Justice Forum
Encyclopedia
The Justice Forum, commonly known as Jeema, is one of Uganda
’s leading opposition parties, with representation in Parliament. Its "Jeema" acronym stands for: Justice, Education, Economic Revitalization, Morality and African Unity.
Though political parties
were banned in the country until 2005, Jeema managed to emerge in 1996 and fronted a presidential candidate in the same year and in 2001. Muhammad Kibirige Mayanja who represented Jeema in both elections, led the party until 2010 when he handed over to Asuman Basalirwa, 33, the youngest party president in Uganda’s history.
Jeema hit the road with huge support among the country’s Muslim
population, posing a mighty threat to President Museveni’s
ambition to rule for life. To contain its advance, Museveni’s government detained without trial, torture
d and summarily killed countless Muslims, many of whom were Jeema mobilisers, for alleged or even fabricated links to the Allied Democratic Forces
(ADF), a rebel group that was active in the late 1990s. The forgotten terror – as the government-orchestrated atrocities on Muslims came to be know – greatly terrified Jeema members, leaving the party to go into recession.
Recently, however, Jeema started experiencing a trend of revival, establishing a functioning Secretariat and intensifying nationwide mobilization. Under the Inter-party Cooperation, a loose alliance of leading opposition parties to which Jeema belongs, the party hopes to move from one to at least 10 parliamentary seats in the 2011 general election
s.
Monthly updates about the party are published in the Jeema Bulletin, an online newsletter written, edited and disseminated by Yahya Sseremba, the executive editor of The Campus Journal.
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
’s leading opposition parties, with representation in Parliament. Its "Jeema" acronym stands for: Justice, Education, Economic Revitalization, Morality and African Unity.
Though political parties
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
were banned in the country until 2005, Jeema managed to emerge in 1996 and fronted a presidential candidate in the same year and in 2001. Muhammad Kibirige Mayanja who represented Jeema in both elections, led the party until 2010 when he handed over to Asuman Basalirwa, 33, the youngest party president in Uganda’s history.
Jeema hit the road with huge support among the country’s Muslim
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
population, posing a mighty threat to President Museveni’s
Yoweri Museveni
Yoweri Kaguta Museveni is a Ugandan politician and statesman. He has been President of Uganda since 26 January 1986.Museveni was involved in the war that deposed Idi Amin Dada, ending his rule in 1979, and in the rebellion that subsequently led to the demise of the Milton Obote regime in 1985...
ambition to rule for life. To contain its advance, Museveni’s government detained without trial, torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
d and summarily killed countless Muslims, many of whom were Jeema mobilisers, for alleged or even fabricated links to the Allied Democratic Forces
Allied Democratic Forces
The Allied Democratic Forces is a rebel group opposed to the Ugandan government. It is based in western Uganda with rear bases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It began as a minor group in the forested Ruwenzori mountain range along the border in 1996, but expanded its activities over the...
(ADF), a rebel group that was active in the late 1990s. The forgotten terror – as the government-orchestrated atrocities on Muslims came to be know – greatly terrified Jeema members, leaving the party to go into recession.
Recently, however, Jeema started experiencing a trend of revival, establishing a functioning Secretariat and intensifying nationwide mobilization. Under the Inter-party Cooperation, a loose alliance of leading opposition parties to which Jeema belongs, the party hopes to move from one to at least 10 parliamentary seats in the 2011 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
s.
Monthly updates about the party are published in the Jeema Bulletin, an online newsletter written, edited and disseminated by Yahya Sseremba, the executive editor of The Campus Journal.