Kagame: We won't waste lessons of our past

Presidential candidate Paul Kagame, has described present-day Rwanda as a unique state which has come up with uncommon ways of conducting business and must be seen as exactly that. Kagame, the flag bearer for RPF-Inkotanyi, who was addressing a campaign rally in Cyumba Sector, Gicumbi District yesterday, said Rwanda had learned enough lessons from its recent history to make better choices rather than allow anyone from outside trying to impose what they think is best. Thousands welcomed Kagame in Cyumba Sector, Gicumbi District yesterday. Courtesy. He said that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and all its consequences will serve as a lifetime lesson to Rwanda and now is the time to apply unique lessons to transform the country. “This election is about respecting the will of the people,” Kagame said, adding that Rwanda made a deliberate choice of preferring consensus based politics rather than confrontational type of politics. Cyumba is within the environs of Mulindi, the headquarters of the RPF-Inkotanyi during the liberation struggle, and this is where, as overall commander of the liberation struggle, Kagame was based. Gatabazi addresses Rubavu residents in Cyumba Sector yesterday. Courtesy. Kagame noted that “the war that you witnessed here was about liberating and transforming our country.” “The politics of this country used to be about dividing people and leaving them impoverished. And we were told that is the democracy we deserved. They expected us to live on our knees, begging for our livelihood and accepting crumbs. For too long, Rwanda had leaders who accepted this,” Kagame said. “The battles that were fought here were about changing this history and regaining our dignity. What RPF has fought for, lost people for, we cannot let it go to waste. Those who died in the war did not do so in vain. Those who went nights without sleep and days without food did not do so to be told how they should live their lives,” he added. “We can’t accept to be dictated to with useless lessons, especially from the same people who at one point brought this country down.” He urged residents of Gicumbi and Rwandans in general to continue standing up for dignity and a country Rwandans deserve. Jean Marie Vianney Gatabazi, a legislator who hails from Gicumbi, commended Kagame’s leadership for not only transforming Rwanda as a whole but also paying attention to the historical Gicumbi area. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Kagame: We won't waste lessons of our past