{UAH} Commission rubbishes Incompetence Claims and calls this a Mission by the Opposition  to Tarnish the Body
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POLITICAL NEWS
INSENSIBLE TALK
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- Category: Politics News
- Published on 12 December 2013
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Electoral Commission rubbishes Incompetence Claims and calls this a Mission by the Opposition  to Tarnish the Body, moves to regulate the Media Code of Conduct
David K. Nsubuga
The Electoral Commission-EC of Uganda has criticized opposition politicians and some civil society organizations, whose talk portrays the body as being incompetent to organize free and fair elections in the country.
Concerned with repeated condemnations of incompetence and partiality in conducting election exercises that led to irregularities, Jotham Taremwa, the commission’s Public Relations Officer has also thrown the blame to their accusers, saying that they only have intentions of demonizing the commission.
Taremwa who was addressing the media in Masaka about the 2016 general elections road-map, denied that none of their accusers has ever come up to clearly substantiate the EC’s incompetence but only take their talk to the streets.
He criticized the opposition activists for tarnishing the commission’s reputation saying that none of these have ever highlighted specifics explaining this vanity and sloppiness; it has simply remained a rhythm song without any word package.
“It should not be a mere accusation against us but we also want backing evidence to clearly identify our areas of weakness so as to improve according,†he noted.
Taremwa further wonders why the talk is often associated to the high court ruling on the 2016 contested general elections, in which court was adduced to accept that the elections had some irregularities which according to him is not enough to justify the alleged incompetence.
“Court has never declared us incompetent as these people allege although it has faulted some of the elections we have held. We only receive generalities that cannot help us move forward,†Taremwa argued.
He warned that such talk can even cause public incitement into botching the election exercise basing on senseless arguments.
Notably, the opposition politicians in Uganda have often faulted the Electoral Commission of being managed by partial officials who have often bent into the demands of the ruling NRM party, which influences them to work in sympathy and favor of its candidates.
Backed by Civil Society Organizations, they have proposed amendments to the electoral laws ahead of the 2016 elections. For instance CSO under their umbrella body, the Citizens' Coalition for Electoral Democracy in Uganda (CCEDU) want EC renamed the Independent Electoral Commission.
They also call for a detailed process of identifying and selecting persons to be appointed as members of the commission. These also propose that powers be given to the Judicial Service Commission to spearhead the process of identifying fourteen persons and recommend them for appointment to the EC other than the President doing it.
They want the JSC to invite all stakeholders to nominate persons for consideration for appointment. Apparently, the constitution provides for members of the EC to be appointed by the President with the approval of Parliament.
But the CSO’s argue that there is no clear procedure on the identification of the persons appointed as members of the commission which kills the trust and confidence among various stakeholders.
Although, the EC is knowledgeable of these demands, its mouthpiece rubbished them all, arguing that they are uncalled for and cannot be realized at the time. He called them contradictory claims, arguing that by law; the President nominates the Chief Justice, who these people propose that should nominate the EC boss, which according to him is no reform at all.
“In fact these people should think of possible reforms like how to capture Ugandans in the diaspora, and how distant full time government workers can also participate in the election. They are instead focusing on none issues,†says Taremwa.
However, this framework has also placed the fourth estate (media) in a hot fix, as it ushers in tight regulations upon it. On top of the known media codes of conduct and other stringent laws that govern the Media in Uganda, the Electoral Commission, is also designing its own Media code of Conduct to be adopted during election periods.
Dr. Jenny Okello, the Commissioner in charge of the Southern Central region said,†Basing on the consequences that followed the 2011 general elections in Kenya, they found it relevant to regulate the Media in Uganda."
According to her, some media stations are fond of behaving notoriously by crossing the red lines of the dos and don’ts. “We will have to shape public debate held on the media, and arouse their personnels; and we have the mandate to create an enabling environment for elections,†she emphasized, saying that if not well managed, the media can defranchise the exercise.
Edited by Almeidah Karemani
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