{UAH} RESPONSE to MUSOKE: Questions About the Board of Trustees' Letter
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4:25 PM |
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Mr John Musoke,
I agree that one that "speaks in haste" bites his tongue". My point was that overly delayed responses from our leaders i.e the BoT, Executive and Council...(okay may be not the Council since the Council is dysfunctional!).
The BoT's letter shows clearly that the BoT has known for a while that it would not accept arbitration. They should have stated that position as soon they reached that conclusion. I supposed that many of us that expressed our opinion about arbitration would not have done so if we'd known the BoT's position.
The same thing for matters regarding the Treasurer. Those matters became public before the last "town-hall meeting". Why didn't the BoT address them at that point?
The BoT stated that Mr Moses Wilson and Ms Rosette Serwanga voted against a motion requesting Mr Kwesiga to respect the treasurer's role as the elected person entrusted to handle our money. I want to think that most members (Wilson/Kwesiga camp, Francis camp, independents, etc) would expect the President to respect the treasurer's role. Since Mr Wilson and Ms Serwanga have a different opinion about that, why didn't the BoT tell us the reasons that Mr Wilson and Ms Serwanga gave for their position? Please keep in mind that the BoT (in the same letter) mentioned the importance of transparency in UNAA leadership.
thanks
For a faster response please contact me at 415.789.6427
From: "jjohnmusoke@yahoo.com" <jjohnmusoke@yahoo.com>
To: joseph.musoke@ymail.com
Sent: Thursday, December 12, 2013 10:57 AM
Subject: UNAALIST Questions About the Board of Trustees' Letter
He bites his tongue who speaks in haste! That's why IMHO I think it good for BOT to take their time mulling over issues before pronouncing there self. |
From: Joseph Musoke <joseph.musoke@ymail.com>;
To: <jjohnmusoke@yahoo.com>;
Subject: UNAALIST Questions About the Board of Trustees' Letter
Sent: Thu, Dec 12, 2013 6:02:01 PM
Dear BoT, thanks for your communication. I am glad you have come out to pronounce yourselves on current events in UNAA. Here are my personal views: 1. I think I speak for many members (both that agree with your stated position and those opposed to it) that your long silence was a disservice to UNAA. All the issues you address in your letter have been known to you for a very long time. 2. I think your statement puts to rest the discussion about outside arbitration. I think most members agree with me that any mention of arbitration would have to include the BoT as a party. Since the BoT has now come out clearly rejecting arbitration, that should that discussion to rest. 3. You mentioned some concerted efforts "in the Executive to usurp, undermine and sideline" the Treasurer but you did not tell us what happened. That kind of ambiguity breeds rumors that are not good for the association. Please keep in mind that the "Council 8" sent the BoT and open letter that referred to petitions that the Treasurer allegedly filed with you, but the then Treasurer came to members and denied things that allegedly were in his petitions, then he filed another petition with you. That creates confusion in membership. The BoT owes us an explanation since UNAA finances are very critical to members' trust in leadership. Regardless of what side a member is, no one wants their money messed up. e.g no member came up to defend Mr Moses Bukenya. 4. Significantly, you mention that on a motion to request the President to "support the Treasurer who is the elected officer" to handle our money, your vote was 5-2! You need to tell us why 2 BoT members opposed that motion. 4. You did not tell us the way forward. The members that agree with your position will go on doing so and those opposed will go no doing so. So what is next? thanks For a faster response please contact me at 415.789.6427 From: Muniini Mulera <muniinikmulera@aol.com> To: joseph.musoke@ymail.com Sent: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:52 PM Subject: UNAALIST UNAABOT Letter to UNAA Members on the impasse in the Association Dear Members of the Ugandan North American Association, As the UNAA Board of Trustees (UNAABOT), it is our duty to inform you that the current impasse within the UNAA Executive and UNAA Council is threatening to destroy forever over two decadesof work that brought Ugandans in the Diaspora and at home together in unity, friendship and goodwill. Moreover, these issues have the potential to disrupt the planning and staging of the nextUNAA convention in San Diego in August 2014. Within the Executive Committee, there are concerted efforts to usurp, undermine and ultimately sideline the elected treasurer from fulfilling his constitutionally mandated fiscal responsibilities to you, the members of UNAA. Meanwhile, competing factions within the elected UNAA Council, with one side supported by the President of the Association, are deeplydistrustful of the other which renders any decision almost impossible. As we see it, the root of the current problem is the inclusion of an unelected member of UNAA on the UNAA Council. We maintain that the issue of the non-‐candidacy of Rahim Kabagambe firstarose after the last elections in Dallas, but well before the next elections scheduled for September 2015. The issue, in simple language, was correctly referred to UNAABOT for arbitration. As mandated by the Constitution, UNAABOT properly constituted itself, reviewed the petitionregarding the non-‐candidacy of Mr. Rahim Kabagambe, as well as all the relevant information sent by the Electoral Commission. After carefully deliberating, and in a 6 to 1 vote, theUNAABOT pronounced that Mr. Kabagambe had not qualified to be a candidate and, therefore, was not elected. The members of UNAABOT who supported the decision were Mr. James Serumaga (Boston, MA), Mr. Alexander Zabasajja (Lawrenceville, NJ), Dr. Opiyo Oloya (Toronto, ON), Dr. Muniini K.Mulera (Toronto, ON), Ms. Rosette Serwanga (Boston, MA), and Dr. Sarah Matovu (Macon, GA). Mr. Moses Wilson (Los Angeles, CA) voted against the decision. In a separate review, the UNAA Electoral Commission confirmed the findings of the UNAABOT. Mr. Kabagambe cannot, therefore, sit on the UNAA Council. Furthermore, all business decisionsmade with Mr. Kabagambe on the UNAA Council, including the election of the Council leadership, are null and void. In publicly rejecting the correct conclusion reached by UNAABOT and confirmed by the UNAAEC, Mr. Kwesiga acted outside his mandate as the elected president of the Association. In the email dated September 24, 2013, he initiated a campaign todestroy the reputation and integrity of the members of UNAABOT, and consequently UNAABOT itself as an independent constitutionalorgan of UNAA. In it, the President wrote, "always remain conscious to the fact that you are unelected officials whose role in this matter is to interpret the UNAA Constitution as it is and not as you think it should be." This was an attack on Article 5 of the UNAA Constitution under which UNAABOT was properly constituted to function as the final arbiter on disputes and issues arising within UNAA. As a follow up, on Monday, November 18, 2013, in a teleconference attended by the UNAA President, UNAABOT members voted 5-‐2 in support of a motion asking the UNAA Presidentto take a number of actions to resolve the issues. UNAABOT members supporting the motion were Mr. James Serumaga (Boston, MA), Mr. Alexander Zabasajja (Lawrenceville, NJ), Dr. Opiyo Oloya (Toronto, ON), Dr. Muniini K. Mulera (Toronto, ON) and Dr. Sarah Matovu (Macon, GA). Ms. Rosette Serwanga (Boston, MA) and Mr. Moses Wilson (Los Angeles, CA) opposed the motion. The motion asked that: · The President reaffirm his commitment to respect and uphold the UNAA Constitution. · The President rescind his email of September 24, 2013 in which he questioned, derided and gravely tainted the constitutionally mandated role of the UNAABOT, by contemptuously ignoring itsfindings regarding the nullification of the candidacy of Mr. Rahim Kabagambe. The President advise Mr. Rahim Kabagambe to abide by the decision of the EC anthe UNAA BOT that he was not duly elected and, therefore, to remove himself from the UNAA Council. The President Support the UNAA Council, a body in which he is an ex-‐officio member, so that the 15 elected Council members can organize their leadership. When the Council is properly constituted, that the President follows the Constitutional provisions for submitting names of nominees for Directors and seek their confirmation by a Council meeting with the required quorum. Until then, unconfirmed nominees must not perform duties of the Association. The President support the Treasurer of UNAA who is the elected officer of the Association, with clearly laid out financial duties and responsibilities. The President was to report his plans, decisions and actions to the UNAABOT and abide by the directives of the UNAABOT as required by the Constitution on Monday, November 25, 2013, at 9:00p.m. In his response to the UNAABOT in the email dated Monday, November 25, 2013, and a second email to the general membership on the same day, the UNAA President sounded conciliatorywhile maintaining the status quo. The emails sought to apologize for the "tone of the letter I wrote to UNAA Membership on September 24, 2013". The issue, however, was never about strokingthe egos of individual UNAABOT members. Rather, it was about the deliberate attack on the constitutional mandate of the various UNAA organs including the Electoral Commission, UNAA Council and UNAABOT. To further disorganize and undermine the UNAABOT, and by extension the UNAA Council and the Electoral Commission, Mr. Kwesiga accused UNAABOT of bias in its decision on the Kabagambeissue. According to him, "UNAABOT after what transpired at the UNAA AGM in Dallas ceased being seen by a majority of UNAA members as a neutral party". This view was reinforced in theNovember 25, 2013 letter to general membership in which Mr. Kwesiga wrote, "regarding a dispute on the interpretation of the UNAA Constitution would be completely disrobed of any fairnessif a party to the dispute is also the arbiter." It is unfortunate that the President chose to read the events in Dallas as a referendum on the role of the UNAABOT. The question facing delegates in Dallas was never about the impartiality orcredibility of the UNAABOT. When delegates voted against proposals put forward by UNAABOT, they were not at the same time rejecting the body itself. The false conclusion that Dallas was areferendum on UNAABOT has led to the current misreading that the UNAABOT was biased in concluding that Mr. Kabagambe was not elected. To reiterate, UNAABOT became involved in the Rahim Kabagambe issue when members of UNAA Council concerned about election irregularities petitioned the body to look into the issue.Except as an independent arbiter, at no point was UNAABOT a party to the dispute. Furthermore, this flawed premise was employed by the President in his communication to the members on November 25, 2013, in which he proposed external arbitration as the way forward.Although he sounded upbeat about that route as "an opportunity to amicably and decisively reconcile our positions", UNAABOT soundly rejects the proposal for three very simple reasons. First, both the UNAABOT and the Electoral Commission have already pronounced themselves on the issues surrounding the non-‐candidacy of Mr. Rahim Kabagambe. A single member ofUNAABOT objected to the conclusion reached on the issue. Secondly, such an unprecedented recourse to the courts could never be amicable or decisive. Instead, even if the organization was flush with cash, which it is not, what the President isproposing will dangerously push UNAA to its demise through expensive and endless court challenges and counter suits. Of all the methods for resolving the current standoff, this is one thatUNAABOT opposes, and will never recommend to UNAA members as the responsible way forward. Although elected by the popular vote, we believe that neither the President nor the elected UNAA Council have the mandate to drag UNAA to court without the expressed opinion and consent of the general membership upon the recommendation of UNAABOT. As their names will be on the books to pay court costs and legal fees, members must address directly such undertakings with serious financial implications for the Association. Thirdly, to avoid any ambiguity, the Constitution empowers UNAABOT to arbitrate on issues such as the current ones that impede the smooth functioning of the various organs in fulfilling their duties to UNAA members. What we are seeing is the beginning of the break-‐up of UNAA after more than two decades of uniting Ugandans from diverse backgrounds. In our deeply considered view, the way forward is veryclear. To avert a reckless, irresponsible and unacceptable gamble with the future of UNAA generally, and with members' funds specifically, the President must accept the ruling of UNAABOT on the Rahim Kabagambe question. Mr. Kabagambe retains at all times the right to pursue the matter in a legal forum against UNAA. The President also needs to reach out to disaffected members of the UNAA Council, and respect the work of the Treasurer. Furthermore, it is imperative that all UNAA business is conducted transparently and in accordance with the Constitution and the governing state laws of the State of Massachusetts. To date, especially with regard to finances, a number of business transactions have been carried out without the knowledge and directive of the duly elected Treasurer. These are serious security breaches to the finances of the organization. They must stop forthwith. Finally, mandated by the Constitution and our deep desire to see that UNAA continues to thrive and grow, we see the resolution of the issues as arising from a single action—the respect for the UNAA Constitution. We are committed to working with Mr. Kwesiga as the elected President of UNAA entrusted with the task of leading the Association while respecting the Constitution, the various organs created by that same Constitution, and the vision of UNAA members. However, even as we reach out to the President, as UNAABOT we will not associate ourselves with decisions of the Executive that are carried out outside the Constitution. Indeed, we will do everything within our mandate to ensure the survival of UNAA and its vision of uniting people in service to its members. Yours sincerely, Ugandan North America Association 6257 N Mccormick Rd #118 Chicago, Il 60659 Email: info@unaa.org  |
Ugandan North America Association
6257 N Mccormick Rd #118 Chicago, Il 60659
Email: info@unaa.org
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