Rwanda: Interview of Ms Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza with Radio Voice of Africa Kigali FM
Interview of Ms Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
with
Radio Voice of Africa Kigali FM, on January 21, 2010
VOA-KFM:
Welcome to the studios of Voice of Africa Kigali FM (VOA-KFM). My name is
Ildephonse Sinobabariraga. I work in the division of information. I would like to
ask you to introduce yourself.
VIU:
Thank you for inviting me in your studios. My name is Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
(VIU). I’m the Chairperson of FDU-Inkingi political party which is not yet
registered here in Rwanda but I came back to register it.
VOA-KFM: For
how long have you been abroad?
VIU: I
came back to Rwanda after 16 years of absence.
VOA-KFM:
That’s a lot of years of absence in the country. Could compare the image you
used to have about Rwanda while in Europe to the new image of Rwanda you got upon your arrival in the country since you have
already been here for a week?
VIU: To
tell you the truth, both images are the same. Maybe what I can say is that the
City of Kigali has substantially expanded. Yesterday I was in Gisenyi.
The City of Gisenyi has aged along with its streets. Frankly, with regard to
the problems facing the country we found here the same information we were
getting while in Europe. I got here on Saturday but if I consider what people are
saying and look at the people I already met with, because on Sunday I was in
Kabgayi, Gitarama and yesterday I was in Gisenyi, the conclusion is that the
problems the people are reporting here in the country are exactly the same
problems we were hearing about while in Europe. That’s why we took the decision
to conduct political activities in Rwanda because important for us that all Rwandans should join
their hands in order to build their country.
VOA-KFM: What are those problems you used to hear
about when you were in Europe and as you said, you found similar problems upon your
arrival in the country?
VIU:
They are problems related to fear. It is the real fear. There is fear due to
the fact that Rwandans are afraid of expressing their opinions, how they see
the problems. Such fear is linked to the
tragedy that ravaged our country: the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 and
the crimes against the Hutus. People are still afraid of talking about these
two issues.
Considering
the fact that upon my arrival in the country I pointed out these two issues in
and the way several newspapers were quick at distorting my statements, I find
it to be a big problem. As I already said, the biggest problem we face here in Rwanda in the aftermaths of such a tragedy is the problem of
reconciliation. The fact that the reconciliation process has not yet initiated
in Rwanda, 16 years after the genocide against the Tutsi and crimes
against humanity committed in Rwanda, is the origin of such a fear. There is fear of saying
that I have to whatever to avoid being victimized because of who I am or what I
am. There are other people who say I cannot afford to speak out because
retaliation. It is that fear I saw in the people I met with. That’s why some
newspapers distort one’s statements. That is the fear among the people, the
fear with strong grounds, the fear the people are talking about. There are
people who speak in private but when you ask them some questions they say that
they cannot say anything because by doing so they may end up in trouble. That’s
a big problem. For instance, yesterday I visited detainees in Gisenyi prison.
Among these detainees, there are some of them who acknowledge having committed
genocide. I told them that if indeed they committed genocide, their jail tem
should be an opportunity to think about what they did, understand the
seriousness of their crimes, and understand how human life is sacred. They
should therefore learn from their mistakes. However, there are other detainees
who told me that they have been detained for 7 years without any file. This is
a serious problem. It does not make any sense to hear that in a non-failed
state, a country where the judiciary is functional, someone can be detained for
7 years without finding evidence for the alleged crime. The situation for such
individuals is not acceptable. That’s an indication of bad governance. There
are other detainees who told me that they were accused of genocide ideology.
There is a man who told me that their build a village in my land property
without any compensation. When I asked about such a practice, I was accused of
harboring a genocide ideology and was put in jail. There are many problems due
to misunderstanding and to our recent dark history, a devastating civil war and
unprecedented killings among Rwandans.
Our
position is that things should start from scratch. It’s paramount that we
Rwandans drop our fear and have the courage to start talking about the tragedy
that befell us. That means that the ruling government must let people start
talking about it. Because I noticed that
some of the passages published by government sponsored media were in fact
reporting things I never said. That’s in
fact the ruling government’s way of keepping people from speaking out. In fact they prevent them from speaking out
because they thrive on the lie that tells people that a genocide was committed
in Rwanda and no one should dare talking about it. Such things are
indeed not right. We think that it’s about time 16 years after the genocide
that was committed in our country that we Rwandans have the courage to start
talking about what happened to us. A
genocide was committed against Tutsis.
Those who did it must be punished just as I told the prisoners I
recently visited. Those who were not
involved should not be made liable for what they didn’t do. Innocent people
must be released from prison, which in turn will help Rwandans in general
resume living freely in their country.
It’s
therefore necessary that we talk about those things. It’s indeed necessary that as Rwandans with
our different opinions, worshiping in different religions that we accept to sit
down together and find out why these killings happened to us, who committed
them and what can we do to ensure that such killings don’t happen to us
again. Only then will we be empowered to
work for our country’s development.
Because the fear I felt in the people, and their understanding of the
events that took place does not encourage Rwandans to move forward. What we are
building today would be built on sand and tomorrow or after tomorrow it would
crumble again because when you examine people’s hearts and the problems/war
scars they bear in their hearts because of that problem which until now looks
like they are told to cover up and not talk about would certainly cause other
problems down the road. We in FDU we say that Rwandans in general must have the
courage to talk about the problem so that we can engage on the path of
reconciliation so that we can seek unity together. Especially what we want is that as
politicians we get together to talk about that problem looking for the right
path to steer our country on because even all those killings were the result of
bad governance. If we agree on the right
way to define positions of authority and how people are appointed to those
positions that will at least keep those killings from happening again. That
will give people confidence that the government is there to represent them and
not a small clique of such and such, that it is not a government of this or
that ethnic group or the government of people of this or that region, but a
government that represents every Rwandan so that every Rwandan sees him/herself
in it and is no longer afraid to speak out in his/her own country.
VOA-KFM:
I have one question. All those things are what you’ve criticized that they
don’t work. Then is there things the government did in these 16 years past
genocide you would praise upon your arrival in Rwanda? What are they?
VIU: I
don’t think it’s my role to praise what the ruling government did well. They have enough people in charge of speaking
for them. I don’t think that’s my job.
What brought us in the country is to do politics aimed at correcting
what we know doesn’t work. As to giving
praise to the ruling government, they have plenty of people to do that, they
are the ones who should do that.
VOA-KFM:
Let us talk about your party FDU-Inkingi.
It is a party that was operating abroad and you say that you come back
to register it. And if I’m not mistaken you have also publicly declared that
you will be running as a candidate of your party for the post of President of
the Republic in these presidential elections.
Have you in this week you’ve been in the country started the process of
getting your party registered? Do you expect that it will be registered any
time soon?
VIU:
Thanks. During these first days, what I wished to do as I’ve already said I
went to Kabgayi, I went to Gisenyi, and I plan to go other places, is to first
have an idea so to speak of the home standing in the country. I will maybe talk based on what I found in
those two places but maybe I will find out some more after I visit other
areas. It’s good indeed that in these
first days one would want to see where the country has come right now so to
speak, and where those problems stand before one would work with other Rwandans
in the country to find a way our party can be registered. Normally the law says
that party registration takes on month even though it doesn’t look that it
works that way because we have the example of the party that advocates the defense
of the environment and democracy in Rwanda (Green Party). When
you considered the time that has passed since it requested to be registered and
the problems it has faced, we stand ready to face the same problems. But we
hope that the government, the people in the government, understands now that it
is time to heed the principles of democracy in Rwanda. We cannot continue
to say that because a genocide was committed in Rwanda we cannot open the political space. Because they need to
understand that the genocide was committed because there were people who had
monopolized power, and did not want to yield to others, did not want to give
access to other for them to feel free in their country. I think that the ruling government
understands that, and that it cannot afford to make the same mistake other
made, locking out people, continuing to close the gates, keeping people from
enjoying their freedom or from doing politics the way they see fit. I therefore truly hope that our party will be
registered because so far I see no reason why it would not.
VOA-KFM:
But you said that the Green Party has waited over a month without being
registered. What makes you believe that
your party will be registered in a month or so?
VIU: I
have no proof to that but I do not want to render a sentence to those in charge
of registering the party, saying that they will not approve me when I have not
yet asked for registration. That would
be rendering a sentence on things that don’t exist. The day they refuse to register it they will
explain why they refused to do so. Maybe
we could talk about that at that time.
But now I’m positive I see no reason why they wouldn’t register the
party. I see no reason why I would render a sentence to people at this time
saying that they will not register the party.
VOA-KFM: While
still on this issue of the party, beside you who came as the party chair to
register the party here in Rwanda, one would wonder are there others you work
with in the party or do they too plan to come to Rwanda or are you the only one
who came to register the party for it to continue working abroad?
VIU: I
would like to remind that I came with four people. I didn’t come alone. But there are other party members left behind
for reasons we often spoke about in the past. Because many of them are refugees, they asked
for papers for them to come to their country and until now those papers have
not been delivered. I hope that in the
coming days I will be able to go see agents of immigration to ask them why
those people have not been issued travel documents. Because it doesn’t make sense that they spend
their time beating the drums for the refugee hosted in African countries to
come back by force, when they deny travel documents to those refugees hosted by
European country if they ask for travel documents to go back to their
country. It doesn’t make sense. I just hope that that issue will be
settled. You also wondered if the party
will continue to work abroad. That’s not
true because we’ve decided to transfer all our political activities here in Rwanda. There are Rwandans
in Rwanda. This is a party for Rwandans. We have members and others
will join us soon. That’s not an issue.
VOA-KFM:
A short while after you landed at the airport you went to the memorial. As you came back from there many Rwandans may
have been offended by your talk at the memorial. From many Rwandans that were interviewed or
maybe from a few who where asked it was clear that they rejected what you said
there. How will you work with Rwandans
that have started fighting you?
VIU: We
need to find out how many those Rwandans were? Who exactly those Rwandans were? Why did they say such things? We know fairly well the politics of this
country. I’m coming from Europe but I know the way politics is done here. Calling on somebody somewhere asking him/her
to say such and such, is the kind of politics Rwandans don’t want anymore. What we are saying is that no politician
should use the tragedy that befell our country to use it to lock out everybody
else. That we will not accept in
FDU-Inkingi. At Gisozi what I said to Rwandans is that a Rwandan genocide was
committed, which was the reason why as soon as I arrived in the country I
couldn’t sleep before I visited the memorial reminding us of the tragedy that befell
the country. But I reminded everyone
that we couldn’t stop at the genocide perpetrated against Tutsi only because
there were also crimes against humanity that were committed. Those crimes the
people they were committed against would also like the government to reserve a
time for them to remember their loved ones so that people empathize with their
sorrow. The problem I heard from people,
people like those of Ibuka is that they believe those things should never be
talked about. It doesn’t make sense how
people can say that some killings should be talked about but that other
killings should not. We, the Rwandan people, have suffered. What I ask people
is that we have the courage to look at the tragedy that befell us. It’s us Rwandans who carried it out. I don’t
agree when we dare to say that it came from the white people or from some other
people. No white person grabbed a
machete to go chop down somebody, no white person pick up a Kalchinikov to go
lock students in their class room to shoot them all out. All of that was done by us the Rwandan people
among ourselves. We need to accept that
truth. We need to examine that
truth. We also need to take the right
long range plans. But we don’t like that
some people for their own political gains keep people from saying what they
think, invoking that tragedy, that calamity that befell Rwandans. That indeed
must end. And to those people who live
in fear because of these things, I aked people to come out their fear and have
the courage to face problems like these, because that’s the only way we will
rebuild our country and will prevent the youth of tomorrow to run into problems
like these. But covering up, covering up like covering burning fire with ashes,
that fire will one day burst open again.
So what we want is that Rwandans quit covering up the sorrow they have,
the pain they suffered. What we want is
that Rwandans in the pain they suffered in that tragedy that befell Rwanda, if people are given a chance, if they are given a chance
to talk about it, look together for ways they can help each other, look for
ways we can lift our country up in peace and harmony.
VOA-KFM:
I think you say all that as Victoire.
Who is that Victoire who says that she wants Rwandans to move forward
again, to hold hands again in unity?
VIU: I’m
married. I have three children. I studied accounting here in Rwanda. I worked in the
Rwandan Ministry of Finance in Customs before continuing on to study in Holland. There too I
studied Finance at the University. After
that I worked in an American company for 9 years. In April of last year I
resigned my well-paying job preparing to come to my country to do politics.
VOA-KFM: Good. Thank you. We truly thank you.
VIU:
Thank you too.
NOTE:
This transcript is also available in Kinyarwanda.
RELATED STORY:
Rwanda: Ikiganiro Mme Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza yagiranye na Radiyo Ijwi Ry’Afrika Kigali FM
Ikiganiro Mme Victoire
Ingabire Umuhoza yagiranye na
Radiyo Ijwi Ry’Afrika Kigali
FM , tariki ya 21 Mutarama, 2010.
VOA-KFM: Tubahaye ikaze muri studio za Voice
of Africa Kigali FM (VOA-KFM). Njye nitwa Ildephonse Sinobabariraga.
Nkora mu ishami ry’amakuru. Ngirango nifuzako mwatangira mutwibwira.
IUV: Murakoze kuba namwe mwantumiye muri studio yanyu. Nitwa
Ingabire Umuhoza Victoire (IUV). Nkaba ndi umuyobozi w’ishyaka FDU-Inkingi
ritarandikwa hano mu gihugu ariko nkaba naraje kuryandikisha.
VOA-KFM: Ngirango, mwaje mu Rwanda mumaze
igihe kingana iki muruvuyemo?
IUV: Ngarutse mu Rwanda nyuma y’imyaka
cumi n’itandatu nari maze ntarubamo.
VOA-KFM: None ngirango nyuma y’imyaka cumi
n’itandatu umuntu ataba mu gihugu ni imyaka myinshi cyane. Mukiri i Buraya hari
uburyo mwumvaga u Rwanda n’ubu noneho mumaze icyumweru murubamo mwaba hari
ubundi buryo mumaze kurubona. Ibyo bintu mwabitugereranyiriza gute?
IUV: Mu by’ukuri urebye nasanze uko
narutekerezaga ndi i Buraya n’uko narusanze ari kimwe. Icyo navuga yenda ni uko
nasanze umujyi wa Kigali waragutse ukagera hirya. Ejo nari ku Gisenyi. Nasanze
umujyi wa Gisenyi warashaje, n’imihanda yarashaje, ariko mu by’ukuri nko ku
bibazo bireba igihugu, amakuru twabonaga turi i Burayi ni nako twasanze hano mu
gihugu ahari kuko naje koko kuwa Gatandatu ariko urebye uko abantu bavuga
ukareba n’abo nagiye mpura n’abo kuko ku Cyumweru nanyarukiye i Kabgayi i
Gitarama hanyuma ejo nari ku Gisenyi, usanga ibibazo abantu bavuga uko
twabibonaga turi i Burayi ninako n’imbere mu gihugu bimeze. Akaba ari nayo
mpamvu yatumye dufata icyemezo cyo kuza gukorera politiki mu gihugu kuko
dusanga ko ari ngombwa ko abanyarwanda twese hamwe dufatanyiriza hamwe kuzamura
igihugu cyacu.
VOA-KFM: Ibyo bibazo by’ingenzi muvuga
mwabonaga muri i Burayi n’ubu mukaba muvuga ko aho mugereye mu gihugu musanga
bigihari ni nk’ibihe?
IUV: Ni ibibazo bijyanye n’ubwoba.
Ubwoba kandi mvuga njye ko bufite ishingiro. Hari ubwoba bw’uko abanyarwanda
batinya kuvuga icyo batekereza, uko babona ibibazo. Ubwo bwoba akenshi ugasanga
buturuka ku makuba yagwiriye u Rwanda: itsembabwoko ryakorewe abatutsi muri
1994, hari ubwicanyi bwakorewe abahutu. Ibyo bintu ugasanga ndetse ari ibintu
bataratinyuka kuvugaho. Kuko nabonye uko nabivuze nkigera mu gihugu, n’uburyo
hari ibinyamakuru byinshi byihutiye kwandika ibyo ntavuze, ngasanga ari ikibazo
gikomeye. Nk’uko nabivuze nasanze mu Rwanda ikibazo dufite gikomeye nyuma y’ako
kaga kagwiriye u Rwanda ari ikibazo cy’ubwiyunge. Kuba inzira y’ubwiyunge
itaratangira mu Rwanda nyuma y’imyaka 16 habaye itsembabwoko ry’abatutsi n’ibyo
bikorwa by’ihonya ry’ikiremwa muntu byabaye hano mu Rwanda ubwo bwiyunge bukaba
butaratangira nibyo ntandaro y’uko abantu bafite ubwoba. Hari ubwoba bwo kuvuga
ko ngomba gukora uko nshoboye nkirwanaho ntavaho nzira icyo ndicyo, ntavaho
nzira uwo ndiwe. Hakaba n’abandi bafite ubwoba bwo kuvuga bati ntabwo ntinyuka
kuvuga batavaho babinziza. Ni ubwo bwoba nabonye mu bantu. Akaba ariyo mpamvu
usanga ibinyamakuru byandika ugasanga
byanditse ibyo umuntu atavuze. Ni ubwo bwoba abantu bafite, kandi bufite
ishingiro. Aribwo bwoba bavuga. Usanga hari abandi bavuga bakwihererana
wababaza ibibazo bakakubwira bati ntacyo twavuga niyo tuvuze turabizira. Ku
buryo rero usanga ari ibibazo bikomeye. Ndafata nk’urugero. Nk’ejo nasuye
abagororwa bari muri prison yo ku Gisenyi. Muri abo bagororwa twahuye nabo
navugako harimo ibice binyuranye. Hari abagororwa bavuga bati icyaha
cy’itsembabwoko koko twaragikoze. Nanjye nababwiye y’uko niba koko barakoze
icyaha cy’itsembabwoko ibihano bahawe bigomba kubaha akanya ko gutekereza no
kumva ibyo byaha bakoze no kumva ko kizira ko umuntu avutsa undi ubuzima bwe.
Ko bigomba kubabera isomo. Ariko hari n’abandi bagororwa bambwiye bati tumaze
imyaka 7 dufunze nta dosiye ihari. Ukumva ko iki ari ikibazo gikomeye ko ahantu
hari ubutegetsi mu gihugu hari ubutegetsi bw’ubutabera umuntu bamufunga imyaka
irindwi batarashobora kubona ibimenyetso by’uko uwo muntu yakoze icyaha koko.
Abantu nk’abo ngabo ntabwo ibintu biba byumvikana. Byerekana imikorere mibi
itagenda neza. Ikindi hari n’abandi bavuze bati twafunzwe tuzizwa
ingengabitekerezo. Hari umugabo wambwiye ati isambu yanjye bayubatsemo
imidugugu batambwiye, nta nyishyu bampaye. Ibyo byanteye ikibazo. Mu gihe
mbajije bahita bavuga ko ubwo nzanye ingebitekerezo ya jenoside baramfunga.
Urumva ko hari ibibazo byinshi biterwa n’imyumvire mibi ariko iteka ukagaruka
ugasanga ari ibibazo bituruka kuri cya kibazo twagize cy’intambara ikomeye,
cy’ubwicanyi bukomeye bwabaye hagati y’abanyarwanda. Twebwe rero tukavuga tuti
ibintu bigomba kwongera gutangirira ku ntangiriro. Ni ngombwa ko abanyarwanda
dushirika ubwoba tukagira ubutwari bwo gutinyuka kuvuga ku byatubayeho. Ni
ukuvuga ko ubutegetsi bahari bugomba kureka abantu bakabivuga. Kuko nabonye
inyandiko zanditswe kenshi n’itangazamakuru rya leta mu by’ukuri ryanditse
rikavuga ibyo ntavuze. Ugasanga ari uburyo mu by’ukuri ubwo butegetsi buhari
burimo bukoresha kugirango bubuze abantu kuvuga. Kuvuga kugirango bavaho bavuga
kuko wenda ikibabeshejeho n’icyo kinyoma bashingikiraho babwira abantu bati
habaye itsembabwoko ntimubumbure umunwa ngo muvuge. Ntabwo ibyo bintu rero
aribyo. Dutekereza ko igihe rero kigeze nyuma y’imyaka 16 iryo tsembabwoko
ribaye mu gihugu cyacu ko abanyarwanda dutinyuka kuvuga kubyatubayeho. Habayeho
itsembabwoko ry’abatutsi. Abarikoze bagomba kubihanirwa nk’uko ejo nabibwiye
abanyururu nasuye. Abatararikoze ntabwo bagomba guhozwa ibyo batakoze. Abantu
b’inzirakarengane bagomba gufungurwa. Ariko noneho bigatuma n’abanyarwanda muri
rusange bongera kubaho mu bwisanzure mu gihugu cyabo. Ni ngombwa rero ko ibyo
bintu tubivugaho.Ni ngombwa ko nk’abanyarwanda mu bitekerezo dufite binyuranye,
mu moko anyuranye tuvamo mu madini anyuranye tuvamo, twemera ko tugomba kwicara
hamwe tukumvikana ni mpamvu ki ubwo bwicanyi bwabaye, ni bande babikoze, twakora
iki kugirango ubwo bwicanyi butazongera kubaho. Noneho icyo gihe ibyo
bizadufasha kwumvikana uburyo twateza imbere igihugu cyacu. Kuko ntabwo ubwoba
nabonye mu bantu, n’imyumvire y’abantu uko imeze, ishobora gutuma abanyarwanda
batera imbere. N’ibyo turi kwubaka ubu ngubu twaba turi kwubaka k’umusenyi,
n’ejo n’ejobundi byakongera bigasenyuka kuko iyo urebye imitima y’abantu
n’ibibazo/intambara bafite mu mitima yabo kubera icyo kibazo kugeza ubu ng’ubu
gisa n’aho bababwira ngo mucyubikeho ntimukivuge ugasanga bishobora guteza
ibibazo mu minsi iri imbere.
Twebwe muri FDU tukavuga tuti rero abanyarwanda
muri rusange tugomba gutinyuka icyo kibazo tukakivuga kugirango dutangire
inzira y’ubwiyunge, kugirango dutangire gushakira ubumwe hamwe. Cyane icyo
twifuza ni uko nk’abanyepolitiki tugiye hamwe tukavugana icyo kibazo dushake
inzira igihugu cyacu cyayoborwa. Kuko n’ubwo bwicanyi bwose bwaturutse ku
miyoborere mibi y’igihugu. Niba twumvikanye rero uburyo hagiyeho inzego
z’ubuyobozi, uburyo abantu bajya mu nzego z’ubuyobozi, ibyo bizatuma n’ibura
ubwo bwicanyi butazongera kubaho. Ibyo bizaha abaturarwanda icyizere ko
ubutegetsi buriho bubabereyeho, atrai ubutegetsi bubereyeho agatsiko aka n’aka,
atari ubutegetsi bubereyeho ubwoko ubu n’ubu, atari ubutegetsi bubereyeho
akarere aka n’aka, ariko ari ubutegitsi bubereyeho buri munyarwanda wese, ku
buryo buri munyarwanda wese abwisangamo, umunyrwanda ntiyongere gutinya kuvuga
mu gihugu cye.
VOA-KFM: Ariko ikibazo kimwe. Ibyo ni bimwe
unenga uvuga ko bitagenda. Ariko noneho bimwe mu byo wavuga wageze mu Rwanda
ushima mu myaka 16 jenoside ibaye noneho byaba byassrakozwe na leta iriho ni
nk’ibihe?
IUV: Ndumva ako atari akazi kanjye ko
gushima leta iriho. Bafite abantu babo babishinzwe bo kubavugira. Ndumva atari
akazi kanjye. Twe icyatuzanye mu gihugu ni ugukora polilitiki yo gukosora ibyo
tubona bitagenda neza. Naho abo kuvuga ibigwi ubutegetsi buriho, bafite abantu
babo ndumva aribo bazabavuga ibigwi.
VOA-KFM: Ngirango noneho tugere ku kibazo
cy’ishyaka ryanyu FDU-Inkingi. Ni ishyaka ryari risanzwe rikorera hanze muvuga
ko muje kuryandikisha. Ndetse ngirango mwanatangaje ko muteganya kuzaba
umukandida mu matora ya perezida wa repubulika muhagariye ishyaka ryanyu. Ubu
mu cyumweru mumaze mu gihugu mwaba mwari mwatangira inzira zo kugira ngo
mushake uburyo muryandikisha? Mwaba mwiteguye se ko rizemerwa mu minsi ya vuba?
IUV: Murakoze. Muri iyi minsi ya mbere
icyo nifuje nk’uko nabivuze nagiye i Kabgayi nagiye ku Gisenyi, nteganaya no
kujya hirya no hino, ni ukubanza kureba mu gihugu wa mugani isura y’urugo.Wenda
ndavuga nkurikije ibyo nabonye muri utwo duce tubiri maze kugendamo, ariko
yenda ninjya ahandi nzahasanga ibindi. Ni byiza rero twifuje ko iminsi ya mbere
umuntu yabanza kureba mu by’ukuri aho igihugu kigeze wa mugani, n’ibyo bibazo
uko biri hanyuma nyuma umuntu akaraba uko yafatanya n’abanyarwanda bari hano mu
gihugu tugashaka uburyo twasaba ko ishyaka ryacu ryakwandikwa. Ubundi amategeko
avuga ko ishyaka ryemerwa mu gihe cy’ukwezi kumwe n’ubwo kugeza ubu bigaragara
ko atariko bimeze kuko nafata urugero kuri ririya shyaka riharanira ibidukikije
na demokarasi mu Rwanda (Green Party). Iyo urebye igihe rimaze risabye
kwandikwa n’ingorane ryagiye rihura nazo, usanga natwe twiteguye ko izo ngorane
dushobora kuzahura nazo. Ariko tukaba tuzeye ko ubutegetsi , abafite ubutegetsi
bagomba kumva ko igihe kigeze cyo gushimangira amahame ya demokrasi mu Rwanda.
Ntabwo abantu bashobora gukomeza kuvuga ngo kubera ko mu Rwanda habaye
itsembabwoko ntabwo amarembo ya politiki afunguye. Kuko bagomba kumva ko iryo
tsembabwoko ryabayeho kubera ko hari abantu bari bihariye ubutegetsi ntibashake
guha rugari abandi, ntibashake guha abandi urubuga, ngo abantu bisanzure. Nkaba
ntekereza ko ubutegetsi buriho ubu ibyo bubibona, bubyumva, budashobora gukora
ikosa nk’iryo abandi bakoze, ngo fungirane abantu bukomeze bufunge amarembo,
bubuze abantui kwisanzura cyangwa gukora politiki uko babyumva. Nkaba nizera
rero ntashidikanya ko ishyaka ryacu rizandikwa kuko nta mpamvu mbona kugeza ubu
ngubu ishyaka ritazandikwa.
VOA-KFM: Kandi wavuze ko nk’ishyaka Green
Party uvuga ko ryo rigiye kumara igihe kirenze ukwezi ritaremerwa. Ikikwemeza
ko ishyaka ryawe rizemerwa mu gihe kigeze k’umwezi cyangwa kirenzeho gatoya ni
ikihe?
IUV: Nta cyemezo mfite ariko nta n’ubwo
nshaka gucira urubanza abashinzwe kwandika ishyaka, ngo mvuge ngo
ntibazanyemerera kandi ntarasaba urwo ruhushya. Ibyo byaba ari ugucira urubanza
ku bintu badahari. Igihe bazaba banze kuryandika, bazasobanura impamvu banze
kuryandika. Icyo gihe yenda twazabivugaho. Ariko ubu ng’ubu nemeza ko nta
mpamvumvu n’imwe mbona batakwandika ishyaka, nta n’impamvu mbona nacira
urubanza abantu ubu ngubu mvuga ngo ntimuzaryandika.
VOA-KFM: Tukiri kuri iki cy’ishyaka uretse
wowe waje kuryandikisha nk’umuntu urihagarariye hano mu Rwanda ukaza ukaza kuryandikisha
umuntu yakwibaza ati se abandi muri kumwe nk’ishyaka nabo barahari cyangwe se
nabo barateganya kuza mu Rwanda cyangwa se niwowe gusa waje kwandikisha ishyaka
ubundi rikaba ryakorera yo?
IUV: Ndagirango nibutse ko abantu
twazanye, nazanye n’abantu bane ntabwo naje ndi njyenyine ariko hari abandi
barwanashyaka basigaye inyuma ku mpamvu twakunze nazo kuvuga mu minsi yashize
kubera ko abenshi ari impunzi, basabye impapuro z’inzira zo kugirango babashe
kugaruka mu gihugu cyabo kugeza ubu izo mpapuro ntiziraboneka. Nkaba nizera ko
mu minsi iri imbere tuzajya kureba abantu bashinzwe abinjira n’abasohoka
tukababaza impamvu abo bantu batarahabwa impapuro z’inzira. Kuko ntabwo
byumvikana ko impunzi birirwa ziri mu bihugu by’Afrika birirwa bazirukankana
bakazitahisha ku ngufu, impunzi zri i Burayi zavuga ngo zishaka gutaha ngo
muduhe impapuro zo gutaha, z’inzira bakanga kubaha impapuro z’inzira. Ntabwo
byumvikana. Nkaba nizeye ko icyo kibazo
kizakemurwa. Ikindi wibajije niba ishyaka rizakomeza gukorera hanze ntabwo
aribyo kuko twafashe icyemezo cyo kwimurira imirimo yacu yose ya politiki hano
mu Rwanda. Ni ukuvuga ko nta mirimo ya politiki ya FDU Inkingi izongera gukorerwa
hanze y’igihugu, imirimo ya politiki ya FDU-Inkingi yose izakorerwa hano mu
Rwanda. Mu Rwanda hari abanyarwanda, ni ishyaka ry’abanyarwanda, dufite
abayoboke kandi n’abandi bazadusanga ntabwo ibyo ari ikibazo.
VOA-KFM: Ukigera ku kibuga cy’indege hashize
akanya gato werekeje ku rwibutso uhavuye hari abanyarwanda benshi bababajwe
bitew n’amagambo wahavugiye. Abanyarwanda benshi bagiye yenda babazwa cyangwa
se bacyeya babajijwe byagaragaraga ko mu mvugo zabo bamaganaga ibyo wahavugiye.
Uzakorana gute n’abanyarwanda batangiye kukwamagana?
IUV: Ni ukureba abo banyarwanda ni
bangahe? Ni bande? Kuki
bavuze ibyo ngibyo ? Politiki ya hano mu gihugu turayizi. Mvuye i Burayi
ariko hano uko politiki ikorwa ndabizi. Kubwira umuntu hariya ngo hamagara
uvuge ibi, ubwo ni uburyo bwa politiki abantu bamwe badashaka. Icyo twebwe
tuvuga ni uko nta munyapolitiki n’umwe ugomba kwitwaza amahano yagwiriye
igihugu ngo ayitwaze ku mpamvu ze za politiki akumire abandi bantu. Ntabwo ibyo
ngibyo tuzabyemera muri FDU-Inkingi. Ku Gisozi icyo nahavugiye nabwiye
abanyarwanda yuko habaye itsembabwoko ry’abanyarwanda ko ariyo mpamvu nkigera
mu Rwanda ntashobora kuryama ntabanjje kugera ku rwibutso rutwibutsa ayo
marorerwa yabaye mu gihugu cyacu. Ariko nibukije yuko tutagomba guhagarira
kw’itsembabwoko ryakorewe abatutsi gusa, hari n’ibikorwa by’itsembatsemba
byakozwe. Ibyo bikorwa abo bantu nabo babikorewe bifuza ko nabo leta yabagenera
igihe cyo kwibuka ababo, ko nabo agahinda kabo abantu bakumva. Ikibazo rero
numvishije ni uko numvishe abantu benshi bavuga, nk’abantu bo muri Ibuka, ngo
ntabwo ibyo bintu bigomba kuvugwa. Ntabwo byumvikana ukuntu abantu bavuga ngo
ubwicanyi ubu n’ubu tubuvuge ariko ubundi bwicanyi tubwihorere. Abanyarwanda
twarababaye. Icyo nsaba abanyarwanda ni uko tugira ubutwari bwo gutinyuka
kureba amarorerwa yatubayeho. Nitwe nk’abanyrwanda twayagize. Ntabwo nemera ko
dutinyuka kuvuga ngo aya yaturutse ku bazungu cyangwa yaturutse ku bandi. Nta
muzuingu wafashe umuhoro ngo ajye gutema undi, nta muzungu wafashe Kalachnikov
ngo ajye gufungira abana mu ishuri abarasemo urufaya. Ibyo byakozwe
n’abanyarwanda hagati yacu ubwacu. Ukwo kuri tugomba kukwemera, ukwo kuri
tugomba kukureba, tugomba no gutinyuka gufata ingamba nyazo. Ariko ntabwo
twifuza ko hagira abantu kubera inyungu zabo za politiki, batuma abantu
batavuga icyo batekereza, bitwaje ibyo byago, ayo mahano yagwiriye
abanyarwanda. Ibyo ngibyo rwose bigomba gucika. N’abantu bariho mu bwoba kubera
ibyo bintu, nasabye abanyarwanda ko tugomba gushira ubwoba, tugatinyuka ibibazo
nk ‘ibyo ngibyo tukagira ubutwari bwo kubireba kuko nibyo byonyine bizadufasha kwubaka
igihugu cyacu, bikanaturinda ko urubyiruko rw’ejo hazaza rwazongera guhura
n’amarorerwa nk’ayo. Ariko kurenzaho, kurenza nk’urenza ivu k’umuriro, uwo muriro
umunsi umwe uzongera uturike. Twe rero icyo twifuza, n’uko abanyarwanda
badakomeza kurenzaho, ku gahinda bafite, ku kababaro bafite. Icyo twifuza ni
uko abanyarwanda mu kababaro bagize muri ayo makuba yagwiriye u Rwanda, abantu
bahabwe umwanya, bahabwe urubuga rwo kubivugaho, kugirango bashake uburyo ko
bakongera gufatana mu kagongo, bagashaka uburyo twazamura igihugu cyacu mu
mahoro, mu bwubahane.
VOA-KFM: Ngirango uravuga ibyo nka Victoire.
Victoire uvuga ko ashaka ko abanyarwanda bongera bagatera imbere, bongera
bakunga ubumwe, ni mumtu ki?
IUV: Ndubatse mfite abana batatu. Nkaba
narize hano mu Rwanda ibintu bijyanye n’ubucungamari. Nakoze muri minisiteri
y’ubucungamari muri douane mbere y’uko gukomeza kwiga mu Buholandi. Naho nizeyo
mu mashuri ya Kaminuza ibintu bijyanye n’ubucungamari. Nyuma nakorayo mu
isosiyeti y’abanyamerika nkarayo imyaka icyenda. Mukwa kane kw’uwaka washize
nibwo neguye, ku mirimo nakoraga yampeshaga umushahara kugirango nitegure kuza
gukorera politiki mu gihugu.
VOA-KFM: Sawa murakoze turabashimiye.
IUV: Namwe murakoze.
ICYITONDERWA:
Iyi nyandiko iri no mu cyongereza.
INDI NKURU BIJYANYE:
FREEDOM AND PEACE SPEECH KAGAME SHOULD HAVE READ: THE REAL STATE OF THE NATION
By Dr. Theogene Rudasingwa
15th February, 2011
Fellow Citizens, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Last night as I thought about what to tell you today, it was humbling to me to think about the long journey that our nation has taken for many centuries. I remembered those who have led this nation before me. Ndahiro Ruyange. Ndoba. Samembe. Nsoro Samukondo. Ruganzu Bwimba. Cyilima Rugwe. Kigeri Mukobanya. Mibambwe Mutabaazi. Yuhi Gahima. Ndahiro Cyamatare. Ruganzu Ndori. Mutara Seemugeshi. Kigeli Nyamuheshera. Mibambwe Gisanura. Yuhi Mazimpaka. Karemera Rwaka. Cyilima Rujugira. Kigeli Ndabarasa. Mibambwe Seentaabyo. Yuhi Gahindiro. Mutara Rwogera. Kigeli Rwabugiri. Mibambwe Rutalindwa. Yuhi Musinga. Mutara Rudahigwa. Kigeli Ndahindurwa. Gregoire Kayibanda. Juvenal Habyarimana. Sindikubwabo. Pasteur Bizimungu. As I contemplated the lives and fate of those before me, I realized that the only constant in our history has been change and this nation called Rwanda. I now realize that like them I came, and like them I will go, leaving behind this nation.
Like you Rwandan people, each one of us leaders had abilities to do constructive things. Like all humans beings, we also make mistakes, some of them costly. Each had something positive to offer to this nation and her people and each one had flaws. Sometimes, the flaws outweighed the strengths and the nation suffered as a consequence. Colonial conquest was possible in Rwanda, as elsewhere, because we were weak compared to foreigners. They had guns, money, and ideas. It survived in Rwanda for long because we were a divided house. We have remained a divided house till today, and some of the consequences are the repeated violent conflicts, death destruction, and genocide. Because of repeated trauma we have inflicted on each other, we have become the sick nation, with a chronically sick people that desperately need healing at home and abroad.
I am very concerned about this nation as you all are, and as my predecessors were. Often we, your leaders, and the elite that has governed Rwanda, have decided to see a small part of Rwanda. A Rwanda of Bahutu or a Rwanda of Batutsi. Actually, we rarely think about Batwa. It seems difficult to us to imagine a whole Rwanda, of Bahutu, Batwa and Batutsi. We have tended to cater for our own interests by making sure that most power is in our hands. We live in today, hardly looking at the long term impact of our present actions. Our habit of seeing a small part of Rwanda, vesting absolute power in our hands, and to have short term interests, have caused much damage to this country, especially in recent years.
Last night I was thinking about how many people have died or fled the country from 1959 to 2011 as a result of conflict and state inspired violence. Innocent Bahutu, Batwa, Batutsi have become victims of state violence, human rights abuses, civil war, or genocide. I thought about life in refugee camps and the jungles through which ordinary people, including myself, had to move through. Mushiha. Kigamba. Ngara. Nyakivara,.Cyangwari, Nshungezi,. Gahunge. Goma, and others. I thought about the humiliation of statelessness, and the lost dreams and opportunities. I recalled the loss of life in the civil war that pitted RPF against the regime of the late President Habyarimana. Each side in the conflict lost many lives of young Rwandans. Each side believed they had a patriotic duty to defend a nation or a cause they loved. In the opening stages of the civil war RPF lost the charismatic General Fred Rwigyema. In the final stages Rwanda lost its President General Juvenal Habyarimana in circumstances that we as a nation are still to come to terms with. For this level of sacrifice, what do we owe Rwandans? Can we stop the trauma we inflict on each other? Can Rwandans heal? Can we Bahutu, Batwa and Batutsi imagine and create a common future in peace, rule of law, freedom, democracy, and shared prosperity?
I was almost tempted to give a speech talking about RPF’s victories from 1990 to 2011, and especially since 1994. As I reviewed the speech written by my advisers, I recognized its usual arrogant tone and deceptions. Some of RPFs victories are facts. So are the facts about victories of my predecessors. It is not my intention to repeat them here. You have heard them from me, RPF, and by other government officials. What bothers me is that we have become an organization that has become insensitive to the damage we have caused to the Rwandan people.
If there is one failure that stands out since 1959 up to now, it is the inability to place the sanctity of human life, and basic freedoms, at the center of everything we do as a nation. On behalf of RPF members and the Rwanda Government, I apologize to the Rwandan people where RPF under my leadership have caused additional trauma to the Rwandan people. On their behalf I ask for your forgiveness. Today I would like to propose a one-point program. Today I am announcing a program for freedom, on which all other national endeavors must be anchored, and against which actions must be prioritized, and performance measured. There must be freedom, first, or nothing else.
In this regard, I am proposing the following measures, which I hope will change the course of our nation in the next several years.
First, with regard to Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF)/Rwandese Patriotic Army (RPA, now Rwanda Defense Forces, RDF): As RPF Chairman, I am ordering,
1) A full and independent investigation on party finances since 1990
2) A report on all RPA deaths, and lessons learned, from October 1990 to 2011
3) I further propose commissioning a committee to come up with proposals on how RPF can re-dedicate itself to freedom, internal democracy, and innovations to champion democracy in Rwanda
4) An investigation of the RPA human rights abuses in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, including the Mapping Report,
5) An immediate international investigation into the death of Presidents Juvenal Habyarimana and Cyprian Ntaryamira,
6) The creation, out of RPF finances, of RPF Widows and Orphans Fund to support the welfare of widows and orphans of RPF’s fallen comrades
7) creation, out of RPF finances, of RPF Scholarship Fund, to get RPF cadres into education, training and employment opportunities and 8) creation of a Small and Medium Enterprises Fund from RPF finances, to support growth of small businesses.
Second, I propose creation of a Coalition Transitional Government to undertake the necessary reforms prior to holding genuinely free and fair Presidential and Parliamentary elections within the next 36 months. I am inviting all credible opposition leaders in and outside Rwanda to unconditional talks, leading to the creation of the coalition transitional government, the full opening of the political space, freedom for the media and civil society, the repatriation of all refugees, and the re-integration of armed groups and demobilized soldiers into RDF and civilian life.
Third, I propose a comprehensive national dialogue, with local and international chapters, that goes beyond justice to talk about our society’s struggle for healing. Among other things, the national dialogue will attempt to construct a national “balance sheet” from 1959-2011. Among other things, it will produce a candid general assessment of how many people Rwanda has lost from state-inspired terror, civil war, genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. These chronicles will be published as a National Black Book. This will be a basis of having a National Day of Remembrance, Forgiveness and Healing. When we celebrate this day for the first time, we’ll release all prisoners in Rwanda, and institute discussions with the international community to free even those who are being tried (or have been convicted) by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. There will be a day in our history when all Rwandans are free. The national dialogue will have the freedom to recommend a way forward on other substantive challenges facing the country. Such issues will include a “History of Rwanda Project,” to produce a harmonized approach to writing and teaching history in Rwanda’s institutions of learning, and a “Constitution Project”, to recommend revisions that are commensurate with this new agenda for freedom, reconciliation and healing.
Fourth, with effect from today, I am disbanding all the informal security networks and ordering immediate cessation of harassment of opponents at home and abroad. I am also instructing forthwith that the Rwanda Defense Forces, the National Security Service and the Directorate of Military Intelligence be brought under full Cabinet/Parliamentary oversight.
Fifth, I am ordering the immediate release of all political prisoners.
Sixth, I am initiating a special bill, The Rwanda Defense Forces Integration, Education, Training and Employment Bill, to put every man and woman of the RDF into school, training and employment programs. Through this bill every barracks should function as a school. All schools must be expanded to accommodate educational and training needs for soldiers and former combatants, including Ex-FAR, FDLR and other armed groups operating out of eastern DRC. In connection with this, and under the auspices of the coalition government and help of the international community, Rwandan armed groups will be integrated into a new reformed RDF that reflects the character of the Rwandan nation.
Seventh, I am ordering cessation and review of all unpopular policies that the RPF government has undertaken, including:
a) A policy on French as a language of instruction in Rwanda
b) A policy on scholarships in the institutions of higher learning
c) A policy on vasectomies for Rwandan men as a family planning tool and
d) A policy on housing for the Batwa.
Seventh, I am asking the entire government to review and come up with innovative policies that will help us tackle the problem of poverty and hunger in an equitable and sustainable way. While we have been praised by foreigners on social and economic development, the truth is that our economic growth is confined to the small urban elite. Too many of our people are still poor and hungry. This is not acceptable.
Eighth, it might sound a bitter pill to swallow for me and my fellow partisans in RPF, but I am forced to declare the last elections of 2010 null and void. I am concerned that having rigged the 2003 elections, as well as the last one, the RPF is setting a corrupting effect on its cadres and RDF’s officers and men. I apologize for the deception, and the waste of time and resources that have gone into the elections of 2003 and 2010. I am sure that all of you citizens agree with me that it is better to admit mistakes, so as not to repeat them, rather than to continue on a path of deception that will inevitably lead to civil war and more bloodshed.
We are in need of a fresh start. Let this be the day we re-dedicate ourselves to trying new and bold things. Free and fair elections, under the new coalition of transitional government, must take place no later than 36 months from its formation.
Ninth, I would like to assure all our neighbors that from now on Rwanda is genuinely interested in good neighborliness, and will stop policies which in the past have destabilized the region.
Tenth, I am announcing today that I will not stand in the next elections. I leave it to you and history to judge my performance while in power.
Make no mistake about this; the task before us is a Rwandan task. Only Rwandans can build Rwanda for the benefit of Rwandans. However, we need the help of our elders, our neighbors, our African brothers and sisters, and the rest of the international community. In this regard, to face these difficult tasks before us, I will be seeking the advice of my fellow Rwandan leaders currently in exile and those within the country.
In the next few weeks, I will be requesting my colleagues President Museveni of Uganda, President Kikwete of Tanzania, President Kibaki of Kenya, President Kabira of the DRC, President Pierre Nkurunziza and President Zuma of South Africa to an urgent summit to discuss how best these proposals can be supported by the region, the African Union and the international community. I will also be reaching out for advice from eminent personalities like former Presidents Arap Moi, Benjamin Mkapa, Al-Hassan Mwinyi, Pierre Buyoya and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. I am also counting on the support of my allies, the United Kingdom and United States to support this peace process towards Rwanda's freedom and democratization.
I realize that the proposals I have highlighted are ambitious and difficult. However, this is not the first time we have faced a challenge of this magnitude. We have to count on our own imagination, hard work, and collective will to enable freedom to thrive in our country. Rwanda can only break away from its dangerous habits of violence, coercion; politics of exclusion, mistrust, and fear if its citizens embrace freedom, with all its rights and obligations. I know that freedom is what every one of us needs to live a full life. This is what the blood of departed Rwandans, the aspirations of the present generation, and the future generations demand from us. We cannot afford to offer them anything less. We cannot wait for another seven years.
Will you join me in implementing these proposals to make freedom and healing a reality?
Thank you very much and may God bless you.
Interview of Ms Victoire Ingabire Umuhoza
with 
