President Paul Kagame has hailed Rwandans for participating in last week’s referendum to endorse the revised Constitution.

The President was speaking at the opening of the 13th edition of National Dialogue Council in Kigali yesterday.

The national dialogue comes a few days after the referendum in which 98.3 per cent of 6.2 million voters preferred constitutional change.

Kagame said the successful referendum defines the country’s growth and strength in democracy.

"Participation in the recent referendum was massive. Most voted "Yes”. Tens of thousands voted "No”. I thank each and every one of you. Our democracy is stronger because we have continued to define ourselves, and refused to be distracted. Frankly, what was at issue has been resolved,” he said.

The Head of State reaffirmed the country’s journey to sustainable development, saying the current achievements are more than originally expected.

President Kagame underlined the fact that many of the voters in the referendum were young and constituted a generation that has never been exposed to many societal problems, including bribery or civil wars.

"They belong to a generation that has never had a reason to fear a policeman, or bribe a petty bureaucrat for the right to live. Many have never heard gunfire, much less experienced those moments of cold terror that left so many invisible scars in their parents’ hearts,” Kagame said.

He stressed that the voting was a reflection of a clear democracy in which public office is routinely transferred from an individual of their choice to another, though power always remains firmly in the hands of the people.

"We do not have to change who we are, as Rwandans, we just need to be our best, a person with no country has no value and a country without values has no future; our vision for the future is not technical, it is deeply meaningful to us, reflecting how it feels in our hearts,” he said.

Hard work

The President emphasised the country’s spirit of vision and hard work, which, he said, cannot be deterred by negative criticism.

"There is no problem with advice or criticism from any quarter, because it can benefit us. But statements that acknowledge our good results, while depicting Rwandans as people incapable of either thought or feeling, are not critical, they are deliberately abusive. To that, we listen, we pay attention, and put all that where it belongs,” he added.

On failing states that make the world affairs become complex and uncertain, Kagame said it makes no sense to undermine the legitimate and effective governments that are best able to help tackle the serious global challenges in different ways, just to score debating points.

"First, the Rwanda we have today is more than we expected 21 short years ago, and the people through what the Constitution says are prepared to safeguard the unique choices that brought this country back to life.

"We will always want to stay together, we will always be accountable to ourselves first, and we are not going to stop thinking big, we stand up for these propositions without hesitation, the results are undeniable and the historical context is unforgettable, at least to us Rwandans,” he said.

President Kagame said it is a privilege and a duty to serve Rwanda, not an entitlement, adding that there are no term limits on values.

"When the time comes to transfer our responsibility from one public servant to another, we already have confidence that it will be done, in an orderly and harmonious manner,” he said.

At least 6.2 million Rwandans voted in week’s referendum.

The referendum followed appeals from members of the public who had called on the parliament to change the supreme law to have a chance of electing President Kagame in office again when his term ends in 2017.