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The Opposition have asked President Museveni to address issues that actually affect Ugandans.

The Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mr Mathias Mpuuga, has expressed disappointment in the State of the Nation Address, saying it fell short of the expectations of the citizens.

The Opposition on Wednesday also made a number of proposals to address governance issues, food crisis and offered alternative policies on issues government has fallen short on.

Mr Mpuuga was critical of the Soroti City East by-elections, in which the ruling NRM party emerged triumphant amid allegations of bribery, ballot stuffing and a number of other irregularities, including violence against Opposition by security forces.

He said while boundary alterations affected both Soroti East and West, government only targeted Soroti East Division because it was represented by the Opposition Forum for Democratic Change member.

“As the Opposition, we are saddened by the way our member, Hon Attan Moses Okia, lost his Soroti City East Parliamentary seat. This was compounded by the brutal force of the State in the by-election of Soroti City East Municipality,” Mr Mpuuga said.

He called for the amendment of the Electoral Commission Act to redefine the role of police and other armed personnel during elections.

“Electoral Commission (EC) should be solely in charge of and in direct command of the co-opted police and other internal security personnel deployed in electoral processes. Not the other way round,” he said.

Mr Mpuuga said while the Constitution mandates the President to present the State of the Nation address, the last statement presented in June fell short of the expectations of the citizens in accounting for the performance of government.

“Instead, the address was loaded with liberation war hangover, historical reflections, economic fascinations and imperialism undertones. It was at crossroads with the realities of the citizens. We are convinced that the State of the Nation Address should report on progress made in realising the national objectives and directive principles of State Policy,” he said.

The Leader of Opposition criticised the style of governance, which he said is characterised by “threats”.

“This has been exhibited in the conduct of elections, handling of grievances of public servants and rebutting of political dissent, among others. As a result, citizens are unable to fully participate in the determination of their leaders and influence matters that affect them,” Mr Mpuuga said.

He added: “The citizens’ recourse in Courts of Law as a means of checking the excessive powers of government has also been held captive by the State. As a result, the judicial system is increasingly becoming opaque, less trustable, and distant from the people from whom it derives its judicial power and closer to the ruler.”

The Opposition also tasked government ministries and agencies to consider regional balance in access to state resources and allocation of employment opportunities.

“For instance, it has once been established that 59 percent of the heads of parastatals originate from western region followed by central and eastern region each at 8 percent while northern region came last with 2 percent...,” he said.

Mr Mpuuga said while the state objectives and principles emphasise national unity, the mantra of the NRM regime “tubonga naawe” [we associate with you] is individualistic and is targeted at praising and servising the ego of the ruler.

“This denotes a political environment in which citizens and institutions are subject to the whims of the ruler. No wonder there is massive institutional breakdown and proliferation of presidential directives that are illegally executed by timid civil and public servants,” he said.

Mr Mpuuga said the President has left Ugandans on their own when it comes to issues of their welfare and rising commodity prices.

“This is utter insensitivity. The Opposition will seek space on the Order Paper to present a statement on the current state of the economy. It will articulate possible interventions that will support citizens in their current economic crisis and avert their imminent risk to national stability,” he said.

The debate of both the state of nation address and Opposition response started yesterday. By Franklin Draku, Daily Monitor

Details: East Africa; 04 August 2022; 53

File photo

Traders use web of corruption to smuggle endangered tree logs out of Tanzania. Chinese traders are expediting deforestation in Tanzania through illegal rosewood trade to feed a lucrative furniture market in Asia.

Rosewood is a rare raw material known for its medicinal role and luxury upholstery. While its bark cures ailments, the tree’s real value lies in its wood, whose value rises when crafted into furniture.

Despite efforts to curb deforestation, illegal logging of rosewood is going on unabated, background interviews suggest.

A rising demand for rosewood in China has apparently fostered a web of corruption across the forestry sector, drawing millions of dollars out of the country’s economy, local researchers said.

Although Tanzania’s authorities prevent deforestation, illegal traffickers often bribe local officials to smuggle the logs outside the country.

Gaudence Tarimo, forest officer in Rufiji district where the illegal timber business is rife, said the government is determined to dismantle the illegal network

“We are trying our very best to dismantle this vicious network of loggers who not only deplete our forests but also cause revenue loss,” Tarimo said.

- 'Simply not true'

Xin Li, a Chinese timber dealer whose company exports logs, dismissed the allegations saying they are not targeting specific tree species when exporting logs.

“We are authorized to transport logs, we have all the permits. Our business is legal,” she said.

Over 1.2 million logs of the endangered tree species worth $257 million were reportedly smuggled out of Tanzania in 2019, according to Journalist Environmental Team (JET), a local non- profit tracking forest degradation.

According to JET, foreign traffickers discreetly enter into Tanzania and illegally harvest logs of rosewood, which are then smuggled out to Asia.

“The traffickers know every trick to dodge the authorities, such as using fake permits to get the contraband out of the country,” said Johnson Mwambo, a local researcher working for JET

JET reports that this illicit practice is responsible for huge destruction of endangered forests and the loss of government’s revenue.

Tanzania loses approximately 430,000 hectares (1,062,553 acres) of forest every year to deforestation, according the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

- Loophole for graft

Mbwambo said loopholes within existing laws coupled with corrupt officials and local community leaders in Rufiji have fostered China’s quest for endangered forests.

JET learned from a rosewood trader that it takes little effort to pacify a web of corruption and get the logs out of the country.

“Local officials get enough money which they share among one another to offset the risk,” Mbwambo said.

According to a 2018 report published by Forest Trends -- a Washington-based non-profit organization with a mission to conserve forests and other ecosystems, rosewood imports to China increased substantially in the past two decades and were worth approximately $2.6 billion between 2013 and 2014.

The illicit rosewood is transported to China where its hard red interior is used in making luxurious furniture, including beds.

A 40-year-old wood cutter, Daudi Kiziga told Anadolu Agency that he was approached by a Tanzanian wood businessman who offered him 23,000 Tanzanian shillings ($10) for every 2-meter piece of rosewood he could bring.

“I couldn't resist the temptation of getting easy money, I delivered the work and got paid about 345,000 Tanzanian shillings ($150),” he said.

- Widespread phenomenon

For the past decade, a legion of young people from the impoverished region have been hiding in the dense forests to work as loggers, a job that pays well by local standards, residents said.

The illegal logging of rosewood has become widespread in southern Tanzania regions with visible effects such as loss of vegetation cover, large scale forest degradation, increase in temperature, loss of biodiversity and low crop yields.

“They cut big trees to make logs, they use rafts made from other trees to slide the big log into nearby water ways ready to be transported,” said Mariam Osward, a resident of Rufiji. Source: Yeni Safak