Kigali, 13 July 2013
President Kagame today urged RPF cadres to examine both the path and methods used towards achieving the party’s goal of development for all, while keeping in the impact geopolitics continues to have on Rwanda . Speaking at a meeting of the extended RPF National Executive Committee, President Kagame said:
“We can choose to be satisfied with making minimum efforts, staying where we are and remaining dependent for the rest of our lives even if that means being mistreated. We can choose to be defined by others or we can choose to be who we deserve to be. Our history has taught us the right choice. RPF made the choice to work hard to achieve the dignity Rwanda wants and deserves.”
President Kagame added that Rwanda cannot afford to move at a slow pace:
“Our situation does not allow us to take our time. We must work with a sense of urgency to achieve our goals.”
On those who speak of negotiations with FDLR or blame Rwanda for the conflict in Eastern DRC, President Kagame said
“This is evidence of people who have the luxury of speaking but suffer no consequences. When people continue to uphold genocide ideology, it is a reminder that the path ahead is still long. We cannot take anything for granted. For Rwanda, this is not just about a discussion, it is a matter of life and death.”
Following on the YouthConnekt dialogue held on 30 June where young Rwandans discussed reconciliation and forgiveness and subsequent distortions of the discussions at the event, President Kagame challenged those who claim that all Hutus were forced to apologise for the Genocide against the Tutsi:
“Why should you have a problem with someone asking for forgiveness on your behalf but not with the one who killed in your name. We are not putting the blame on you, it is those who perpetuated crimes in your name who put the blame on you. The crime was not simply the killing but the silence of many in the face of the persecution of the innocent. Asking for forgiveness for choosing silence while a crime was committed in your name is the right thing to do.”
President Kagame concluded by reminding the RPF cadres of their responsibility as leaders to deliver results:
“We have to put the interest of Rwandans above any other. We want to build a new Rwanda. One that is not just based on empty words but on achievements.”