Rwanda: A Citizen’s Weekly Open Letter to President Paul Kagame-April 12

By Aimable Mugara
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
April 12, 2010

H. E. General Paul Kagame
Office of the President
Republic of Rwanda
P.O. Box 15 Urugwiro Village
Kigali - Rwanda
Fax: +250 572431

Copy:
Prosecutor General
Martin Ngoga
National Public Prosecution Authority
BP 1328
Kigali – Rwanda
Fax: +250 589501

Commissioner General Emmanuel Gasana
Rwandan National Police
Kigali - Rwanda
Fax: +250 586602

Chief Executive Officer
Editor-in-Chief
The New Times Publications SARL
Immeuble Aigle Blanc
P.O. Box 4953
Kigali - Rwanda


A Citizen’s Weekly Open Letter to General Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda

Dear General,

There are 18 weeks left before the elections. This is my fifth letter and there are 18 letters left. Last week, we started remembering with great sadness the horrible tragedy of genocide that befell our nation in 1994. Very high on my priority list, I wanted to hear what the nation’s president would say in his speech for that day. I was expecting a focus on remembering the innocent victims, encouraging reconciliation among Rwandans, and what steps the government is taking to ensure that “Never again” becomes reality instead of simply a political slogan.

I am afraid that I was extremely disappointed by your speech to the nation on that day. The speech was belligerent; it was un-statesmanlike and was in my opinion a dishonor to the victims. The first half of your speech indeed rightfully remembered the victims and was uplifting in your description of how we can look ahead to a better future. Unfortunately, the second half of your speech deteriorated in both content and decorum. You started off by saying that “Concerning rights, who has the right to lecture us on rights after what we went through?”

Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that:

Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

In case you forgot, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed on December 10, 1948. The Declaration was a direct response to the Holocaust and other crimes committed during World War II. Abiding by these universal human rights is the only way to prevent a recurrence of the Rwandan genocide. These are not rights that are being imposed on Rwandans. These are rights that every Rwandan is born with, because all Rwandans are human beings.

You went on to say that “When people expend time and energy inventing – saying that no one talks in Rwanda, that there is no political space, press freedom, – who are they giving lessons to? Who are they? Are these Rwandans complaining? Have they sent you to speak on their behalf? These Rwandans are as free and as happy as they have never been in their life.” Here I am, I am Rwandan and I am complaining. I am not free and I am not happy. I see what is going in the country today, any politician who truly opposes you is being prevented from being on the ballot. Some are jailed for political reasons, some are harassed by never-ending police investigations, an obvious political tool to prevent them from being on the ballot. The same human rights groups you are blaming now are the same groups that actually told the entire world what was going on during the genocide. Now that you are the one oppressing the people, suddenly they are wrong?

You go on to say “Some people want to encourage political hooligans. People come from nowhere, useless people … They think Africans deserve to be led by these hooligans – and to this we say no –a big no.” Do you really think it was wise to you use the high office of the presidency to insult your opposition on a day of remembering the Genocide? As for whether these “hooligans” deserve to rule, Article 21 (3) of the Universal Declaration of Human Righs is very clear on that:

The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

So, Mr. President, you are one candidate on the presidential ballot. You have no right to decide who wins. You have no right to decide who should run against you. All you should do is present your platform to the people and the people need to be the final judge between you and these “hooligans.” Not you. Please read the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, they are found on the Internet at http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/ . It seems that your adult life that you spent in the militaries of Uganda and Rwanda you did not learn much about basic universal human rights.

Thank you!

Aimable Mugara
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Related Materials:

Rwanda: A Citizen’s Weekly Open Letter to Paul Kagame-March 29

Rwanda: A Citizen’s Weekly Open Letter to Paul Kagame-March 22

Rwanda: A Citizen’s Weekly Open Letter to President Paul Kagame-March 15

Rwanda: Rhetoric and the politics of genocide