Dear editor,
I applaud the over due AU passport to help facilitate travel within Africa, and hope it becomes the beginning of respecting some natural rights that some of our other children in other continents seem to respect more.
On the other side, The AU and the world must understand the importance of timely intervention, our collective responsibility to ‘ exhort each other to truth…’ on basic aspects of life, including elections. The problem in Uganda should have been studied and condemned months ago. Candidate Bobi Wine suffered intimidation and aggression that left supporters dead. Even the u.s government never strongly spoke then, so speaking after the election questions our understanding of timely comments and interventions. Without free and fair elections, the international community become dangerous partners against a suppressed people. So we must help countries understand and attain acceptable elections. The foremost global task is trying to help every country attain over 75% literacy, this will make it lot harder to accept abuse, including election fraud. This literally means the AU, EU, UN, and every major power should strategically demand countries invest enough on education, and match funding where need be. Establishing a culture of cameras can help in many ways, including reduce election fraud. I renew my call for the u.s and xyz to divert 5 to 10% of their “defense” or offense budget towards subsidizing global culture of cameras. We have seen Trump declared election fraud without meaningful evidence, and indeed some opposition leaders do similar in and beyond Africa. Charging Trump and sparing oppose leaders who call for insurrection over a fairly fair election cannot be right. We must use the courts and tender evidence when we accuse.
Opposition parties must invest on cameras, seek camera donations, and urge supporters to buy them, especially where governments abuse. Consider intranet, local storage, and upload during and after internet blocking. So priorities to journalists, opposition parties, the disable, etc should be offered on free or discounted body cameras. I am not a big fan of economic sanctions, because it often affects the poor the most. I am also often against mass protests to change leadership , because it oftens gambles unarmed people and risk enormous destruction in this age. VPN can circumvent blocking of apps, but blocking of the internet should be confronted with free internet , intranet, and strategic sanctions that affects only the guilty leaders. AU, U.S, and the world should use international waters to allow super servers temporarily give free internet a month before the main elections of a country… This will help achieve a fairer playing field and allow the local people upload evidence, not just opinions. The cowardly attacks against opposition figures in Russia, Uganda, and others are not equally given attention on world stage. There is no crime greater than election fraud and if the world fail to curb it through strategic efforts, then what lower crimes will we collaborate to fight against? I lean on internal fixing, as evident in my call for mass educating of citizens, but we need external fixing (fair aiding) and pressure at times. Let us not just condemn and dangerously assume, instead let us think and suggest to a level where enough citizens will be educated enough to do good or be able to resist evil.
Kebba Jarga Gigo
Activist and reformer
