Ugandan Diaspora Seeks Absentee Ballot

WE THE UNDERSIGNED WOULD LIKE TO BRING YOUR ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING PROBLEM, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS:

We, the citizens of Uganda living in the diaspora, humbly request to exercise our constitutional right and duty to participate in the general elections and referenda of our mother country through an absentee ballot.

We define the diaspora as the citizens of Uganda, both those who hold only Ugandan citizenship and those who hold dual citizenship, and live abroad.

The duties of a citizen, as noted in the XXIX article of the constitution of Uganda, are "to be loyal and patriotic to Uganda, and promote her well-being." We are called upon "to engage in gainful work for the good of that citizen, family and for the common good and contribute to national development." We work to "encourage national unity and living in harmony with others." As citizens we labor to "promote democracy and rule of law."

We recognize in Article 59 of the constitution of Uganda that "every citizen of eighteen years and above has a right to vote and a duty to register as a voter for public elections or referenda." The Constitution mandates that "the State must take all necessary steps to ensure that all citizens qualified to vote register and exercise their right to vote."

The constitution of Uganda recognizes in article 36 that "minorities have a right to participate in decision-making processes and their views and interests shall be taken into consideration in the making of national plans and programmes." In article 28, the constitution of Uganda states that "every Ugandan citizen has a right to participate in the affairs of Government, individually or through his or her representatives according to law."

In article 29 of the constitution of Uganda, "every person has a right to freedom of assembly and to demonstrate together with others peacefully and unarmed and to petition." In article 21, the constitution of Uganda states that "every Ugandan has a right to participate in peaceful activities to influence the policies of Government through civic organizations."

Given these aforementioned duties and rights of our Constitution, we thus humbly seek to register and to vote in the general elections and referenda of Uganda through an absentee ballot at our embassies and missions abroad, or any other location that the Ugandan government has jurisdiction over now and in the future.

An estimated one million Ugandans are living, studying, and working abroad, according to a 2009 World Bank report. We are a patriotic people that keep our cultures alive and represent Uganda positively abroad through achievements in medicine, science, education, literature, business and music.

We are a hard-working people that contribute to our country's economic development by sending home an estimated more than sh1.7 trillion this year, as well as comparable amounts in years past.

Ugandans in the diaspora also invest in the private sector back home, and encourage other individuals and companies to invest in our motherland. We launch charitable endeavors back home that include building schools, health centres, sanitation and water systems, as well as protecting the environment.

We kindly call upon you to expeditiously help us exercise this most critical Constitutional duty and right of voting in the general elections and referenda through an absentee ballot.

Please advise us on how we can move forward. For God and my country.

AGREED UPON BY THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE:

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