Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

The 2010 Rwandan Presidential Elections: Rud-Urunana will not Participate in Such a Shamful Process

By Augustin Dukuze, Ph.D.
Spokesperson
RUD-Urunana
September 10, 2009

As the coalition of the Rally for Unity and Democracy (RUD-Urunana) andThe Rassemblement du Peuple Rwandais (RPR) has stated publically, ourrespective organizations will neither participate in the upcomingpresidential elections nor support any candidate in the next yearelectoral process organized the Kigali’s regime. We are strongly of theopinion that the upcoming electoral process will neither be free norfair therefore failing the basic and fundamental principles in a freeand democratic society.

As it has been stated recently by several personalities includingSecretary of State Hillary R. Clinton in her speech before the Councilon Foreign Relations and more recently at one of her african stops,ruling democratically shall not be limited to holding elections. But itis important that a democratic system "also requires strong institutionslike an independent judiciary, an independent and free press, theprotection of minority rights …" We may also add that a democraticsociety shall foster a vibrant political opposition.

Based on these self-evident principles, the current rwandan regime isfar from meeting any of these requirements. Although, above the surface,the rwandan government trumpets its achievements, a great majority ofrwandans live in abject poverty and endemic famine. More importantly,they have been denied their basic fundamental human rights. Hundreds ofthousands of rwandan citizens are languishing without charges in squalidprisons for more than a decade while being denied due process. Thejustice system is rigged with incompetent and corrupt judiciary. Byadministering unfair and inequitable trials, the so-called Gacaca courtshave become more an instrument of repression, intimidation, and coercionthan a tool to heal the rwandan society.

As per the current Constitution, all the political parties have to bemembers of the “Forum des Partis” that is managed and tightly controlledby the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). Therefore, how can any candidatepretend to run for office when he/she has to report to the “Forum desPartis” that, in return, is supporting the RPF candidate? It is fair topoint out that there is no viable internal political opposition sinceany challenge to Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and Paul Kagame's rulehas been met with fierce repression. If not killed or thrown in prison,the only other option opposition leaders or ordinary citizensirrespective of their ethnicity have, consist of accepting the RPFhegemony or going into exile. The right of lawful dissent has beensystematically denied to rwandans; hence, anyone who dares to criticizePaul Kagame's regime is quickly labeled as "genocidaire, negationist,and/or revisionist". More recently, the regime has come up with aningenious scheme to silence any person perceived as a threat: what ittakes is to label the individual as "harboring a genocidaire ideology".Such labels are enough to have someone killed, disappear without atrace, or thrown in prison without any recourse.

There is no viable free press, since any journalist who challenges theofficial doctrine or unearths corruption practices of the regime croniesis thrown in prison or elects to go into exile. Recent accounts ofRwandans who fled their homeland are very revealing. The entire economyis in hands of occult operators that are linked one way or another tothe RPF or to the Akazu of Kagame's cronies who control, manage, andallocate the meager country resources while pillaging resources of theDemocratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

No one should be above the law. From its inception, our organization hasconsistently advocated that all Hutus, Tutsis, and Twas criminals,irrespective of their ethnic background and/or political affiliationshould be persecuted for their deeds. However, it is apparent that todate, the current justice system has been mainly set up to settle scoreswith the Hutu population. Our organizations would like to remind that nolater than February 6, 2008, Fernando Andeu, a Spanish judge, hasindicted forty (40) rwandan army officers on several counts of genocide,human rights violations, and terrorism. The judge decision was based ondetailed accounts of eyewitnesses and was carefully made after severalyears of painstaking investigation that resulted in unearthing damningevidence that incriminated Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, and hissenior Rwandan military leadership. These indictments indicate clearlythat Paul Kagame and his cronies were engaged willfully and knowingly incommitting horrible crimes against Rwandans, Congolese, as well asforeign nationals. In any other jurisdiction, any person indicted onsuch grave accounts would not be allowed to run for office.

The executive interference in the functioning of the judiciary isblatant. Recently, in the north of the country, a person was recentlystripped of his properties that were given to an individual who returnedfrom exile. This decision was made by a local administrative councilcontrolled by the RPF that overruled previous court decisions.Shockingly, these repetitive judiciary decisions were all in favor ofthe defendant. Such executive intrusion indicates clearly that no matterwhat is done around the country, no decision can be made without theRPF, Paul Kagame and his cronies blessing.

There are indications that throughout the country, numerous citizen havebeen obligated to join and adhere to the RPF. Any one who refuses and/orhesitates may be subjected to imprisonment by the Gacaca courts,disappearance or assassination. All Rwandan citizens irrespective oftheir ethnic backgrounds live constantly in fear and despair sincecoercion and intimidation are part of the “modus operandi” of theKagame’s regime. Such strategy was advised to ensure the outcome of thenext year polls as was the 2003 presidential election. However, theKigali’s regime has to show to its supporters and the InternationalCommunity a pluralistic slate of candidates in the upcoming process.That’s why the regime has launched concerted efforts to lure severalcandidates even if the latter don’t stand any chances.

Since the upcoming election can not be qualified of free nor fair, thecoalition RUD-Urunana and RPR will not take part in such distortedprocess that is aimed to legitimate an oppressive and anti-democraticregime. In addition, our coalition does not and will not support anycandidate who engages in such process. Our organizations will continueto call upon Rwandan people and the International Community to pressurethe Rwandan Government to engage in a constructive Inter-RwandanDialogue with the opposition and the civil society. Only this Dialoguewill ensure the establishment of political institutions that aregenuinely representative of the Rwandan society and will form thefoundation of a transparent political transition. Without such aDialogue and whatever the outcome of these upcoming presidentialelections, the rwandan political situation will not get better as longas the political opposition would be either be silenced and/or sidelined.

posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 3:36 PM