Page 2800 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 21 October 1992
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There is a campaign going on in the ACT around Uganda. It is hoped that the motion which we pass today - and I hope that we will have strong support in the Assembly for that motion - will be part of a campaign by local groups of Amnesty International to produce a banner which will talk about the issues of human rights in Uganda, a banner which will be sent to Uganda together with the motion of this Assembly. So, this motion is part of a broader campaign. It is important for us to take this step, particularly given that the ACT Assembly branch of Amnesty International has asked the Assembly to pass this motion today. I indicate that I do not generally see it as being profitable for us in the Assembly to get into extensive debates about international affairs, but I believe that this is an exceptional circumstance that we should acknowledge. I commend the motion to the house and hope that we can all support this important step towards acknowledging the rights of people in Uganda.
MS SZUTY (10.49): Madam Speaker, it is indeed a privilege to be speaking today on this motion as a co-convener of the ACT Legislative Assembly Amnesty group on the first occasion on which this group has moved a motion on human rights in this Assembly. It is important that we, as Assembly members, do not lose sight of the fact that there are countries that do not enjoy the same level of freedom as we enjoy in Australia. We need to keep advocating to other countries around the world the recognition of the human rights and freedom of speech that we hold so dear. We have the obligation conferred on us by that freedom of speech to campaign to bring that freedom to people who speak out for human rights.
It was in this spirit that I volunteered, as did my co-conveners - Mr Terry Connolly and Mr Gary Humphries - to be a part of a tripartite presiding officer arrangement in the demonstration of our belief that Amnesty groups should not operate with any political bias. We have worked in harmony on Amnesty issues and today bring a consensus of support to this motion moved by Mr Humphries.
One aspect of the work that is done by Amnesty International is to recognise advances in human rights when they occur, and of course the motion before us today does just that. We have all heard of the atrocities that have occurred in Uganda in the past, particularly that part of its history during which Idi Amin held power, as was emphasised by Mr Humphries today. There were further atrocities in the period after the deposing of Idi Amin, exemplifying the way that power has been perceived in that country in recent history. The motion before us today recognises as its first priority the commitment to, and improvement in, human rights education of the Ugandan Government as it faces the task of reconstructing a country racked by division for more than 20 years. Regrettably, human rights violations continue as opposition forces try to wrest power from the current Government and as the Government tries to maintain its power. Power can have a corrupting influence, and it is far too easy for countries which have had a history of the use of violence to control their population and their views to use old methods, even when a new regime promises to change the emphasis from the eradication of opposing views to a democratic process.
Today we have the opportunity to inform the Ugandan Government that it is being scrutinised. Civilians need and deserve the protection of their government and must not be the victims of torture and murder because of their political beliefs, or because there exists a military or police arm of government that is not under control. If the Ugandan Government wishes to further the cause of human rights, it needs to extend those rights to all its citizens, not to selectively apply human rights only to people of a similar opinion to its own.
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