Written by Chris Ntare

Summary: time for Rwandans to make  choice or be identified with a dangerous vice

Whether or not we take responsibility for designing our Rwanda, the evidence suggests that we are doing it already.  For better or worse, we are Prometheus unbound.  The Rwanda we have now is a result of the historical actions of Rwandans, past and present.  I hasten to add that the leaders have a key role in this, in my opinion, regrettable situation we find Rwanda.  Civic development is a essentially a social process of action learning, in which practitioners from diverse sectors, disciplines, backgrounds, interests, ideology and vision work together to share ideas and best/’worst’ practices, create new approaches, and build new social capabilities.

President Kagame Hoodwinking

It is not a one faction or one person affair like Paul Kagame’s and now Boniface Rucagu’s ‘Ingando’ which instead of development, indoctrinates or brain washes the cadres, Intores.  Societies or communities typically focus on solving the manifestations of problems – eliminating ‘dictatorship’, destroying ‘genocide ideologies’ saying that ‘Never Again’, addressing poverty, developing communities, reducing the incidence of AIDS, for incidence.  Given the urgency of these problems, it is understandable, but no excuse, that these societies or communities do not focus on the underlying learning capacity of a people or country.  Unfortunately Rwanda is no exception to this social and political limitation or challenge. RPF failed to focus on the underlying issues and learning capacity of the Rwandan people and the result is a worse dictatorship and impunity that goes with it than what they fought.

While it is essential to address these and other urgent problems on their own terms, our country’s, Rwanda’s, long-term capacity to solve them at both local and global levels will nevertheless require step-change increases in our foundational capacity for intelligent social and political action.  Rwandans’ ability to appreciate and celebrate diversity of ideas, ethnicity, political beliefs, visions and understanding that social justice and fairness are hallmarks of cohesion, is in my opinion a critical requirement for averting what is potentially threatening to result into a cycle of tragedy. In Rwanda we have a saying that reaffirms the need to appreciate diversity, “umutwe umwe ugufasha gusala”.  Literally meaning that one head only helps you to run mad.  Many will dismiss the fact that Rwanda is at a very, very critical point in its history and the fact that a brewing wave of change is unstoppable having been ramped up by recent events of incarcerating Victore Ingabire and the most recent callous political assassination of the much loved flamboyant Patrick Karegeya in South Africa (SA).  The RPF Junta leadership has not helped the situation by declaring an all-out hunt for anyone with perceived or real different idea or imagination on how Rwanda should be managed from Kagame’s own idea, imagination, or vision.  In short if you oppose Kagame or the RPF junta, then you are an enemy who should be hunted down wherever you are.  In his own words, “Betray Rwanda/Kagame, face the consequences”.  In Kagame’s mind Rwanda is Kagame and Kagame is Rwanda and everything should be as he likes or chooses.  When a leadership in difficult situations publicly declares or condones extra judicial killing against those they are supposed to lead, history shows us that those are signs indicating that change is inevitable and imminent. The question in many people’s minds now is no longer when but rather how to manage that change peacefully or at worst how to minimise the collateral damage.

Kagame is right, he believes that only the fools love him.

When Victore Ingabire and those before her like Bernard Ntaganda and the genocide survivor Deo Mushayidi was incarcerated on politically motivated allegations, most Rwandans and people who believe in fairness or fair play lost a very key conceptual requirement in their relationship with the RPF government, trust.  This was even compounded by the strangling of the free press by killing and incarcerating journalist including two young budding women journalist.  Trust is a vital conceptual relationship between a state and its citizenry which hinges on the Judicial System that prevails at any given moment in time.  The only thing that differentiates a working state from a failed state is having a fair and free, of political interference of, Judicial Institution or system.  This means having well established, respected and transparent social contract between the people and a state.  This involves guaranteeing a levelled playing field, and fairness in all aspects that binds them as people of the state in question.  When that trust evaporates, then there arises a serious constitutional crisis that brings those whose actions might have contributed to that situation in to disrepute.  In addition to this, when a government fails in its first and foremost duty of protecting its citizens and treating them with the respect they deserve, then those in that government would have abused the same constitution they swore to defend and preserve.  The utterances of Prime Minister, Habamulemyi, and both Louise Mushyikiwabo and James Kabarebe, as they reacted to the death of a Rwandan citizen in a foreign country, SA, were not only insensitive but rather vile and proof that they have no clue of what they swore for and their duty is.  It also demonstrated that they neither can’t separate the role of government and that of the Judiciary, nor understand the principle of ‘innocent until proven guilty’.  They stupidly acted as the accusers, prosecutor, jury and judge, instead of impressing the SA government to leave no stone unturned to get to the bottom of the killing of a Rwandan.  As for Paul Kagame, it was not surprising because of the illusion he harbours in his mind that he is Rwanda and that Rwanda is him.  In his mind, like all despots, he thinks he is the ‘idea Rwanda’ who can determine the fate of anyone at will.  Therefore to him, like in the famous “Animal Farm”, everyone else is as valuable as when he, Kagame, wishes them to be.  The only surprising development was the Rwandan High commissioner in UK, William Rucyicuma Nkurunziza, stupidly joining the band wagon to say that “Patrick Karegeya had no value”.  Whereas the parameter or basis he was using to assign a value still remains to be known, this just proves a fact that we design the world or society we want.  If a so called ‘learned person’ like Rucyicuma, a munyiginya, through his biological father, himself, surrenders his intellect and morals, what other proof do you need.

 

Unfortunately this ‘vice’ threatens to permeate even deeper into our society where individuals like Sam Rwigamba of Basingstoke and John Binama of Reading in UK have also been cowed into the ‘Animal Farm’ extension by Rucyicuma to defend and condone the actions of the junta despite having at least the average idea of what diversity and equality entails from their training as Teacher and Social Carer, respectively, where they live and work.  Nkurunziza and his wife, Leonia, are using these two guys to break the long established Rwandese Community in UK in order to replace it with one new entity he favours called “Rwanda Sisterhood Women”, formed by a clique that seeks favours from the ‘touring’ family.  One can argue that Rwandans in a free country like UK should as a minimum be expected to resist unfairness and champion equality and diversity.  After all they are members of the Black Ethnic Minority themselves who UK’s Equality and Diversity laws are meant to protect from unfairness of potential man’s greed and limitations of self-control.

We have a choice to either be fools like ‘Boxer’ in Animal Farm of George Orwell or emancipate ourselves from the contemptuous idea that Kagame is Rwanda and Rwanda is Kagame.  Rwanda is far, far bigger than any entity let alone a skinny, serial killer, and callous dictator like Paul Kagome.  With or without Kagame, Rwanda has been and will be.  It is therefore just a ‘matter of time’, borrowing his own words, that the wave of change will sweep across the Rwandan society, forget the physical boundaries, and emancipate all.  Even animals in Animal Farm realised the need for change and ‘boy’ did they free themselves.  As for those who have publicly surrendered their morals and intellect like William Nkurunziza (changwa Nkurumbi), Loiuse Musyebyababo, Kabarebe, Habamulyeme and their master Paul Kagame, they will be made to join Leon Mugesera in the court of ‘historical vile utterances’.  I know they are already being judged by the jury out there but this will be followed by formal proceedings, after genuine and ‘trusted courts’ are put in place, so that moving forward our people learn lessons. It is everyone’s call to make a choice as we wait for history and time to judge.

As I write this article, President Obama and the American Elite as a whole have listened to Snowden about his stance on what he thought was a threat to what they stand for as a free country, civil liberties, and are taking action on overhauling NSA and all arrangements relating to the whole phone tapping scandal.  Snowden has not been hunted down but instead most reputable institutions are lining to honour him with accolades.  This is because as a citizen first he should be protected and respected, and the judicial system left to do its job.  Secondly he thought he had a patriotic duty to trigger oversight from the elected politicians, albeit in an unconventional way.  There is no difference, in my opinion, to what those Kagame has labelled enemies, like Kayumba Nyamwasa, Gerald Gahima, Faustin Twagiramungu (former PM), Theogen Rutasingwa, Patrick Karegeya (RIP), Gen. Habyalimana and others, are doing to what Snowden has done.  It is all whistleblowing what one thinks is wrong that the government or its agencies are doing.  We can choose to design a country that reflects the global age we live in today and is relevant in the 21st century or design a country where the ruler takes it all and the stronger rather than the wise reigns high, the archaic choice.  If we choose the former, then we need to appreciate that diversity in all aspects, social, economic and political, and its resulting competition is inevitable and the sky will be the limit as all our people unleash their talents and imagination with no barriers but only objective and fair reasoning.  Choosing the latter on the other hand will be entrenching the Kagame’s junta ideology of patron-client or master-servant, ‘ubuhake’, philosophy, where imagination, reason and competition are curtailed by one or a small group (Akazu) of individual(s), who are perceived to be stronger or winners at the expense of the masses or the losers.  The choice of the design we can choose is ours and should be made now.  A positive mind is a courageous mind, without doubts and fears, using the experience and wisdom to give the best of himself/herself.  I am for a win-win solution that not only reflects maturity but also is relevant in the 21st century globalised well connected world.

“There was no use in trying to emancipate a wife who had not the dimmest notion that she was not free.”(Edith Wharton)

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable. …”  (J.F. Kennedy)

 

https://i0.wp.com/inyenyerinews.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dictator-kagame.png?fit=500%2C360&ssl=1https://i0.wp.com/inyenyerinews.info/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/dictator-kagame.png?resize=110%2C110&ssl=1Placide KayitareLATEST NEWSWritten by Chris Ntare Summary: time for Rwandans to make  choice or be identified with a dangerous vice Whether or not we take responsibility for designing our Rwanda, the evidence suggests that we are doing it already.  For better or worse, we are Prometheus unbound.  The Rwanda we have now is...PUBLISHING YOUR NEWS WITH CUTTING EDGE STYLE