Firstly, I highly appreciate all the humane concern at the unrelenting dark days of summary arrests, systematic intimidation, torture, extra-judicial killings and outright murders that the people of Uganda currently face as the nation heads towards the January 14th general elections.
The future of Uganda is brighter when countries relations with Uganda promotes political sanity, selfless public administration, peaceful development, and the sovereignty of the will of the people. It is therefore in my opinion a stellar soiling of diplomatic status, including under international law, for a group of embassies operating in any country, to congregate under a non-existent, unregistered organization.
The PDG group (Partners in Development & Governance) purportedly comprising under its umbrella all European Union nations embassies in Uganda, plus the Embassy of Canada, and the highly regarded US Embassy in Kampala, this PDG has for the last few months been issuing what seems like pseudo-official political statements about the difficult political environment that the people of Uganda are suffering in a country already hit by rising poverty and an economy left to itself even under the harsh #Covid-19 conditions that have seriously impacted the entire global economy.
Given that this PDG organization does not even exist in any legal form under international law, is not even respecting Uganda’s civil organizations act by registering like all NGO’s and civil society organizations are doing in this country, and has no legal status whatsoever anywhere, there is therefore legitimacy as to any fear about its intentions, genuineness, and true purpose.
I kindly request that the concerned embassies review the history and credentials of whoever amongst them first proposed this idea, and also analyse any undiplomatic stigma (i.e fake/deniability covert political operation) that this ill-advised endeavour could bring to its membership and any international conventions on diplomatic status whose sparkle could surely be watered down by respected overseas nations forming a briefcase “bicupuli” organization that does not even have headed-paper, and whose statements bare no official signature.Another disturbing question is why for example aren’t serious democratic development partners like South Africa and Japan not part of this PDG group? What exactly is the criteria for membership?
Something is wrong
In this era where even diplomatic status is being questionably sold to the highest bidder by unscrupulous nations, while unity is indeed power, I encourage the PDG embassies in Uganda (and anywhere for that matter),to desist from dwelling under condemned fronts, or under the grip of political fear, and each ambassador to have the boldness to stand
officially on behalf of the honest, hard-working and brotherly people of their own country (or group of countries), when taking a sparkling stand for humanity, freedom, liberty, individual rights, justice, constitutionalism, sustainable development, public health, good-governance, education, international cooperation, democracy, and the rule of law anywhere in the world.
This cannot be achieved when one appears to be uniting not based on values like democracy and inclusiveness but simply utilizing social norms loopholes to only appear as if putting a shining step through the front door of genuine international public policy interests, while in reality it serves to maintain the sharp crampons of the hidden boot firmly in the dark corridors of iron clad support to tyranny in exchange for untold global gains under mysterious conspiracies reminiscent of the defunct cold war days. Happy New Year to the entire diplomatic community in Africa!
Signed: Mr. Hussein Lumumba Amin
Saturday 9th January 2021.
Kampala, Uganda.
