Prime
What drives FDC’s Ingrid Turinawe?
Ms Turinawe. FILE PHOTO
The opposition is taking the fight for its right to exist and operate in what should be Uganda’s multi-party political dispensation to the authorities in the face of unrelenting resistance from the Police and security services. Risdel Kasasira spoke to one of the frontline troops in the Forum for Democratic Change’s Ingrid Turinawe. Excerpts:-
Who is Ingrid Turinawe?
I’m the national chairperson of the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Women League, and the chairperson of ‘Women for Peace’ under the Inter-Party Cooperation (IPC), the campaign launched by women leaders in FDC, Uganda People’s Congress and Justice Forum. I started [participating in] politics as a local government councillor and I was the speaker for Rukungiri District council for eight years. I later contested for Member of Parliament but my victory was stolen. That’s why I’m fighting the Electoral Commission (EC) which rigged away my victory. And I will continue fighting it because I don’t want to be rigged out again in 2011.
What is your philosophy about life?
First of all, I believe in myself. I don’t want to do things to please others. Never do things to please others. I believe in justice for all.
You have been at the forefront of organising women under the IPC to get security off-guard and demonstrate against the government’s delay in introducing electoral reforms. How do you do it?
Secrecy has been our strength. Our strength that has made us defeat these security agencies is secrecy. We resorted to this because the environment we are operating in is not good at all. The police have proved to be more partisan than a national force. They intimidate and suffocate us. You tell them, you want to hold a peaceful demonstration, but instead of protecting you, they block you.
That’s why we have decided to be secret. It’s our strength. When you tell them, they block you before you start. They provide insecurity instead of security. The fact that we plan our things and the security agencies never get to know about them shows cohesion and unity within our organisation.
It has really worked for us because we have demonstrated despite their resistance and that’s why Maj. Gen. Kale Kayihura (The Inspector General of Police) invited us yesterday (Thursday) for a meeting, which I think was fruitful.
We have agreed with him that we shall inform him next time, when we are going to demonstrate. He is aware that our demonstrations will go on for the next one year until the real electoral reforms are put in place.
We plan to have our next demonstration on March 8. We started on January 14 and these activities will go on up to Election Day or until [EC chief Badru] Kiggundu resigns. Our main objective is to have a neutral Electoral Commission.
You cannot have a match between Arsenal and Manchester United and the Man U coach becomes the referee. We are going to send the message to women and Parliament until the Electoral Commission is overhauled. The next demonstration will be on March 8, the International Women’s Day. But we shall inform Kayihura. If he refuses, we shall still go ahead and do it.
As women we feel on that day that there is no need to celebrate. We shall be demonstrating against the decaying economy, abuse of human rights. In our meeting with Kayihura, we talked about many things and agreed that the Police should not manhandle us like they have done before. Can you imagine, Draru who [allegedly] killed a Major General was not slapped and kicked like they did to us when we demonstrated?
Do you talk to FDC leader Dr Kizza Besigye before you start demonstrating?
Why do we have to talk to him? This is Inter-Party Cooperation. We consult a steering committee of IPC, not Dr Besigye.
How do you manage to run a family and politics at the same time?
I run my family as a woman. I have time for politics and my children. I get time for my family as a woman and I’m in politics as a citizen.
Do you see government implementing the electoral reforms you have proposed?
That’s what we are fighting for. We have to fight for these, our rights. Until we get these reforms, we shall not sit down. We need to reinstate presidential term terms, get the army out politics and overhaul the Electoral Commission. We need real reforms, not these cosmetic reforms they have put in place.
