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Orikiriza B. Donantus Uganda An Essay on my Experiences with the Ideals, Realities and the Future of Democracy in Uganda   Democracy broadly defined, is a way of governing or leading, that is based on the will of the people. In a democracy, the people being governed have the right to freely decide how they want to be led. In my Community, democracy can be found in multiparty politics in which the Government of Uganda has adopted a multiparty political system following the results of a referendum held in July 2005 in which people favored the adoption of multiparty democracy. From 1986, Uganda has been under a Movement political system of which people seeking to be elected to leadership positions competed as individuals. However, it can be noted that the government under the National Resistance Movement (NRM) has denied enough democratic space to opposing political parties especially Freedom for Democratic Change (FDC) considering the recent march 1 st siege of the high court by armed security forces seeking to re arrest the 6 bailed treason suspects of Peoples Redemption Army (PRA) who are supporters of Freedom For Democratic Change (FDC). These people are tortured while in prison, denied access to relatives, food, drugs and other basic necessities and there standards of living have deteriorated. This recent siege of the high court is what can be called "rape of the Judiciary by the Executive" and yet these two arms of the Government are supposed to be independent. This has led all the Judges in the country to lay down their tools and later, the lawyers. It can therefore be noted that democracy does not exist in our community and the country at large. The President of Forum for Democratic Change Colonel Dr. Kizza Besigye was arrested on 11 October 2005 when he returned from exile in South Africa to compete with the incumbent for presidency.   Retired Colonel Dr. Besigye became popular when he returned from exile and won support of many Ugandans. When President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni feared that giving Kizza Besigye, FDC president enough political space would lead to his defeat, he ordered that the FDC president be arrested and charged with rape and later treason. These charges disorganized the FDC president during campaigns because of constant court appearances. Therefore he could not get enough time to campaign like Museveni. Later, Kizza Besigye won the rape case but was left with treason charges. While at Campaigns, his supporters were intimidated, beaten, tortured, taken to prison, others shot dead and this worsened on the Election Day. The National Resistance Movement as a party led by President Museveni has denied the opposing party Freedom for Democratic Change (FDC) led by Retired Colonel Dr. Kiiza Besigye enough political space through such intimidations and violation of the rule of law. Even after a referendum, the NRM party denied other political parties enough time to organize by immediately announcing presidential elections. Therefore other parties could not easily mobilize resources to run these elections. Again, they could not easily elect leaders at all levels including National Regional, District, County, Sub County, Parish and Village levels. This shows that the ideals, the realities and the future of democracy in our community and the country- Uganda is at stake. Meaning of democracy to me Democracy means that people's views and ideas are important, and that they are the main decision makers. Participation in decision making can be done directly, for instance through elected representatives. Those elected into public offices are accountable to their electorate and it is important to hold elections periodically so as to test whether the people still have confidence in their leaders. At the end of it all, democracy seeks to promote the principles of equality and justice for all citizens. Democracy also means that there should be regular free and fair elections for eligible voters. In Uganda, eligible voters must be citizens of Uganda and of 18 years and above. Democracy also means that Government decisions are based on the existing rules and guidelines (laws). Democracy means that citizens participate in the decision making process and government is responsible, accountable and open in making and implementing decisions. Democracy also means respect for the fundamental human rights that include freedom of speech, movement, association or relating to fellow members of the society and expression. Democracy is a way of governing based on the "will of the people", which means that people have the power to decide freely how they want to be governed. Citizens take part and share responsibilities in governance. In other words, democracy is a rule by the people, power belongs to the people and the government is answerable to the people In a democracy, the views of the people are considered. People make decisions either directly or indirectly through elected representatives. It is through regular elections that people get a chance to test the performance of their leaders by asking them to account for what they did right or wrong. Also, democracy implies that all the three different arms of the government of Uganda, the Executive, Legislature and the Judiciary perform their roles without interference. In Uganda, Democracy has been poorly interpreted by some people in the community and even the Government for instance the recent siege of the high court by security men who forced their way into the Courts criminal registry and re arrest Six Peoples Redemption Army (PRA) suspects who had been granted bail by the high Court has left the meaning of democracy in Uganda hanging as security agents way laid the suspects in front of the High Court building and forcefully bundled them onto waiting pick-up trucks in front of Principal Justice James Ogoola. The besieging of the High Court, hardly two years after the November 16th, 2005 siege by the Black Mambas, prompted the judiciary to announce an indefinite suspension of court activities, the first time in 44 years. This implies that the Executive as an arm of the government does not respect democracy and the rule of law when it interfered in the affairs of the Judiciary. This implies that Uganda is heading to a crisis because of the "breakdown of the rule of law". Reasons as to why I work for democracy and an active citizen. Democracy recognizes that people are the highest authority and the people are the main source of power. People are the source of power and all laws, rules and decisions must reflect the will of the people. In the first instance, I work for democracy to promote transparency and accountability through the fight of corruption in public bodies so as to enhance fair play, justice and equal opportunities, equity and non discrimination which are underlying principles of human rights. In Uganda, corruption is very high especially in public offices for instance political corruption is very rampant in Uganda's electoral process. This has manifested in terms of abuse of public resources especially during election campaigns. Government leaders have always been involved in a ritual of donations to schools, Community projects, charitable organizations and other causes where elections are scheduled to take place. Almost all political parties are involved in distributing food staffs, gifts, money and other material goods in order to induce voters to vote for them. This has had serious consequences on governance and the electoral process as follows: •  Elections have not been free and fair thereby denying the nation quality leadership •  Electoral corruption has bred an institutionalized culture of bribery and perpetual expectation of hand outs by the electorates thereby killing the basic essence of elections •  Worsening economic crisis resulting in mass poverty and destruction of local industry •  Serious violations of human rights •  People's loss of confidence in political leaders and government institutions •  Poor service delivery by government agencies   Therefore iam a democracy activist because although Uganda claims to be   democratic Country, this has not been the case and many leaders have followed un democratic practices to claim leadership positions right from village, Parish Sub county, County, district, Parliamentary and presidential elections. Therefore it is my role as a democracy activist to sensitize people about the un democratic practices of some of these leaders so that they are not voted into power when the time for the next elections nears in 20011. The whole world can witness the undemocratic practices that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party in Uganda led by President Museveni has inflicted on the Freedom for Democratic Change (FDC) led by Colonel Retired Dr Kiiza Besigye. Acts such as constant intimidation, harassment of supporters of opposition, arrests and many others show disrespect for the rule of law.   It is imperative to note that democracy as a form of governance is good in its own right because it is important for people to decide what they want for them selves thus it is their freedom to choose leaders who are able to deliver services for development, make decisions that reflect their aspirations or what they aim at in life, their will and general thinking. I work for democracy to promote freedom so as to enable one to make choices or do things without being worried by or stopped by others. Freedom however does not mean that we can do anything we like or want. Since we live in society with other people, we have to make sure that what we are doing does not harm or limit the freedoms of others. Freedom should therefore not be enjoyed at the expense of others for example, the Constitution of Uganda provides for freedom of movement. This freedom does not mean that one can graze ones cows or goats on another persons land without permission. More still, I work for democracy to promote accountability. If leaders are elected freely and fairly, the people who elected them can request for information on how they are running the offices they occupy. If elected leaders are not effective, then the people who elected them can decide not to vote for them. I am an activist for democracy to ensure equality before the law where by every person is governed by the rule of law and all people are required to abide by the law. In democracy, no one should be discriminated against by reasons of Gender, religion or tribe and the ideas of each group should be treated equally. In Uganda, there has been discrimination of certain classes of people especially the so called "marginalized groups" such as Women, People with Disabilities (PWDS) and those living with HIV aids. These groups have always been discriminated from taking leadership positions on the basis of their Gender and class. It is my role as a democracy activist to sensitize people about certain International conventions prohibiting discrimination of certain classes of people by gender for instance the United Nations Convention on the elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Article 7 (a) of CEDAW states that "States parties shall take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against Women in the political and public life of the country and in particular shall ensure to Women on equal terms with Men the right to vote in all elections and public referenda and to be eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies". Many people and particularly Women in Uganda have not participated in the public political life of the country because they lack sensitization on the political rights granted to them by such International conventions and therefore iam an activist to sensitize people on the democratic principles granted by such conventions.   Furthermore, Iam a democracy activist to promote peace and political stability. Democracy provides clear procedures to be followed in changing from one government to another or one form of governance to another. Conflicts are resolved through debates, negotiations and compromise. In Uganda for example, there is political instability in the North and Southwestern regions because of disrespect of the rule of law and democratic principles as stipulated in the 1995 Constitution. Democracy provides a framework for justice and fairness as it provides for fair treatment and justice to all people. It provides for a framework for enjoyment of human rights. In Uganda, there has been disrespect for human rights and the rule of law and as a democracy activist, I work towards ensuring that justice and fair treatment of all people is achieved Vision of an ideal society My vision of an ideal society is a democratic Uganda where government is accountable to its citizens and in which all the citizens freely and willingly participate in the social, political and economic affairs of the country with: •  Recognition that power belongs to the people •  Greater freedom •  A Just society •  Equality before the law •  Respect for the rule of law •  Respect for fundamental human rights and equal opportunities for all. Also, an ideal society is one that is free from corruption. It should be noted that no anti-corruption strategy, no matter how well-designed and well-intended, can succeed without a broader commitment to two overarching requirements: The first is an independent judicial system based on a rule-of-law regime and that includes the concept of due process and the principle that the rule of law applies equally to everyone--from the poorest and least-privileged person to the highest echelons of government and society. The second requirement is a government that is open, accountable, and transparent. All these have not been realized in our society and the entire country Uganda. One of the steps to get to an ideal society is the active participation of all Ugandans in the decision making processes during elections now that Uganda is in multiparty democracy. Participation of Citizens should go beyond casting a vote during elections to include participation in the activities that contribute to the well being of Ugandans in general such as formulation of government policies which enhance development.   In a nut shell, another step is government respect for the independence of the Judiciary and the rule of law by ceasing "the intimidation of judges and lawyers in proceedings related to the trial of Dr. Kiizza Besigye and his co-accused." It should be noted that Government interfered with the independence of the Judiciary considering the recent siege of the high court by armed soldiers to re arrest the Peoples Redemption Army (PRA) suspects who were to be granted bail by the high court. It is called for the immediate enforcement of the court orders to release the 12 PRA suspects accused of treason together with FDC president Colonel Dr. Kiiza Besigye.