In a show presented in the studios of the Isango radio station, the chairperson of the RPF in charge of discipline and internal regulations Sen Tito Rutaremara said that the ‘family’ remains as coherent as before even though some of its members have presented shortcomings in remaining faithful to the values and morals governing the RPF.
He was responding to journalists who wondered why in a recent general assembly of the RPF, President Kagame has blamed some members of RPF to have presented weaknesses in their loyalty about the RPF-founding values and morals.
According to Senator Tito Rutaremara these values include patriotism, self reliance, analysis capacity, the spirit of being goal-oriented, and shared willingness of removing bad tendencies in the RPF-Inkotanyi family.
Among other invited guests were Robert Mugabe and Muganwa Gonzagua, both journalists. Senator Tito Rutaremara said that in the meeting, the Head of State Paul Kagame did not blame particular people, rather he was advising and reminding the gathering that the loyalty to governing values of the RPF is the most important aspects as to keep the family strong and coherent as it has always been.
The President Paul Kagame was warning the participants in the meeting that the rest of the population watches them and assesses their behaviors and will hold them accountable, Senator Rutaremara said.
At the other side, journalist Mugabe said that bad tendencies can arise from any institutions of human beings, but for him the most important is how such shortcomings are handled internally, without being exposed to the external world.
He added these issues might have been debated internally instead of exposing these cases to the rest of the population. He blamed the fact that in RPF, there is an ‘armed wing’ that is politically involved into the operational status of the RPF.
The army is very much involved into politics, he said.
Senator Tito Rutaremara refuted these words, saying that the RPF has early started as a political institution and remains as such. He said that at the beginning, the RPF members built a politically strong entity that later on included a military wing for the liberation struggle.
Mugabe said that some of the RPF members are fearful about expressing their views on sensitive issues, adding that this causes them to flee the nation while others are jailed.
For him, this creates a bad image of political party that governs the nation. To the allegations that former RPF members who get jailed or flee to exile, Senator Rutaremara responded that these ate futile claims because there is a significant number of former members of the RPF who live comfortably, conducting their businesses freely among whom are Barahira and Sebarenzi both having joined other political parties of their choices.
Senator Tito Rutaremara told the participants in the show that if some of the RPF’s members present some weaknesses to stick loyal to the values and morals of the family, there are internal mechanisms to approach him/her and provide needed advises.
He revealed that some of the members gathered in hidden groups to negatively criticize the party and this is against the internal structures of regulating core issues.
One of the journalists said that these groups are created because of the lack of an open space to debate and find lasting solutions to the presented concerns.
Senator Rutaremara responded that debating space is open to anyone willing to present his concern.
Listeners reaffirmed the fact that shortcoming are normal to happen in human institutions, but the ones who are willing to destabilize the RPF should be held accountable, they added.
UM– USEKE.RW
