By Charles Odongtho

Ugandan President and host of this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Yoweri Museveni has called on delegates to the People’s Forum to emphasize environment protection when their forum starts on Monday.

Museveni caused laughter in the large hall accommodating over 1,500 delegates when he called himself an environmentalist. The Ugandan leader is more known for his recent attempts to give away one third of the only natural forest in Uganda, Mabira, for sugar cane growing.

While environmentalists feared that the loss of hundreds of endangered species, increased erosion, the damage of livelihoods of local people, negative impacts on water balance and regional climate would result from cutting down the forest, Museveni and supporters hoped sugar cane production in the forest land would create more than 3,500 jobs.

The President suggested that a shift from subsistence agriculture to service provision in towns can be a way of getting the large rural population into the urban areas to work in hotels, banks and factories.

“In 15 years Uganda’s population will be 54 million and in 25 years we shall be around 130 million people. How can we get all these people out of the rural areas where they put so much pressure on land?”

The president said one of the biggest challenges Uganda faces is contending with the nomadic lifestyle of the Karamojong cattle keepers in North Eastern Uganda. He said through over grazing they deplete the environment.

But yet more interesting in president Museveni’s speech was the way he ended his talk on environment protection.

He said, “Environmental damage in Africa is out of necessity. In developed countries it is out of greed. The developed world has greed for profits”.

• Does Museveni’s conclusion mean a kind of justification for developing countries to deplete the environment for development purposes?
• Could it be understood to mean that Museveni wants the developed world to protect the environment more than the underdeveloped?

By Charles Odongtho

Two years of preparations and discussions of whether or not Uganda as a country will be able to host the biggest event so far in its history, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), the event is finally here.

The city is gripped with the CHOGM fever. Heavy security, sirens of police escort vehicles receiving delegates from outside, newly patched-up roads, flags hanging on trees and roadside poles, and so on, and the city is ready to host the biggest event ever in Uganda’s history. Another event of such a magnitude was the OAU meeting that was hosted by President Amin, the late Ugandan dictator in the 1970s.

Back then the media was not as developed as it is today and the civil society was almost dead. In contrast, today, the two are very active. The media in particular has grown in leaps and bounds and has curved itself as a strong critical voice of the excesses of the Museveni government.

Museveni himself realises the power the media wields in his country and will not hesitate to call in a talk-show or go to a studio to air out his views.

It is along this thinking that President Yoweri Museveni came out during a press conference this afternoon shortly before he opened the Commonwealth People’s Forum, to appeal to the media to support the big meeting through a positive coverage of the events. He said the biggest advantage of the event is in terms of the economic opportunities that CHOGM will bring to Uganda.

But even as he appealed to journalists, both international and the local media here for a positive coverage of the event, the journalists seemed a lot more concerned about the inconvenience of road closures and diversion of traffic flow within the Kampala city centre. They asked Museveni whether the big meeting means any relevance to the ordinary Ugandan who will be inconvenienced by the heavy security in the centre of town, being sent away from the roadside kiosks and booths where they have been doing their petty businesses for years, and some arrested by police for looking suspicious especially at night, and so on and so forth.

The President said he would cross-check to see if there were some people who are being arrested innocently.

But he defended measures taken by security during the meeting. Museveni, who will for the next two years be chairman of the meeting, said it is okay for some roads and streets to be closed and diverted to avoid inconveniencing the visitors and schoolchildren. He said he was in agreement with the two days of public holiday announced for 22 and 23 November.

Looking relaxed, the President said that “up to 10,000 visitors will come and spend their money in Uganda during the big meeting. If each of the 10,000 can spend even 1,000 dollars, then we shall get a lot of money as a country”.

He added, “A country is like a body. When the mouth takes tea, the good effect is felt by the entire body, including the legs and the back and yet the back and the legs may not even get involved or even know that the mouth is taking tea.” Journalists laughed.

The message: that even if we, as journalists, criticize government for spending huge amounts of money on the event, the revenue that direct beneficiaries are getting will trickle down indirectly to benefit all Ugandans. He said that the holding of the meeting is just a practice for doing bigger things in the future.

On democracy, good governance, the rule of law and human rights, Museveni said that these are issues that the country has already handled. He talked more about the need to do trade with the delegates from different countries and their people.

He dodged discussing at length questions about the Pakistani leader General Pervez Musharaf, who will not attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala. Museveni, himself an army-general like Musharaf, though now retired, said that the Pakistani leader had been asked to “correct certain things” which he hasn’t.

But it is left to be seen how Museveni with his colleagues in the ‘Commonwealth Club’ will discuss the critical issues of good governance, democracy, the rule of law and how he can practice a common value and respect for human rights like his colleagues in the club do. We wait to see that by Friday and in the days following.

Museveni told the journalists that the emphasis of his government is power and energy. He said the country needs cheap and more efficient electricity and rail transport to develop fast.

Without mentioning anybody, he said that “hecklers” should stop criticizing government plans.

The opposition is worried and has already expressed fears that after the meeting, Museveni will revert back to a militant way of handling descent and opposition. As CHOGM gets underway with all the excitement, let’s wait to see how the ordinary Ugandan benefits from the meeting.

By Naomi Karabungi

Joel Besekezi hosted Richard Weyers, Director, British Council, Uganda and Matt O’Neill of Cordovan Digital on his one-hour talk-show on UBC TV, today 18 November 2007 from 1200 to 1300 hours.

Donned in a yellow jacket, a white shirt and black pants, and strategically positioned in the middle, Richard Weyers stands out from Matt and Joel who are ‘branded’ in their maroon People’s Forum Blog t-shirts.

While the Commonwealth Heads Of Government Meeting (CHOGM) is arguably the most serious event that is yet to happen in Uganda, the show takes off on a note of humour and simplicity. Richard’s very first response gets them all laughing out loud. “So, what is CHOGM?” Joel asks. Instead, Richard chooses to say what it’s not: “CHOGM is actually not the Queen’s husband!”

Having excited us to listen, he explains that CHOGM is in itself a one-day political meeting strictly for the heads of states and governments of the Commonwealth countries; but there are lots of pre-events like the Commonwealth Youth Forum, Commonwealth Business Forum and the Commonwealth People’s Forum.

Richard Weyers explains that the Commonwealth People’s Forum gives a chance to civil society citizens and NGOs alike to advise the political heads about issues that concern their society.

(Editor’s note: We are trying to get a copy of the video which will be dropped into the blog.)

For about the first eight minutes, we have forgotten that Matt and Joel are in the studio too. Richard is showing off his knowledge (and I am sure his passion) for the People’s Forum; the guy actually answers everything even before he is asked! Phew! I am wondering how this show will run for the next 52 minutes; as far as I can see, Richard has already said everything about the People’s Space at the Hotel Africana and the various activities that will take place through the week: the workshops, the concerts and the allocated spaces. He even describes the huts in the Space and the gate that gets you there without going through the hotel. And by the way, entrance (and exit) is FREE to all!

Matt O’Neill explains that blogging is ‘sort of an online diary that includes images, and audio-video recordings.’ A team of 5 Ugandans (including Joel) have been put together to provide a platform for the public through blogging.

“We shall have pictures, recordings and interviews of what’s going on in the various workshops for those people that for one reason or another cannot come to the People’s Space,” says Matt.

That’s what blogging is about; everyone can have their say. And if you have a hiccup with blogging, just tap anyone you see in a maroon t-shirt!

Generally, the show takes a smooth run, until the live call-in begins and the phone lines start squeaking. Somehow, Joel manages to get through some calls by shouting over the din for callers to ‘please turn down the volume of your set’ over and over again. One caller named Susan calls in about 4 times; that’s maybe because Joel is such a charmer? Another caller asks how CHOGM will end corruption in Uganda and once again, I am impressed by Richard’s answer: civil society encompasses all these realities; everyone can represent these issues and even pressurise government through the People’s Forum!

Thanks to British Council, this is the first blog covering the Commonwealth People’s Forum.

Considering that CHOGM represents a third of the world’s population, blogging is the way to go: while not everyone can come to Kampala to participate (CHOGM itself is a closed event for heads of states only), wherever you are, you can be a part of this through the people’s forum. Inclusion is the way to go; come and join in the conversation!

By Joel Besekezi

With Uganda hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in not so long a while, preparations are in higher gear than ever before. Lots of facelifts, road repairs, security deployment, dry runs and much more are going on to ensure the meeting is a success.

As one of the pre-CHOGM meetings, the Commonwealth People’s Forum, (CPF) has caught the public eye. The five-day event officially opens Sunday, 18 November 2007 and the opening is to be presided over by HE Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, the host President of CHOGM 2007.

A lot is underway to ensure the forum is a big success. Notable in the CPF is the People’s Space, where the general public are invited to freely participate and be a part of CHOGM, something that has not happened before in any of the previous CHOGM events. To sugar-coat the CPF, blogging is to be covered by a group of five individuals dressed in maroon t-shirts with name tags, inscriptions about the blog and the blog web address.

At a glance, one can tell it’s going to be a great and fulfilling event which ought not to be missed by any Ugandan. Owing to the fact that entrance is not restricted and is also free, people from all walks of life are expected to come and be a part of this coveted event as they discuss issues pertaining to:

• Environment and Natural Resources
• Governance, Participation and Human Rights
• Economic Development
• Education for Transformation
• Health
• Culture, Creativity and Identity

COME AND JOIN IN THE CONVERSATION

By Elizabeth Kameo

It is amazing how something you least expect to hear will suddenly pop out at the right time and in the right forum. That is what immediately came to mind a few minutes after I walked into Katonga Hall at Hotel Africana to attend the InterAction Workshop ahead of the Commonwealth People’s Forum (CPF).

Organised by British Council Uganda the workshop helped participants reflect on challenges and opportunities. It also provided them with different methods and approaches to enable them to make even more of a difference and to effect change, not only at the forum, but also in their circles of influence.

And it came as no surprise when Owere Usher Wilson, National Chairman of Amalgamated Transport and General Workers’ Union brought up the issue of Muslims and terrorism.

We live in a world where terrorism seems to be on everyone’s mind, where people live in fear of when the next terrorist bomb will go off, so really, talking about something like this at the CPF is certainly a good idea. Innocents have been killed and the hunt goes on. But what’s more worrying is the fact that to most people, every Muslim is a terrorist.

“How do we use this forum to do away with the belief that all Muslims are terrorists?” pointed out Wilson. According to him, the Muslims should not think that everyone from the West is an enemy. While on the other hand, people should not believe that every Muslim is a terrorist. His idea is that while there are those making Muslims believe that the West is the enemy, leaders need to utilise the kind of model used by British Council at the workshop to educate people.

However, how can we go beyond just talking about this to implementation? How can we trust that one is not necessarily a terrorist just because of their Islamic belief? And how can we use forums such as the CPF to help change this belief?