World Bank 'irrational' to intervene over anti-gay laws

As of Friday, May 23, 2014

Rebecca Kadaga

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

UGANDAN Parliamentary Speaker Rebecca Kadaga yesterday said the World Bank’s decision to suspend funding for healthcare in response to strengthened anti-gay laws has set a dangerous precedent for the sovereignty and self-determination of developing countries.

Mrs Kadaga labelled the move to postpone a $90m loan package by the United Nation’s international financial institution as “irrational”.

She added that the country will “survive” without the funding, said to represent 20 per cent of Uganda’s 2013-2014 health budget.

The first case under the country’s new Anti-Homosexuality Bill began this month, with two LGBT Ugandans – Jackson Mukasa, a 19-year-old trans woman, and Kim Mukisa, a 24-year-old gay man – facing charges for engaging in sexual activity.

The pair were arrested earlier this year for violating Uganda’s Penal Code Act of 1950, which criminalises sexual acts “against the order of nature”, according to Vox.com, which provided a timeline of the criminal proceedings.

According to reports, Mukisa was subjected to an anal examination in an attempt to find empirical evidence that he had engaged in sex with another man.

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has condemned anal examinations as a form of torture under such conditions.

In the Vox.com report, LGBT researcher on Uganda for Human Rights Watch Neela Ghoshal alleged that the exam is also illegal under article 24 of Uganda’s constitution.

Mrs Kadaga spoke briefly with The Tribune about the fallout from Western donors, some of whom have opted to redirect funding through civil society, at the first day of a special workshop for Commonwealth women parliamentarians.

“Obviously the reasons for suspension have nothing to do with healthcare so you can say that it’s an irrational decision,” said Mrs Kadaga, “but we will survive.”

Responding to questions over whether or not the bank’s decision set a dangerous precedent for developing countries, she said: “Yes, what we are emphasising is our sovereignty and our right to self-determination. I think everybody should respect the right of citizens to determine what they want to do.”

A recent study by the Pew Research Centre indicated that 89 per cent of Ugandans considered homosexuality to be morally unacceptable.

According to the International Monetary Fund, Uganda’s economic growth is projected to accelerate to 6.1 per cent for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

In an interview with Reuters, Uganda’s finance minister Maria Kiwanuka said that the anti-gay law has had little impact on the country’s ability to attract Western investors.

In Africa, 38 countries have laws prohibiting same-sex relationships.

Nigeria passed its Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act last year May, but it was not signed until January 7 by president Goodluck Jonathan.

Similar to Ugandan law, it is illegal to engage in an intimate relationship with a member of the same sex, or associate with gay organisations, including private clubs.

However, according to the Associated Press, the legislation does not include an earlier proposal that also criminalised persons who did not report their knowledge of a same-sex relationship.

According to reports, Nigerian gay men are being targeted by police and tortured as suspects.

In January, police were said to have hundreds of suspects, and had made dozens of arrests in a move that activists fear will endanger programmes fighting HIV-AIDS in the gay community.

In response to Tribune questions over the suspension, and its impact on Ugandan relations, a World Bank spokesperson yesterday said: “We have postponed the project for further review to ensure that its development objectives would not be adversely affected by the enactment of a new law in Uganda.”

In an opinion piece published shortly after Uganda’s anti-gay bill was enacted, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim considers the economic impact of institutional discrimination.

Mr Kim wrote: “These recent anti-gay laws, and many others that have been on the books for years, are acutely ironic. Just 15 years ago, a small band of gay men and women - largely in the United States but also in Europe and parts of Africa - fought with all their intellect, energy and creativity to expand access to treatment for all people with HIV/AIDS. In 2000, just 50,000 people in the developing world received AIDS treatment. Today, largely thanks to the work of these gay activists and others, more than 10 million people are being treated with AIDS drugs - most of them African.”

He continued: “At the World Bank Group, we will have a full internal discussion over the coming months about discrimination more broadly and how it would affect our projects and our gay and lesbian staff members. My view is that the fight to eliminate all institutionalised discrimination is an urgent task.

“Eliminating discrimination is not only the right thing to do; it’s also critical to ensure that we have sustained, balanced and inclusive economic growth in all societies – whether in developed or developing nations, the North or the South, America or Africa.”

ohdrap4 9 years, 11 months ago

Sovereign self-determined people don't need loans. Do they?

As for irrational, it is the sad case of the pot calling the kettle black.

GrassRoot 9 years, 11 months ago

Uganda had money to use cluster bombs in South Sudan last year. So what is that dear speaker of Parliament talking about. World Bank loans for health care?

blackcat 9 years, 11 months ago

The last two paragraphs that quote Mr. Kim say it all; discrimination is WRONG no matter how you look at it. In order to develop and move forward, we MUST eradicate it. Unfortunately, due to our lack of education and overall ignorance (heavily linked to our cherry-picked religious ties), the Bahamas is so far behind. This is a sickening and shocking threat to human rights. Very, very sad that we have brought an individual like this here to our country. What next?

Purcell 9 years, 11 months ago

Homosexuality is wrong and disgusting. Glad to see someone standing up to the onslaught of gay agenda in the world.

blackcat 9 years, 11 months ago

And now , as if poverty wasn't already an issue, the general public will suffer even more as aid is removed from Uganda's grasp. So a few of the rich politicians prosper while the poor suffer.....sounds familiar...hmmmmmmmm

GrassRoot 9 years, 11 months ago

World Bank loans support the ruling elite - and keeps them in place. So yes it is a good think that the World Bank is not giving the loan. It does not matter what the reason for not granting the loan is.

TheMadHatter 9 years, 11 months ago

The article says 89% of Ugandans agree with the law, so unless the "few rich politicians" are 89% of the population - then the ban on funding will hurt a LOT of the people who think that way.

Let them live in the stone age all by themselves. No flights from Uganda should be allowed to land in London, Paris, Canberra, etc. European and western countries should even block all telephone calls and any net packets originating from there.

TheMadHatter

anon 9 years, 11 months ago

uganda and the bahamas are too alike in that we revel and take pride in our insistence on being stupid and retrogressive. how can you hold your head high and insist on unabashed discrimination while you know that your own people, even those you do not so openly discriminate against, suffer, have suffered, and will continue to suffer because of it?

sidenote: of all the women in politics choose to speak on human rights issues, you -really- couldn't find a better example than her? the only logical explanation for this is that the persons behind this women's conference just started throwing darts at a map after last call.

GrassRoot 9 years, 11 months ago

she is part of the ruling elite - else should would not be the speaker of the Parliament. So I guess her trip is paid by the same money that suppresses human rights in Uganda.

nowaynohow 9 years, 11 months ago

I am absolutely shocked that any politician in The Bahamas would be associated with this women. My advise to the government, is to run far away from anything Ugandan, before we become the laughing stock of the world. We are currently suffering a bad image with crime, and the last thing we need, is to be seen as a country that would sanction discrimination against gays, this would bring havoc to our tourism sector and destroy our economy.

One only has to look at the boycott the Beverly Hills Hotel and see what they are going through now. The hotel, is owned by one of The sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah investment companies. Brunei, last week began phasing in a new penal code based on Islamic law, or Shariah by 2015, which will make gay sex and adultery punishable by stoning to death. Our country sure don't want American journalist, Rachel Maddow to get a hold of this story. None of us can afford for our country to be black listed. So my second advise to the government is to pack Ms. Rebecca Kadaga travel bags and have it waiting in a taxi for her to get the out of town and never return. Her government needs to worry about solving poverty, corruption and improving the education system in her own country. Can't say I blame the World's Bank. She can't have her cake and eat it too.

GrassRoot 9 years, 11 months ago

Hey there is still Zimbabwe, we could cuddle with, right?

Kalypso 9 years, 11 months ago

Believe me kadaga, your sh*t is very stink. When you introduce a "bill to kill" sounds like a Rwanda all over again. Yes, that's what you bloodthirsty, pseudo intellectual, religious fanatics want when things are not going your way. You are definitely part of the problem. Christ, Gandhi, King and Mandela would tell you that.

sansoucireader 9 years, 11 months ago

Saw on a PBS site the listing for a documentary called GOD LOVES UGANDA that I'd like to see. It discusses how the U.S evangelic church is behind this movement in Uganda, not really concerned that they may be endangering people's lives. How their actions would not be allowed back in their US homeland (hate crime?) but since it is about 'God' is allowed in Uganda.

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