Opinion: Who is Justice Byabakama fighting for to ban cameras at polling stations?

Whose interests is Justice Simon Byabakama and the Electoral Commission representing when they oppose cameras at polling stations during the expensive process of finding those who should be our leaders? Let’s not go into whether they end up our leaders or masters but we still use our votes to give them such a mandate.

The reason I ask on whose behalf is because I have not heard anyone complain about cameras at the polling stations apart from the EC lately.

Even the mighty NRM, I mean that massive political organization that leads this nation and the very same party that is chaired by the same Gen. Yoweri Museveni, the same revolutionary general that gave justice Byabakama his current job, they too want cameras. 

At least that is what their party Secretary General Kasule Lumumba said when it was their turn to suggest proposals. So the opposition is not against cameras, the NRM is not, and neither are the citizens.

Why is Justice Byabakama acting like he represents nobody? Can we know if there is one group of Ugandans that have given a logical reason why they are not interested in  cameras at polling stations so that we can conclude that it is on the behalf of those that Justice Simon Byabakama and the electoral commission are acting? Even if we have those and they exist within our body politic are they a significant majority to be heard? 

In principle cameras are for transparency. I see no intrinsic problem with anyone wanting to have a picture of a freshly signed DR form from the Electoral commission.

Yes I have a problem with anyone announcing results as if they are official but let all and sundry that want to take pictures of all DR forms take them. They can do what they want with them later for as long as they don’t announce official results.

There is also a reason why the polling boxes are transparent because we are looking for the most available opportunities of showing to everyone that there is nothing to hide as we vote.

Is this not the same reason why we vote during the day and not in the dark?

Don’t we all know how we came to ticking in a basin and not in a hidden booth behind a curtain just because there we were not sure what some would bring and insert in the box?

So given all that history of elections, what is wrong with cameras that are taking pictures of all this transparency? I can’t see what the fear is for sure.

Ugandan elections have been marred by complaints of being stolen and we have way too many election petitions in our past.

I think that Justice Byabakama is setting himself up for the same complaints by trying to hide what is already too much in the open.

Let the candidates representatives and the journalists come with their cameras.

What we should be discussing is how to regulate who takes pictures and who does not. I think the debate on whether we should have cameras or not is the wrong one. 

In the end we are going to have a public that says we knew the EC had a hidden plan even before the election was even started.

I am for an election happening and anyone who feels they have seen foul play take pictures or videos and use that as evidence in the courts and opposed to violence. Then after the election and votes have bene counted all the candidate’s appointed agents take pictures of the official signed declaration forms, they can have their copies, then EC takes its copies and we can wait for the announced officials results.

If EC thinks all this has problems let them show us which problems then we shall have solutions for them without losing the most important tool for election transparency the camera!

Let me even take a selfie right away….