President Paul Kagame has said the success Rwanda has achieved over the years is real and it emerges from the Rwandans’ choice of leadership.
The president said this, June 10, 2013 while addressing a gathering at a graduation ceremony for 45 senior military officers held at Rwanda Defence Forces Staff and Command College, in Musanze District.
“Rwanda’s successes and the journey ahead should not be mistaken by anyone,” Kagame said while describing Rwanda’s journey from a nation almost written off, to a new Rwanda offering lessons on post-conflict reconstruction.
“What Rwanda has achieved is not a myth, it is real. There is no myth about Rwanda. Do not be mistaken. It’s no myth. What we’ve done, who we’re, these are real,” Kagame said.
The President said that Rwandans deserve the right to decide how to lead their lives, without receiving directives from the west.
“We should be real people that decide for ourselves,” stated Kagame.
A New Rwanda:
Kagame reminded the delegates that Rwanda was no longer the same nation that used to be patronized by colonial masters.
He was particularly incensed by the fact that Rwanda’s old constitution was written by a foreigner as if Rwandans lacked experts to do that.
“Our constitution is the will of our people and cannot be dictated. We must be left to live our lives the way Rwandans want to live them. To those who make threats about foreign aid: We can go back to our mountains and grow our potatoes. We did it and we survived,” he said amidst thunderous applause from the gathering.
“The People who wrote about us are the same people still trying to write similar stories so that we go back to problems of 2012. Those who tamper with us should be made to understand who we are and what we stand for is a real Rwanda,” added the President.
On Group of Experts:
Kagame said that the military college was initiated at a time (in 2012) when Rwandan criticism from the UN Group of Experts accusing Rwanda for destabilizing the Democratic Republic of Congo which accusations the President described as unfounded and baseless.
He said that the members of the Group of Experts only assume their ‘expertise’ from their connection with Africa’s colonial masters.
Kagame urged Rwandans to strengthen their spirit of defiance.
“We are partners and good partners. This is a new country Rwanda…The RDF didn’t seek revenge even when they had the opportunity to do so. There is no reason for anybody having a problem with us,” Kagame said.
Security and development
Kagame stated that the security challenges remain an obstacle to the economic development of the region and country. He called for structural and capacity building initiatives in order to attain the desired economic development.
He said that home grown solutions to Africa’s problems are reliable and sustainable as they seek to address such problems.
Kagame said that the problem of having Africa undermined by others has impeded the development of the continent, and called on Africans to come up with solutions to subservience.
“They tell you what to do, what to not do, or they tell you to do what they don’t do. It is us Africans to make our own contributions to define our Africa and rewrite the narrative of Africa’s social and economic development, of which we should be identified with instead of the victimhood,” advised Kagame.
A word to the graduands
Kagame congratulated and urged the military graduands to uphold values of patriotism, diligence, commitment, discipline, and a sense of identity and purpose to the nation.
He assured government support to enable the forces serve the nation and Rwandans diligently.
“The ideological drive behind this course is up to you, it’s up to you to live up to expectations Rwandans have of you,” advised Kagame.