There is a silent rift between RPF officials  who see president Kagame becoming not only a dictator but rather a monster by killing everybody he  disagrees with, to an extend of not  even sparing his colleagues and comrades.

What does this mean for the democracy that many RPF officials fought for and many lost lives, limbs, relatives and friends?  We should not forget that, it is the war of liberation that also cost many Rwandans’ lives in genocide of the 20th Century. Does Kagame also know that genocide was a price that many Rwandans payed for the democracy and freedom that he has denied them?

This is very bad for all Rwandans  and Rwanda and  it does not augur well  for good governance  that Kagame keeps  saying   and it truly indicates  that some people  in RPF but most importantly Kagame have totally  failed to understand  what caused their own struggle  and hence respect the rule of law  and  internalize the Eight Point Program which  was the basis of the RPF struggle.

There is bad blood between some RPF officials and Kagame, whom many see as not only a dictator but a person who has hijacked the RPF Party as his own property. Kagame  has not only hijacked his own party but also other state institutions, like the Army, the Police, Judiciary and the Parliament and the so called doctrine of separation of powers does not exist in  Rwanda.

It is therefore a total disregard  and almost  in contempt of rules  and the laws that govern us, and a total disregard of the constitutional  provisions  which  establish  the separate organs of the government ,demarcated responsibilities between them and trying to ensure that there is harmonious relationship  and equilibrium  between those organs, people, either through personalized understanding or personalized  greed, or personalized  politics, have totally ignored the Supreme law and other laws of  Rwanda and   they are doing at their own peril and peril of our country.

The continued disregard of the rule of law by RPF and Kagame  is slap in the face to many Rwandans who  directly or indirectly participated in the struggle  believing  in the principles  and ethics of RPF of the time  which  they have abandoned  and believed  that democracy , the rule of law , respect of human rights and good governance  would be restored in our country.

If you read the literature of the Eight Point Program which was the basis of the struggle that brought RPF to power, it is shame that Kagame who has actually personalized every institution reversed everything we believed in. They have reversed  much of what President Kagame  and his colleagues especially the founder  of RPF the late Gen. Fred Rwigema, who went to the bush to fight and some lost their lives including Gen. Fed Rwigema and his senior colleagues in the RPF establishment , the likes of Peter Bayingana, Chris Bunyenyezi, Adam Wasswa, Kayitare , the list is endless and those who managed to arrive in Kigali were later killed with poison , or murdered in the broad day light ,  or incarcerated to the present day, the likes  of Col. Bagire, Col. Stephen Ndugutei,   Col. Theoneste Lizinde, Seth Sendashonga, Col. Biseruka just to mention a few, in fact if Fred rises up from the grave today he can fight with Kagame on the spot.

As I have mentioned above many people including those pioneers and founders of the RPF movement risked their lives and many people perished in that struggle, in fact in Rwanda it was an extraordinary struggle that sparked genocide in which one million Rwandans were slaughtered like sheep and goats in order to establish the principles enshrined in the Eight Point Program which were abandoned in pursuit of personalized politics of greed, Intrigue , killing ,nepotism, invading neighbors  like Congo, contempt of other leaders and certainly disregard to people’s wishes by organizing elections and rig them  without even allowing free and fair contest  for the presidency.

Today if we look at the writings, speeches and statements of great people who in  fact were the pillars of RPF,  like Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa, Gen. Kayumba Nyamwasa who personally saved president Kagame when he was surrounded by the enemy during the struggle, Col. Karegeya, Pasteur Bizimungu  the first president after genocide and  many RPF officials who are still in Rwanda but are speechless, they do so, so that they can  see the next sunrise, the likes of Patrick Mazempaka, Jacky  Bihozagara and many more are slowly burning within and regretting  what has happened today.

They all say the revolution and principles on which they fought in the bush war have been abandoned by Kagame. Why? The answer is  simple to find,  the fact  that  Kagame has personalized every institution in the country where he is not accountable  to anybody has  resulted in embezzlement of public funds  by buying personal jets, building of  mansions  and other business empires  without any institution questioning  him.

It is therefore unfortunate that our leaders do not learn from history, there is no government that is immune to disruption, no leader stays in power indefinitely, sooner or later, they will soon account to their mistakes or omissions and when this time comes, they will regret that they never protected their names and they will test the same cup that they are now giving their friends, relatives, comrades, colleagues and many innocent Rwandans.

Jacqueline Umurungi

Brussels.