OVER 119 British members of Parliament have petitioned Prime Minister Tony Blair calling for tougher action on Uganda to ensure free and fair elections in 2006.
The list of petitioners available with the British Parliamentary Information Services, was handed over at Blair's home at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday.

At least 119 MPs, including former Minister Tony Benn (the father of the Secretary of State for International Development, Hilary Ben), are acting in support of a letter written to the Prime Minister by Mr Sam Akaki, the Forum for Democratic Change (FCD) external co-coordinator and director of International lobby for Reform in Uganda (ILRU).

The letter reminds Blair of a statement made by the British government and the European Union, urging the Uganda government to de-link the ruling Movement system from other organs of government.

However, the Information Minister Dr James Nsaba Buturo said yesterday, "Those British MPs and us have something in common, that is stability for the country. We agree with them and that's something we are working on. However, we don't need anybody to tell us about the advantages of a free and fair election, they are numerous. Government is determined to have a free and fair election in 2006. If the British MPs want to satisfy themselves, then it is within their right."

Akaki's two-page petition reads in part; "We are writing to you in two capacities, as British Prime Minister and current President of the European Union. On April 29 the British government issued a press release which stated that the Uganda/British budget support arrangement and the stability to continue to make such progress in reducing poverty will be helped by a legitimate process of political and constitutional change."

"Achieving the latter will involve among others, establishment of the rules for multiparty competition and the capacity to implement and monitor these sufficiently far ahead of the 2006 elections and separation of the organs of state from the Movement in Law and practise," the letter reads further.

Akaki's letter also reminds the European Union, that it wrote to government on August 5 urging the establishment in Kampala to stand by its commitment to separate the Movement and state and for Parliament to adopt the necessary legislation for a multiparty system by the end of September 2005.

"However on Tuesday 6th September 2005, the Uganda Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, Mr Kiddu Makubuya made a defiant statement in parliament saying the organs under the Movement system shall remain in force until the first parliamentary elections now scheduled for March 12, 2006," Akaki's letter reads.

Akaki then concludes: "In practice, therefore, the 2006 elections in Uganda will be as free and fair as it would have been if Joseph Stalin (Russia), Adolph Hitler (Germany) and Saddam Hussein (Iraq) had organised multi-party elections under their repressive one-party systems."

"We now call on you to liase with your partners and make it clear to Uganda authorities that you will collectively oppose elections under such circumstances and will cut off their aid except for essential and humanitarian relief.

Britain withheld Shs17 billion in aid in April saying it was not happy with the slow progress made towards establishing a level playing field for multiparty politics.