Opposition boycott of Parliament a just cause

It is a crying shame that our minister for ICT and National Guidance, Dr Chris Baryomunsi, considers the defence of our inalienable human rights, particularly the right to life, to be an exercise in comedy.

This minister ought to know better. He should know that there is nothing funny about distressed families, of those who were ‘disappeared’ by State security, demanding justice for the dead and missing.. 

All Ugandans must enjoy the full spectrum of their human, civil and political rights and freedoms, including the right and freedom to peacefully participate in the democratic governance of their country.

In the exercise of those freedoms, the same Ugandans should never fear for their lives, or be afraid that an insensitive minister will make wisecracks about the incarceration or torture of a political prisoner.

Holding public officials to account must never be the reason for political persecution. When the police and military are accused of abducting Opposition supporters largely because they are asking hard questions of the government, responsible citizens should never stand by and do nothing.

Those who prefer to choose a Uganda where the rule of law is sacrosanct cannot allow the missing 18 supporters of the National Unity Platform to remain a faceless footnote.

The sacrifices made in speaking out may be huge, given the impunity which informs the sort of ridiculous commentary attributed to the minister, but the enduring hope is that some good may come out of it.

Maybe, those in positions of power will eventually see the folly of ways, realising, however late in the day, that a lawless country benefits no one.

It does not matter who refuses to keep quiet when Ugandans are targeted by the security forces. What is important is that there are people who refuse to be intimidated by State-inspired violence against citizens.

We ought to be thankful for people, including Opposition politicians, who are ready to remind the government of its duty to uphold the law and protect the lives of citizens.

Seen in that light, the ongoing stay-away action by the Opposition in Parliament is a just and legitimate form of protest. A boycott of plenary sittings is a responsible way of pushing the demand for meaningful debate on human rights violations by the State.

The perceived racial profiling of Muslims must be examined as the Opposition insists. In much the same way, we should have an honest discussion about the bleak prospects prisoners of conscience face.

The reckless taunts of regime apologists should never deter the defence of those in detention without trial for their political beliefs.