President Paul Kagame has advised the young people to always take the initiative in finding solutions to the problems affecting the communities in which they leave as well as improving themselves. Kagame made the appeal to the young generation yesterday at a press conference attended by local and international press as part of the activities for the 25th Anniversary of Rwanda’s liberation. “Young people should not wait to be told what they can do. Keep trying to find what you can do in your responsibilities, that you can do on your own. Probably when you discover it, it will be better than anything you might be told by someone else” he said. Among the sacrifices he said young people can increasingly make is not being quick to seek the easiest path out of tough times for themselves but instead working to figure out solutions. “Your sacrifice should be not to jump too fast to what you think is the easiest path for you…how do you contribute to changing the things that affect you to make sure that they do not affect someone else? You have to stay to fix that problem. You don’t expect that somebody else is coming to fix it for you,” he said. There will always be challenges once in a while which are better dealt with head-on as opposed to fleeing from them. There is much more to be done Kagame said that while much progress has been made over the last 25 years there is much more to be done ahead, cautioning Rwandans against being complacent because of past accomplishments. “I don’t think we have made enough progress. We have to keep doing more and better. There should never be a point where we feel like we have arrived,” he said. “It’s by continuously working and moving forward even when one feels that they have made progress that one can reduce the chances of falling back,” Kagame said. “Keep going, even when you are doing well, always be worried about something: either of doing more or be worried that what you have achieved can slide back. That’s our philosophy. It’s a daily thing,” he said. He cited efforts to wean the country off donor dependency as one of the challenges lying ahead. “Do you want to keep living on some people’s taxpayer money forever? Your mind has got to switch and say, ‘I am going to use this aid properly to build capacity so that eventually I can stand up and be in charge of my wellbeing’. I can’t sleep well with this idea that we are a country that will always be dependent on the mercy of others. You have to do something about it to be in charge of your own wellbeing,” the President challenged citizens. Commenting on cohesion among African countries, Kagame said that the best way to reconnect and come together is through social, political and economic integration with countries working together to address common problems. Responding to how other countries can borrow and adopt practices by Rwanda as they seek recovery and growth, he called on them to be confident and look for solutions within before going out to seek external help. On Sudan, which has been in turmoil since the removal of President Omar El Bashir from power, he said there was clearly a problem considering that the civilian population who led to the removal of the former President were now victims of the regime with violence being perpetrated. He said that the African Union is likely to discuss the issue during the upcoming summit which is slated to start this weekend. The President welcomed DR Congo’s move to pursue militia groups in their territory saying that Rwanda has always hoped for efforts to deal with this particular security threat. If called to assist, he expressed his readiness to provide necessary support. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
