My brother Andrew in his Independent newspaper of 04 August 2012 published a story under the heading “Doesn’t a country that lost a million people deserve to protect its people against the threat of another genocide?’’. While he is right in his statement, his analogy is irrational and the merit is not only misleading but also does not add up.

He argues that the aid cut by the international community to Rwanda is not justified and according to him, it’s wrong and as usual basing on what his paymaster has told him, he makes the fun of himself when he calls a UN Report that has overwhelming evidence the use of aid as an instrument of blackmail and calls it a common practice by Western Europe and its offshoots in North America, Australia and New Zeeland.

He also mentions on the threat of ICC and other sanctions, although he is well aware of the purpose of the ICC and how it has at least minimized the cruel treatment of some African leaders to their subjects, he deliberately or selfishly omits how this noble court has cooled down the killings in Darfur, Ivory Coast, Liberia, just to mention a few after the indictments of the leaders of these respective countries.

He also mentions of NGOs that work and exert pressure on the poor governments in order for the poor country to succumb to the demands of the NGO, again this misleading, how can for God’s sake an NGO, dictate a government to do what Andrew calls a campaign against a poor country for behaving in a manner inconsistent with its (the NGO’s) desires.

He further alleges that an NGO will receive support from the Western journalists and their news organizations as the platforms for this campaign, again this is wrong, international journalists despite being sometimes  pro the principles of their governments, they will always be challenged and sued for libel or any other an ethical or unprofessional reporting. This is not the case for Andrew, he has blindly supported a regime that has killed its citizen, muzzled all the media that do not see things the same way as the regime in Kigali. Would Andrew dare to criticize the Kigali even for a single act?  Andrew knows very well his counterparts in Rwanda who have disagreed and are shot in the bold day light, and others have chosen to go to exile just to save their lives.  Does this add up to what he is feeding to his readers?

Does Andrew acknowledge that the Aid from Western governments to poor countries is not a right but a privilege? It therefore follows accountability to their own people who obviously elect them.  American people or other European Nationals will not sit and fold their hands when their leaders are dishing out their money on unaccountable African leaders who use this money from America or Europe to invade another country or to kill their own people. They will automatically not survive another election. That’s why Cameron and Obama will react to inconstancies of that nature, which my brother Andrew calls an act of blackmail.

Andrew compares western Aid to that of the Chinese and Japanese; this is not only tragic for the man of Andrew’s caliber, but also a misrepresentation of matters. Let’s first scrutinize why China will always give aid and loans with one hand. China cannot and will not demand democracy and human rights, when it does not have both. Therefore a man will not ask for what himself does not have in his house. I’m well aware that Andre knows very well what happened on the Thiamin Square in 1989, when students were massacred during a peaceful protest; this was a barbaric act which is still fresh in the minds of the Chinese and the whole world.

Although Japan is a democratic nation it was humiliated during Second World War and it therefore  cares for its economic issues more than  it does to human rights, and it will therefore look for economic partnership rather than  what my brother  Andrew calls rule of law. Indeed, these political players know very well that, these western nations don’t demand human rights because they are concerned with it, but rather human rights is  used as a tool for both economic and political advancements.

Similarly, Andrew criticizes the State Department for threatening President Kagame with ICC indictments, I would like to inform my brother Andrew that, it’s not just a threat as he alleges, if he wants to know the truth about this matter, he should talk to Mr Bashir of Sudan whose country has never signed the Rome Statute and now is on the list of the most wanted sitting Heads of State by the above Court. Charles Taylor despite being convinced to step down and go to exile in Nigeria; he is now serving 5o years in Hague. Therefore when Washington is saying something and echoed by London, Andrew should take it seriously as one of the advisors of Mr Kagame should not only tell him the truth but real truth.

Tragically as Andrew winds up his story he hits the nail on the head, he brings a scenario which according to him is a possibility not a reality, he argues that a country like Rwanda that is threatened by the  Interahamwe and other negative forces which  left one million people dead in Rwanda  and now hosted in Congo, Rwanda would therefore according to him be legitimate to invade its neighbor  and flush out what he calls  the country that is hosting these criminals is not being asked to account for its complicity in this problem.  In his comparison, he mentions Afghanistan and US, what an irrational comparison! First and for most, two wrongs do not make a right, no one will say that America is right to go to Afghanistan apart from its allies , and Americans have never fought with its allies, namely the British and other NATO forces in Afghanistan  but Rwanda and Uganda fought a bloody war in Congo irrespective of being on the foreign land.

Rwanda is denying   the invasion and support to the M23, how can Mwenda now try to compare what the Rwanda and the President are saying that even Mwenda’s scenario is not only practically wrong but also illegal.

Dear Andrew let’s be clear on this issue, do you know how many people who have been killed on both sides? If the Interahamwe and negative forces are the reasons why Kigali is destroying human life and property in Congo,   why can’t they say so? Is he aware of looting of minerals and other commercial items taken in the pretext of interahamwe?  Please Andrew  are  you aware of NGEZE HASSAN who is serving a jail term in Arusha because of irresponsible and indifferent reporting like  what you are doing to the Rwandan people and Congolese? History will not forgive you if you continue to sacrifice your profession with trivial momentary gifts from the Kigali regime.

 

Jacqueline Umurungi

 

Brussels.

 

 

 

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