{UAH} Re: Winners and Losers!

Mr. Kabukuru & Fellow Members,

I would like to make a few points to avoid any misinformation.

1. The UNAA Council 8 NEVER discouraged any members from registering for the San Diego Convention. If you read any of our reports or attended the Town Hall, our position was clearly stated. We represent members of all financial backgrounds and it's our responsibility to make sure all their needs are accommodated. We only offered to find cheaper accommodation for members who cannot afford a close to $200 per night hotel room rate which wasn't authorized by the Council.

2. We have been eager to engage in UNAA business (and sometimes our desire for accountability has created friction with the Executive). The idea that we came with a motive to block Brian's agenda is absurd. We have spent hours in deliberations on leadership calls including several with the BoT and Executive to work towards the best Convention hotel deal for our members. Unfortunately that process was prematurely shut down by the Executive for reasons still unknown.

3. Comparing the Council 8 to the Transformers is disingenuous. We have worked within the institutions of UNAA to resolve our petitions. The Executive chose not to agree with the rulings that were made as a result assuming the role of interpreters of the constitution. Why would the burden of proof still rest with the Council 8? Why do we have a BoT and E.C if we can't accept their findings? In a functional organization, when you disagree with a ruling, you can't simply act like nothing happened but rather present your case through an appeals process. It's important that the organs of UNAA are independent, functional and respected-- we shall continue to protect the integrity of the BoT and the E.C.

4. The Constitution empowers the BOT to interpret it and to be arbitrators in election and other conflicts--it is in itself a constitutional violation if we disregard that institution. In the absence of that, you will get customized interpretations, impasses and abuse of office that we have today.  One cannot run a democracy without regard for the institutions and constitution.

5. The UNAA President has been praised for having exploited loopholes in the constitution. Other people could have done the same. Tax evaders in the US do exploit such loopholes but there are tools in the same constitution to safeguard UNAA. We strongly believe that our actions have exposed such loopholes and abuse of our Electoral process. The days of lack of accountability in UNAA are over. We are not 'losers' or 'winners', we are Council members doing the job our constituents sent us to do. There is now a new standard and I would like to assure our members that we are not going away.

Sincerely,
Dr. Kawuma
UNAA Council Member
Mid Atlantic Region 2