An Open Letter to a Ugandan Voter (FWD)...

January 2011

Dear Ugandan,

RE: ABUSE OF TAXPAYER MONEY AND WASTAGE OF PUBLIC FUNDS BY GOVERNMENT AND PARLIAMENT OF UGANDA AND 6 ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

As you read this letter, just remember that your primary allegiance is to our country and our flag. Also remember that almost 10 million of our 33 million citizens live in abject poverty, can’t afford to have a decent meal, can’t afford basic healthcare or can’t afford to give their children a quality education. Think of a generation of children that can’t access quality education, an army of educated and uneducated youth that are losing confidence in themselves as a result of massive unemployment - all this because of bad leadership across the board!

Because of love for our country and the respect for our flag, you will think that our president as the custodian of our sovereignty and resources, our government as the ultimate planning authority for our country and our Members of Parliament as protector of our collective public trust should every single day and night be working on how to fix the above and many other problems that confront out country. Every single shilling that comes out of the sweat of toiling Ugandan farmers, teachers, doctors, artisans, fishermen, public servants, etc would be spent on fixing these problems.

It is only when you see what is happening around us that you begin to ask: where did our leaders put their conscience; when did we lose the decency that made each one of us brothers and sisters during our darkest times of the 1970s and 1980s? How did corruption become the virtue that defines our political and economic culture? As you are aware, within a space of a few years, our country has witnessed gross abuses and blatant theft of public funds from the Ushs 5 million that bought are democracy by removing presidential term limits to the Global and GAVI Funds, the Temangalo and CHOGM Scandal, the Ushs 20 Million questionably deposited on the Accounts of all Members of Parliament and many others.

In many ways, financial tyranny and daylight robbery is being passed on Ugandan Tax Payers who struggle day and night for only modest returns. And it is these moneys that are stolen by political leaders and public officials who are in constant collusion to defraud Ugandans through open theft or misallocation of tax payer’s money to support a growing and increasingly burdensome political bureaucracy that includes over 330 MPs, over 70 Ministers, 112 RDCs and over 100 Presidential Advisors, among others.

In the latest rip off, without shame Parliament unreasonably approved a Supplementary Budget of over 602.648 Billion. Following this infamous act, 6.5 Billion widely believed to be a bribe was deposited on the accounts of all MPs, with each getting about 20 million each, officially meant to facilitate them to “monitor” government programmes. Already MPs get all manner of allowances to do the same and the 20
million this time like never before is a big amount and with no guidelines on how the money is to be spent. Without a shame, the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) jumped into the fray to collected tax on the taxpayers’ money that was being siphoned from the consolidated fund.

Fellow Ugandans, the time has come for all of us to condemn and reject official and unofficial corruption. This is the time to say ENOUGH and to reclaim our country from greed and political patronage that have become the hallmark of our governance. If there was any decency left in Government, in political leaders, they would know that the 6.5 Billion fraudulently paid to MPs would:
Increase access to safe water especially in the rural areas by constructing over 2,500 boreholes;
It would promote science education in secondary school by constructing and equipping at least 350 secondary schools with science laboratories;
Improve sanitation in schools and communities by constructing at least 50,000 latrines across the country;
Provide lunch meals for at least 200,000 pupils who go hungry for a complete academic year!
Improve farmers’ access to improved varieties of crops by giving 10,0000 coffee seedlings;
Promote agriculture by providing 3.600,000 hand hoes to small scale farmers;
Reduce youth unemployment and promote the growth of small scale businesses by providing micro credit to at least 300,000 entrepreneurs;
Provide 6 years of funding at the current funding levels to Gulu University, which is on the verge of closure.
And, many more worthy undertakings for our people in urban and rural areas.

As Ugandans, we MUST reject the cosmetic anti-corruption reforms that have only produced anti-corruption institutions, policies and action plans that only postpone action, hoodwink Ugandans and create comfort zones for political leaders, while shameless corruption continues. We implore you to play your part and take the following 6 actions:
1. Applaud and associate with those Members of Parliament who have done the honorable act by refusing to steal from the Ugandan tax payer and returned the money to parliament. So far twelve (12) MPs have done so, and several shown willingness to return it.
2. Demand, at any forum and through whatever medium is available to you that our President immediately takes action against corrupt ministers and restores his personal credibility as a crusader against corruption and also restores honor to the Office of the President.
3. Demand that all MPs, including the Speaker of Parliament return the 20 million fraudulently deposited on their accounts. As long as they don’t do this, they don’t deserve the tag honorable and must be treated as such in public places.
4. Reject any form of bribes during this election as this is part of the ‘blood money’ that our leaders are dishing to the electorate and most importantly DON’T VOTE FOR ANY MP OR LEADER INVOLVED IN CORRUPTION.
5. AND before you cast your vote on February 18, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THAT IF THAT CANDIDATE IS AN INCUMBENT MP, HE/SHE HAS FULLY PAID BACK OUR MONEY.
6. Finally, pass on this letter to 10 other Ugandans you interact with in your neighborhood, at the work place, in your church, hospital and restaurant, and tell them to do the same.

Fellow Ugandan, it is in our power to change the fortunes of OUR country. No where in the world has collective and sustained citizen action for good failed - play your part and do what you can, however modest it seems. Collectively, we will save our country from anarchy in the short and long term.


IT IS OUR COUNTRY. IT IS OUR MONEY. LET US BE PROUD TO BE UGANDANS. FIGHTING AGAINST CORRUPT LEADERS IS AN HONOR WE GIVE TO OUR COUNTRY.


BE PART OF THE ACTION IN THE “RETURN OUR MONEY CAMPAIGN”

UGANDAN PEOPLE - A BOOK ON UNDERSTANDING THEIR CULTURE...

THE BOOK

The book “Ugandan Society Observed” is a selection of Kevin’s best newspaper articles over the last 13 years. The 262 page book contains 111 articles, divided into 14 subject chapters (Religion; Sex and Love; Language; Sport; Music; Education; Media; Poverty and Inequality; Health; Tobacco; Gender and Sexual Orientation; Bazungu and Aid; The Environment; Pot Pourri). Each chapter contains a cartoon by the Monitor’s Moses Balagadde, together with a striking front cover cartoon.



THE AUTHOR

Kevin O’Connor was born in London in 1952. He obtained an MA in Economics from Cambridge University and then spent two and a half years as a volunteer (VSO) teacher in a village in Northern Nigeria . This was followed by a 20-year career with the British Council, with his last posting as its Deputy Director in Uganda . Kevin and his wife Sue, a professional photographer, returned independently to Uganda in 1997 and Kevin began his weekly Roving Eye column, initially in the Sunday Vision and then in the Sunday Monitor. The column has become an acclaimed part of the Ugandan media. Kevin and Sue are also accomplished volunteer athletics coaches.



REVIEWS

Reviews include:



“Forget the travel guide books about Uganda . If If you want insight into the country's media, music, development assistance, foreigners (whites) and sex-life, this collection of articles from the column "Roving Eye" is more entertaining and just as interesting.” Bistandsaktuelt (Norwegian monthly newspaper on Aid and Development)



“Visitors looking for a general read about contemporary Uganda to complement the travel info in the Bradt Guide are pointed to Ugandan Society Observed, a collection of essays written by Kevin O’Connor AKA “The Roving Eye”, the outspoken columnist for The Sunday Vision and more recently The Sunday Monitor.” Philip Briggs The Bradt Travel Guide – Uganda (Internet Update)



"Being Ugandan is more than skin deep. After more than a decade of living in Uganda , no matter how blond one's hair is and how pale their skin is, one is bound to take on all the characteristics of a Ugandan through and through. Kevin has produced a book that anyone coming to Uganda for the first time, and wants to bring themselves up to speed, should buy as a matter of importance." Sunday Monitor, Uganda



"Agree or disagree with him, this book is guaranteed to give you plenty of good reflection as well as great entertainment." Fr. Carlos Rodriguez, Leadership Magazine



“Ugandan Society Observed is a classic read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Congratulations to Kevin.” Rachel Magoola (Ugandan Pop Star)



PURCHASE OPTIONS

Bookshops in Uganda e.g. Aristoc (Ug Sh 15,000).



Websites for purchase include:



Amazon www.amazon.com; Michigan State University www.msupress.msu.edu; Barnes and Noble www.bn.com; the African Books Collective www.africanbookscollective.com. The publisher's website www.fountainpublishers.co.ug (prices vary between websites)



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