TALKING POINTS IN RESPONSE TO THE UWIBAJIJE INITIATIVE by Dr Rudasingwa

Dr Théogène Rudasingwa

A. Concerned RNC Member

1. The government of Rwanda is driving the process as public relations exercise but offering nothing.

2. Government of Rwanda is motivated by the desire to isolate RNC and break up FDU.

3. What Uwibajije is proposing is not political negotiations but co-option.

4. Observations from Uwibajije’s document:

4.1. Democracy:

a. Power of the President in the constitution – The 2003 constitution has been amended many times to accommodate and provide absolute power and immunities to the President while in power and out. The constitution provides for absolute executive authority. Unless this is changed, there is no rule of law and no checks and balances. This is where we should begin and that is what the Arusha peace agreement tried to achieve, resisted by MRND. Kagame nawe uwo muti agomba kuwunywa, otherwise forget about democracy. Our friends are seeking to be co-opted in an absolute regime.

b. Electoral laws – The Rwandan electoral laws are grossly unfair and tilted in favor of the ruling party. There is no level playing field. Other parties participate in elections to legitimize the results. Compilation of voting registers, methodology of voting, timing, duration before counting votes, tallying, announcement and access of observers is very faulty.

c. Electoral Commission – The chairman and officials are RPF functionaries. You are asking the hyena to keep the meat. In other countries, a chairperson is normally a retired judge, but in Rwanda, Karangwa was an RPF Commissioner and still attends all RPF Politico bureau meetings.

d. Role of security organs in elections – Intimidation and short changing of ballot boxes.

5. ‘Duhaguruke gushyigikira amahoro’: How do you obtain this when Army, Police, Intelligence and other auxiliary forces are personalized? We need a comprehensive, representative security Sector reform. Without national and non partisan security forces, Uwibajije’s proposals are a short time political public relations exercise for Kagame. Without any security reform, Uwibajije and his friends will be under siege, will be coerced to comply, or will end up dead or in exile.

6. ‘Ingeso mbi yo kwiharira hitwaje imiryango’: Uwibajije says there won’t be any power sharing, how does he expect to address this? He says they want to participate in parliamentary elections and elections of executive secretaries. But the electoral commission determines who and how many each party should be allocated. Certainly Twagiramungu did not get 3% in 2003 but that was enough embarrassment and adequate legitimacy for Kagame! Most important however, is that members of parliament are controlled by the political party forum. This is partly why Ntaganda is in prison because he refused to be part of the forum. When Uwibajije says -’Kwemera amategeko yerekana uburyo amashyaka abana mumahoro’. They are ready in the net.

Executive Secretaries, although allegedly ‘elected’, are frequently dismissed by the Local government Minister. So, what guarantees do they have?

7. ‘ Kuba Mu miryango nka EAC --’: Kagame pursues a belligerent foreign policy. This is one of the reasons Tanzania has frustrated regional integration. Wars in Congo are conducted without parliament/ government approval because the constitution gives the President the authority to do it and he vagrantly does it with reckless abandon! So how do you expect to have good neighborliness with an un accountable, absolute ruler?

8. ‘Ubuhunzi’: Every dictatorship churns out refugees. A partisan judiciary cannot instill hope and confidence in the population. Look at the cases, Bizimungu, Ntakirutinka, Ingabire, Mudenge, Rugigana, even Karenzi and Muhire. People who do not expect justice seek alternative and that is exile. But most threatening, are arbitrary imprisonments, disappearances and murder. State inspired violence is the tool Kagame uses and as long as he monopolizes security forces and the judiciary, this will not change.

9. ‘Abanyarwanda bahura bakaganira’:

9.1. What is the format?

9.2. Which venue and who is the facilitator?

9.3. Who will be the observers?

9.4. Who are the guarantors?

10. Conclusion:

We do not need to re-invent the wheel. The Arusha peace agreement provides a framework but has to be updated to cater for changed times because:

a. Takes into account the constitutional framework.

b. Curtails Executive powers and takes into account the principal of checks and balances

c. Very articulate on security sector reform

d. Power sharing

e. Guarantees.