The Uganda Episcopal Conference (UEC) has issued a guide inviting the clergy, religious men and women, the lay faithful and all Ugandan citizens to vote with discernment in the upcoming 2016 general elections in Uganda.
Calling on all citizens “To build a world in which respect, dignity, equality, justice and peace are our primary concerns”, the Bishops have listed some basic principles from Catholic moral and social teachings to help voters analyze and evaluate public policies and programs.
The Pastoral letter which was signed by the UEC Chairman and Archbishop of Gulu Archdiocese, Most Rev John Baptist Odama states, “In our previous letters a call for Sustainable Constitutionalism and Rule of Law in Uganda (November, 2009) and Consolidating Electoral Democracy in Uganda (June, 2010), we highlighted the critical challenges regarding multiparty democracy in our country. In this one, we pay more attention to the critical issues in the journey towards the 2016 elections; in particular, how citizens and various institutions concerned with this process should conduct themselves during this period.”
Reminding them of their duty to vote, they further ask all citizens to think and reflect on the issues and to recognize the good intentions of politicians. The letter sets out four core principles from which a politics geared to the common good should spring including reverence and humility, active citizenship, unity in diversity as well as love and respect.
“These principles have strong basis in our own conscience, the scriptures, our cultures, and the national constitution and other laws governing the conduct of elections in Uganda. We encourage you to look at them objectively and prayerfully,” the letter explains.
The bishops stated that elections are an important aspect of democracy and point out that it is a way of ensuring active participation of all citizens in affairs that directly affect their temporal well-being and happiness. They called for comprehensive electoral reforms electoral reforms to make the elections more credible, free and fair.
Concluding their letter, the bishops noted that “our actions are more important than our opinions”, and that a general election is not just about expressing an opinion but about contributing to an action towards an objective.
“We reiterate the fact that elections come with great opportunities and challenges for our country,” the bishops wrote, adding that “We, therefore encourage all actors to work for peace and ensure the process widens the options for democratic choices for our young nation. On our part we promise to journey with you in prayer.”
By Jacinta Wangalwa Odongo; Media Officer, Uganda Episcopal Conference