Rwanda: Blair partnership and verdict, right on time
By Editorial
The New Times-Kigali
May 11, 2009
At a time when we almost feel down, overwhelmed by the negative vibes from our detractors, a special event often reminds us that we are on course with much to celebrate.
This is exactly what happened last evening at Village Urugwiro, during a joint press conference, between President Paul Kagame and former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair.
Blair the founder of the Africa Governance Initiative (AGI); praised the progress made in many areas by Rwandans, as ‘an inspiration for Africa.’
According to Blair, achievements registered so far are in the areas of good governance and economic growth, adding that the country has positioned itself as one of those with great opportunities for investment.
Blair has closely followed events in Rwanda since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He knows and understands so deeply the challenges Rwanda’s leadership had to overcome in steering the country out of the horrors of the human massacres, towards peace and stability.
It is no easy feat to achieve what Rwanda’s leadership has achieved in just 15 years. At times that pat on the back, keeps them and the nation going.
A topical issue during the press conference was to do with private sector development, which both Blair and Kagame concurred was progressing but needing all the support.
Support for instance that could be rendered to the recently constituted, Rwanda Development Board, (RDB).
Blair a frequent visitor to Rwanda has had a team of experts on the ground for a year now, who have followed closely the political and economic developments.
According to Kagame, the team should be extolled as their work creates a very strong partnership whereby not only gaps are filled where they exist, but there’s also the notion of transfer of skills, mentoring, actually doing things that are measurable over a period of time.
When asked about groups that continue to attack the current leadership, Blair attributed this to ignorance of developments on the ground.
“I think people from the outside don’t quite understand it.’ But as someone who has been here, looking at the progress the country has registered, stability is key in keeping these precious achievements intact thus the country has done what it has done without putting the achievements at stake, which is right in my opinion,” responded Blair.
Need we say more?
Related Materials:
Kagame attacks Mo Ibrahim, accuses west of “polluting Africa”
Rwanda: World Bank (WB) agrees with International Monetary Fund (IFM): Rwanda is off track to attaining most of its millennium development goals (MDG)
More than 50% children in Rwanda are stunted - UNICEF
Rwandan peasants on the brink of extinction
Rwanda: Residents decry banana destruction
Rwanda: Cabinet approves US35m Bio-diesel project
Striving for growth, bypassing the poor?A critical review of Rwanda’s rural sector policies
Rwanda: Economic Growth Sustained Through Free Labor
posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 1:04 PM
4 Comments:
UK's proxy wars in Africa: The case of Rwanda and DR Congo (http://www.uk-africa.com/).
The Rwandan genocide and 5,000,000 Congolese and Hutu refugees killed are the culminating point of a long British battle to expand their influence to the African francophone Great Lakes Region ( Death toll is over 5.4 millions according to Mrs Clinton, US Secretary of States).
The UK supported Kagame’s guerrilla war by providing military intelligence, advice and equipment. The UK refused to intervene to stop the genocide because they were confident that Kagame will win the war at any cost. All Kagame’s 20,000 fighters were on the Ugandan payroll paid by UK budget support.
Best for the West, hell for the rest, this is Tony Blair's moto. Very lucky that western hegemony is declining and the coming multipolar world will see the emergence of a strong Congo, leading the region.
Rwandan present leadership is making the same mistake Mobutu did during the cold war.
If you have those people as friends ( western leaders), you will not need enemies.
Have a good week end.
You do not know what you are saying. Rwanda is in a good way and we are determined to preserve our vision. Congo will never be a superpower.
Moise,
True you are determined to preserve your vision, and death toll will be hardly a point bothering you. Kagame neither anyway.
(http://www.betterwo rld.net/heroes/ rusesabagina. htm)
This is not the vision of your next president, your "MANDELA" because Rwanda has one, thanks God for you.
You know what? We mentioned Rwanda incidentally on our posting. Rwanda has simply no weight in the world balance of Power ( economically, human development, press freedom, political freedom, and your weak point: social cohesion. It is a myth to say there are no longer Tutsi and Hutu while same time punishing only HUTU for genocide of Tutsi). .
Our point was the behaviour of western powers ( anglo-saxons mainly) towards black africans ( reason why Tony Blair has to remain close to your Leader Kagame to give him "advises" that is against Africa as a whole and Rwanda as a country).
Back to CONGO, THE NEXT EMERGING POWER IN THE HEART OF AFRICA
The ones preventing the Congo to play its natural role is the West. They might hide behind RWANDA and Paul Kagame might get a lot of pride to be chosen for that very sad role, still Rwanda has no balance of power in those level of international struggle. Raison why Tony Blair think he has to give "advises" to Kagame and this will not end tomorrow after he learned the lesson. This is big politics and proxies need permanent monitoring!
At one time, we got another tutsi killer in Congo ( Nkundabatware ) saying he was "somebody". When Netherlands and a few other western countries cut aids to Rwanda, it took just a month before he was put out the radar by Rwanda, on the injonction of his masters!
Please do not show up here when we are discussing BIG ISSUES. Rwanda has two many problems, too poor, too small to play a role, unless he is used by... THOSE TONY BLAIRS AND OTHER you are trying again to cover up!
Death toll in Congo bothers a lot the public opinion in Tony Blair's country. Hiding the truth is becoming a very urge task in many western countries.
There is a lot of hypocrisy going around... still read below from a recent speech of Mrs Clinton intended to mainly female audience in the States:
"Melanne, as you know, has been one of the most consistent voices turning up the volume on the problem of gender and sexual-based violence, especially in conflict areas. And on my trip to Africa this summer, Melanne was with me in the Eastern Congo when we visited a refugee camp, when we went to HEAL Africa, an extraordinary hospital that helps the women who have been attacked and so brutally raped, and met with the doctors and the advocates and some of the victims themselves.
And it was, as I’m sure you can imagine, the most poignant and personally painful experience, because this has become a tactic of war, not just in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but in other places around the world as well.(...)
The camp that Melanne and I visited was home to about 18,000 people seeking refuge from a cycle of violence that has left 5.4 million people dead since 1998.
And when you see that, the depth of suffering and the brutality, it just tears at your heart" ( Mrs Hillary Clinton).
Be prudent my brother. If you do not want to end up one day like Hutu of today, or Tutsi of yesterday. Read again the previous statement.
Who has those people( Tony Blair, Bill Clinton, Bush and the likes) as friends will not need enemies.
Nice week end,
"Rwanda is in a good way and we are determined to preserve our vision", Moise. Are you also proud of the fact that More than 50% children in Rwanda are stunted ?
(http://hungryoftruth.blogspot.com/2009/11/more-than-50-children-in-rwanda-are.html)
You may have missed this...
Compared to your regional neighbors, DR Congo which has millions of people displaced from years of war and neglect has just 46 percent of its children being stunted.
and this....
...Malnourished infants and toddlers could have serious implications for the country future as it moves towards a knowledge-based economy under its Vision 2020 development plan.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home