Hungry for Truth, Peace and Justice

Democratic Green Party speaks out

By Frank HABINEZA
Chairperson
Democratic Green Party of Rwanda
November 11, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE


MEDIA AND DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN RWANDA

The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda would like to bring to the attention of the public the malicious reports of some media houses in Rwanda.
The party would like to point out that some people believed to be state agents have since, 30th

October 2009, subjected our members to all forms of harassment, intimidation and illegal arrest.

The same tactics are also now being used on the first opposition party, Parti Social Imberakuri (PS-Imberakuri) which has confirmed a presidential candidate in the upcoming 2010 presidential elections. They have started parading people on National Television and giving them free airtime exceeding 10 minutes, condemning a presidential candidate.

It’s sad that the same tactics referred to above are being used on PS-Imberakuri and the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda. We request the government to refrain from these non democratic means.

After 15 years in power, RPF should create a leveled ground and let other political parties freely work and participate in all national elections.

We strongly do not agree with the actions of RPF led government on the complete suppression of independent media and voice in Rwanda. The harassment has intensified, causing most of independent journalist to either free the country or face false imprisonment, harassment, beating, and so on. Also as a result, most post-genocide newspapers have closed down or are in process of closing down, due to various government policies aimed at suppressing the media and independent voice in Rwanda.

UMUSESO and UMUVUGIZI Newspapers, are continuously and consistently been harassed and denied their media and press rights by the present government, an act aimed to see them closed down, they have been denied adverts from all public institutions an act aimed at making them financially bankrupt and have been dragged to court several times.

The latest victim being Mr. Gasasira John Bosco, the Managing Editor of the UMUVUGIZI Newspaper, who is presently in court for some charges of defamation. While in most countries, defamation is considered a civil case, the present regime in its efforts to check on people’s freedoms, enforce people’s fear of self-expression, self-censorship, and completely eliminate independent voice in the country; defamation has been legislated a criminal offence, punishable with up to five years in prison.

We strongly protest these actions and also request the judiciary to be independent from the Executive.

We call for a fair judgment and request the international community to observe these issues seriously.

MEDIA CAMPAIGN AGAINST DEMOCRATIC GREEN PARTY OF R WANDA AND ITS LEADERSHIP

We would like to refer to two articles which appeared in the two consecutive issues of the New

Times of both 9th and 10th November 2009, Numbers 1956 and 1957 consecutively.

The two articles which refer to the inaugural congress which was sabotaged on 30th October 2009 by people unknown to us and who were not party members.

The articles mention the following false hoods.
a. That the members rebelled against its interim leadership.
b. That the rebellion arose, because the message of the leaders was based on what foreigners wanted and not what Rwandans wanted.
c. That the message was prepared in foreign capitals whose authors do not understand what
Rwandans want.
d. That these wrangles have forced some members to leave the Party.

The chaos broke out when the meeting had just started. The Secretary General was taking the members through the internal rules and regulations when people who had forced their way in started screaming.

At this point in time no discussion had started and no disagreement arose at all. We have video coverage and other evidences to prove that.

The internal rules and regulations which were being read to the members had been prepared by Rwandans resident in Kigali. No foreigners were involved at any level. The New Times is at liberty to obtain a copy from the Party offices.

There is nothing foreign about these rules and regulations. As a matter of fact they are almost similar to those of other political parties already in existence in Rwanda.

On the other hand, it is on record that it is the government in Kigali that is being controlled by foreigners. Example is Mr. Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, now an official presidential adviser to President Kagame. The Presidential Advisory Council, has many other foreigners, those officially known are:

1. Scott Ford – president and CEO of Alltel

2. Sir Tom Hunter – Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist, co-founder Clinton-Hunter Development Initiative

3. Kaia Miller - founder of Aslan Global, Inc.

4. Joe Ritchie - Rwanda’s Honorary Consul in Chicago, founder Fox River Financial Resources, Inc.

5. Micheal Roux - Rwanda’s Honorary Consul General in Australia, Chairman, Asian Markets, KPMG; Roux International Pty Ltd; RI Group;

6. Pastor Rick Warren - Religious leader, founder Saddleback Church, and PEACE Plan

7. Prof. Michael Porter - a Bishop William Lawrence University Professor, based at Harvard Business School.

As far as the departure of the former Interim Secretary General, Mr.Andrew UMUGANWA is concerned, there was nothing like power struggle at all. Indeed Mr. UMUGANWA himself is on record as having said that he left the Democratic green Party, because DGPR put more emphasis on environmental issues than social issues. Other details were availed to the press and were published. Mr.Muganwa started another political Party recently.

The New Times should do itself justice by quoting, always, from reliable sources. The New Times published a faked invitation letter of one Aimable KANAMUGIRE who has never been our member and we have never seen him. All our Invitation Letters were signed by the party president and a mark of originality was put on them. The one published by The New Times does not bear that mark of originality. It was a fake.

It’s a shame that The New Times Newspaper can reach an extent of publishing forged materials and also faking an interview. This is not surprising since The New Times of 9th Nov 2009 had published similar allegations in its editorial.

The New Times is reminded that what it did is against the Media Law, especially when it refused to publish the official response from the Green Party. The New Times of 2009 should not behave like the New Times of 2003.Times have changed.

As of today, Rwanda News Agency, a seemingly independent News Agency has launched a personal attack on the president of the Party by alleging that Frank HABINEZA assisted Mrs. Drocella MUGOREWERA former Minister to escape the country.

Yet it is known by all that the former Minister, left the country through Kigali International Airport where Frank HABINEZA had no control at all. If there is anyone who helped the former Minister to escape, it should be the immigration officials.

Rwanda News Agency has stooped so low by accepting to be fooled by government agents. The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda was formed and is being promoted by very many Rwandans and not Frank HABINEZA alone.

FACTS ON EX-MINISTER DROCELLA MUGOREWERA’S EXIT

I, Frank HABINEZA would like to clarify the following:

1. My working in the Ministry of Lands, Environment, Forestry, Water and Mines, as personal Assistant to the Minister, is attributed to the Cabinet meeting, at the time, chaired by H.E. Paul Kagame. Mrs. Drocella Mugorewera worked in various capacities within the state apparatus, (as a parliamentarian, Permanent secretary, state minister and Minister). Those in government know her better. President Kagame is responsible and answerable, not Frank HABINEZA

2. Ms. Mugorewera’s exit was the responsibility of the department of Immigration and National Security Service.

3. She went through the Kigali International Airport like any other person. I did not have the powers to request the Immigration officers to let her go, neither did I intervene.

4. I was never stopped at Kigali Airport because of Mugorewera.

5. I have never been stopped and or pulled out of the plane at any given moment in my life or at Kigali airport.

6. Refer to the records of Rwanda Air Express, she boarded a public plane filled with many other Rwandans. Her leaving the country cannot be attributed to me. In that case, everyone who boarded the plane can be answerable.

7. The Plane’s destination was Entebbe-Uganda and not Nairobi-Kenya. Rwanda Air

Express records can confirm that.

8. As regards the Nile Basin Regional Forum, held at Hotel Africana from 18th-19th June

2008, in Kampala Uganda, the meeting had six delegates from Rwanda and Mugorewera was one of them, all the delegates attended the meeting. This can be proved. I left her in Kampala, after the meeting I was supposed to attend, ended. She stayed behind, since she had another meeting to attend in Nairobi. That’s the last I saw her and heard from her. Other delegates from Rwanda had also stayed behind and came back later.

9. It is absurd that the government can accuse an individual person like me, who is no where related to security organs and agencies, of not managing national physical security issues.

It is absurd that the Immigration and Emigrations department would expect me to control exit and entry of people into Rwanda.

All these false hoods in the media and by word of mouth should not be used by anybody to misinform and discourage people from joining the democratic greens or any other party. Similarly the government should allow the registration of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda.

The Government should let all Rwandans form and belong to Parties of their own choice so that collectively we build a better Rwanda. The time is now.

Trying to smash political Parties using all forms of repression will only serve to complicate the growth of true democracy in Rwanda.

Issued in Kigali on November 11, 2009

Frank HABINEZA

Founding Party President

Democratic Green Party of Rwanda

B.P. 6334 KIGALI-RWANDA

Tel : + 250 788 563 039,

E-mail: info@rwandagreendemocrats.org
Website: http://www.rwandagreendemocrats.org/

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posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 7:34 PM