights in our 1995 Constitution, does it mean anything to our members of parliament. I am not holding my breath, they would sell their mothers for a kilo of maize meal.

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Looking Back (The Uganda Parliament and the Coat of Arms)

Until the 9th of October 1962, Uganda was a British Protectorate and thus was administered under Her Majesty’s coat of arms ( the lion and the unicorn). The brand new legislative council building was also appropriately branded ( no pun intended).

The Lion and the Unicorn adorn the legislative building of the Uganda Protectorate

On the first anniversary of independence, 9th October 1963, a group of Gayaza High School girls visited the parliament buildings, now branded with the Uganda coat of arms (the crane and the Uganda Kob).

Gayaza High School girls visit the parliament buildings in kampala on 9th October 1963

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