Rwanda story in bad taste

By James N. Mugisha

The article which appeared in the Sunday Vision of July 1, was not only a total misrepresentation of the situation in Rwanda but it was also done with extreme bad motive; coming on the very day Rwanda was celebrating its 50th Anniversary of Independence and 18 years of liberation.

It was no doubt intended, amongst other things, to dilute the complements Rwanda was receiving from well wishers world wide for the remarkable achievements made under the last 18 years.

For the Sunday Vision to choose to publish such an article on the day Rwanda was the central focus of the world, had clear ill intentions.

How could anybody, leave alone the New Vision, which enjoys unlimited access to official information, fail to acknowledge what is known by official and private institutions of Uganda and the general public and instead decide to reproduce and highlight old stereotypes about Rwanda aimed at painting a bad image of the country, the social-economic, political transformation that has taken place ignored.

The pictures picked to go with the story gave away the motive behind the publication of the story; trying to bring to the limelight a convicted criminal alongside a leader who has brought about positive transformation of the country and improved livelihoods of those who gave him the mandate to lead is ridiculous to say the least.

The criminals who should be serving sentences handed to them by competent courts of Law (like Kayumba, Karegyeya and others) should only be exposed for the criminality they committed and continue to commit. What is the point in arguing for the likes of Victoire Ingabire who are before the courts of Law accused of very serious crimes including terrorism with compelling evidence.

The management of the New Vision surely should take responsibility and explain the unbecoming behaviour and expose those who are behind it with a view of holding them accountable and ensuring that this doesn’t continue.

The fact file of Rwanda since RPF took power is common knowledge to anybody who cares to know. RPF did not only stop the genocide (a heroic act it achieved single-handedly since the international community had abandoned it) but it went ahead to build sustainable peace, security and stability in the country.

The New Vision chose to ignore this and instead asks the irrelevant question in the circumstances “…how safe is the land of a thousand hills since the RPF?”

Rwanda has not only built sustainable peace with its borders, it has also made and continues to make substantial contributions to peace and security in the region and beyond.

It is, therefore, ridiculous for the New Vision to argue that Rwanda has become hyper-security conscious because of a few criminal elements living in exile having run away from accountability.

The government of Rwanda has made great efforts to establish good relations with its neighbours, and there is no doubt that these efforts have bore fruits regionally, the internal problems of some countries not-withstanding.

It is, therefore, very bad taste that the New Vision brings back the bad incidents of the past like the regrettable Kisangani case, or tries to hold Rwanda responsible in anyway for whatever happens inside the borders of its neighbour(s).

It must be remembered that Rwanda has come along way in overcoming insurmountable challenges that it faced in the post-genocide period and the RPF leadership must be credited for steering the country towards prosperity.

Any misguided efforts to deter this process will not succeed because of the resolve and determination Rwandans have, united to build the future.

The New Vision management knows or should know this, and should encourage rather than undermine the positive trends that are already greatly benefiting Rwandans and the region.

The writer is from Kibungo, Rwanda