Rwandans have been urged to scale up efforts to rebuild the nation in order to recoup the years wasted by bad leadership. The Minister for Local Government, Francis Kaboneka, made the remarks on Monday at the closure of the 21st Genocide commemoration week in Huye District. He said while Rwandans have to remember the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi, they should not be held back by bitter memories. “Our sorrow should give us strength. One should ask what to do to honour our beloved relatives who were killed,” he said. “We have to remember as we rebuild ourselves. Unity is our strength; if we are divided we become weak,” he added, appealing to residents to embrace unity and reconciliation efforts. The minister noted that though the country was on a clear development path, people should increase the pace of their participation in development given the lost time. “We lost a lot of time, a lot of things. We have to move faster to catch up with the lost time. As we remember; the next generations should be able to acknowledge your outstanding achievements, they should say though our ancestors endured bad history they soldiered on and made it,” he told Huye residents. Kaboneka narrated how, on September 27, 1959, genocide ideology started to be officially propagated from Huye District, where Joseph Habyalimana Gitera, the then chairperson of the National Council, publicly incited Hutu to get rid of the Tutsi. As the Genocide of the Tutsi started on April 7, 1994 in other parts of the country, in Huye District the killings did not start until the then president of the interim government came to Butare on April 19 and urged residents to start the killings. “What happened was due to bad leaders who sensitised Rwandans to kill follow Rwandans, even when some did not want to,” he said. Alphonse Munyantwali, the Southern Province governor, said Rwandans need to think about their future. “We endured pain, sorrow, the repercussions of the Genocide against the Tutsi, but as we reflect on this, we have to think about how to ensure a better future. One reaps what they sowed. When we had bad leaders sowing genocide ideology and hatred, we reaped bad fruits. But since we now have good governance, it’s time we united to sow good seeds so that we harvest a bright future,” he said. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
