Clovis Ganza to push for dialogue on policy

Clovis Ganza, one of the independent candidates campaigning for the September 16 elections, has said that if elected, he will promote the culture of consulting the citizenry on the laws that have direct impact on them, before they are enacted.“I will encourage lawmakers to always take draft bills to the citizens, for consultation, so that the latter can give consent to at least 80 per cent of the laws that are adopted by parliament,” said the 32-year old.He added that even after the laws have been passed, he would encourage his fellow legislators to continue sensitising the masses about their implementation and how they will affect them.The idea to run for parliament, said Ganza, came in 2009 when he was a field officer for a Belgian company.“I used to meet people in villages who said they never see MPs return for consultation on very sensitive bills.”Regional consultationThe candidate said it is equally crucial to have regular consultations between Rwandan MPs with their regional counterparts on issue of security, the main catalyst for development.Ganza, a consulting accountant, has a bachelor’s degree from the School of Finance and Banking (SFB) which he obtained in 2008.He says he has for the past two weeks suspended his business in Goma, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo due to the unrest in the neighbouring country.“It is important to make consultations with our colleagues, so that we agree on how best to advise our respective governments to see the end to conflicts that have derailed our development for long.Ganza says he is now preparing eight radio shows that will be aired on local FM stations. Today, he says, he will start addressing political rallies starting from Muhanga District in the Southern Province.Then will proceed to eight other districts across the country, visiting at least two sectors per district. Those districts are Burera, Kamonyi, Ruhango, Nyaruguru, Nyarugenge, Kicukiro, Nyamagabe and Huye.On his campaign schedule, he does not intend to address any rally in both the Eastern and Western provinces.“I did not choose these districts randomly; they are districts where I was the most welcome while seeking signatures,” he said adding that the National Electoral Commission was considerate in asking for only 600 signatures.“They are difficult to find, but when you manage, it means you have ambassadors from all corners of teh country; when someone signs for you, they even commit to try and convince their friends to vote for you,” he said.Though his business in Goma is not running, Ganza said he doesn’t have any budget constraints, because he started to save for this campaign in 2009 when he got the idea to become a legislator.To be able to join Parliament, any independent candidate or political party must attain at least five per cent of the total votes cast.