Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda, on the occasion of International Water Day, Rebero, Bwisige, Byumba, March 31, 2003.



Summary & Comment:



On March 31 Kagame told listeners that elections would be "carried out peacefully and in a transparent manner." But in an apparent reference to Twagiramungu and perhaps other contenders, he continued:



I can even say that the outcomes of these elections are known. Those elected will be individuals who are 100 per cent in line with the current political agenda, aimed at building the country. This will be the case, and I am sure that it is also your view and your wish to have national security, unity, development and democracy. Anyone who would bring in division-because I know that the views of those who intend to come back are based on division-will not be elected.



In the same speech he warned that he would "wound" any who failed to understand and heed his message against "divisionism." In a threatening metaphor, he said that any who expected to profit from the "sorghum and corn" they had sown-presumably a reference to political rather than agricultural activities-should remember that "we have enough machines to crush the grains...." In an apparent reference to the flight of several high-ranking military officers the previous day (see below), Kagame announced that some people would soon be fired from government posts because they were suspected of wanting to flee the country.



To those who would pride themselves on having harvested abundant sorghum or maize, we will tell them that we have enough machines to grind (crush) the grains.


Speech by President Paul Kagame International Water Day Rebero, Bwisige District, Byumba Province March 31, 2003





Texte original kinyarwanda English translation (1)
Ibi byose tuvuga by'umutekano, ndetse n'ibikorwa by'amajyambere, ndetse ibyo byose bikubiye muli politiki, mu murongo tugenderaho, Leta y'ubumwe n'abanyarwanda bose, ibi byose ni ibigomba gukomeza, kuko u Rwanda ruli mu nzira itoroshye aliko nziza kandi ijyana n'impinduka iliho igomba gukomeza. Impinduka ya politique yatangiye mu Rwanda kuva cyane cyane muli 94, aho aya marorerwa abereye, ndavuga cyane cyane kuko ingamba z'impinduka zatangiye mbere yaho imyaka itali micye, bikagorana, biza kuvamo itsembabwoko n'itsembatsemba ndetse, aliko guhera icyo gihe gukomeza kugeza ubu, no gukomeza kugera imbere, iyo mpinduka ifite gahunda. Iyo mpinduka, abanyarwanda bose, na Leta y'ubumwe, bayifiteho inshingano. Ni inshingano kandi idakuka, ni impinduka izakomeza itazasubira inyuma. Kabone n'abifuza kugira ngo bakomereke mbere y'uko babyumva, nabyo dufite inshingano yo kuzabibaha. Kugira ngo babyumve.

Impinduka iriho yatangiye guhindura ubuzima na politiki by'abanyarwanda, bishingiye ku bumwe bw'abanyarwanda, bishingiye ku mutekano w'abanyarwanda, bishingiye ku guter'imbere kw'abanyarwanda, bishingiye kuli démocratie dushaka guha abanyarwanda, bishingiye kuli politiki y'u Rwanda kugira ngo rubane neza n'andi mahanga n'ibindi
bihugu, iyo politiki ntabwo izahinduka. Ahubwo guhinduka itera imbere irushaho kuba neza, ntishobora guhinduka isubira inyuma. Kuko ntabwo ali ikintu cyaje ngo cyikore gusa, gikorwa n'abantu, kandi abantu bafite ingamba zo kubigeraho, byanze bikunze. N'abanyarwanda bacye batarabyumva, nibo navugaga mbere niyo baba bifuza ngo babanze babikomerekeremo kugira ngo babyumve. Aliko cyane cyane bili mu bantu biyita abayobozi, ntabwo biba mu baturage. Abaturage mwe muli abantu beza rwose nta cyibazo mugira…
Bagenzi banjye nicaranye nabo hano b'abayobozi, niho usanga ikibazo. Ibyo bibazo kandi, inkomoko yabyo cyane cyane, ni inda nini, ni ukudahaga, ni ukutanyurwa. Ni uguhabwa uburenganzira bwawe, ugahabwa amahirwe, warangiza ukabihindura ubusa. Cyane cyane ali uko umuntu
yireba kurusha uko areba inyungu z'abanyarwanda. Aliko kubera ko abanyarwanda bo muli rusange babyumva nta kibazo bafite, twebwe abayobozi turoroshye kubona umuti. Kwishakamo umuti. Tuzawubona. Urahari ku ruhande runini, ni akabazo gato kaba gasigaye gusa.

 We cannot fulfill all the development actions we are
discussing, such as water and communication plants,
and our many plans, unless there is security. I would
like to thank you for your continued support for
security in Byumba province and throughout the
country. It is good to maintain that support because
it is in your individual self-interest and the
national interest. I thank you, the people of Rebero
and Byumba provinces entire population, because you understand and contribute to security issues.
 
In case you feel that you do not have enough strength on your own, as a population, other institutions will assist you to maintain your security in order to achieve a lot of development. But, never be weak.
 
All these security issues, and development actions
within our government of unitys national policiesal
these must continue because Rwanda is undergoing a
difficult but beneficial transitional process that
must continue.
 
Political change started in Rwanda, especially in the
aftermath of the 1994 genocide. I said especially
because change began many years earlier, but obstacles arose generating the genocide. But, since then and even in the future, this change has an agenda.
 
All Rwandans and the government of unity are deeply
responsible for this irreversible change, despite
people who would prefer to wait until they are wounded before understanding that. We also have the responsibility to make them understand in this way.
 
Current changes in the Rwandan way of life include
politics based on national unity, security, and
developmentand on democracy we want to provide to
Rwandans. A good neighbor policy toward neighboring countries will never change. If any change occurs, it must be progressive. It cannot be reversed.
 
Change is not something that happens by itself. It is
brought about by individuals who have strategies to
achieve change under any circumstances.
 
A few Rwandans who did not understandthose to whom I
was referring earlier who would wish to be wounded
before understandingare among the leadership. This is
not a phenomenon among the general population because
you, the people are good fellows; you dont have
problems. (applause) It is among my colleagues seated
here that you find those problems.
 
These problems originate especially from gluttony and
lack of satisfaction. People are given rights and
opportunities, but ultimately nullify them, due to
individual egotism instead of pursuing national
interests. However, because the general population
understands that and does not have problems, it is
simple for us leaders to find a solution. We will find
the solution. There is already a solution, to a large
extent. What is remaining is a small question. 
Ibyo mujya mwumva rero, limwe na limwe, by'abagenda, by'abagaruka, by'abagira bate, ibyo nabyo bijyanye n'uburenganzira bw'abantu. Kugenda, kugaruka, aliko nk'uko navuze, ya gahunda y'abanyarwanda turimo, inzira turimo yo kugenda dutera imbere, ntakizayihindura. Kwaba kugenda kwaba kugaruka. Niba ar'ukuza bashaka kuyisubiz'inyuma,
bazakomereka. Niba ali cyo bifuza kugira ngo bumve ko abanyarwanda bababaye kumar'igihe kinini, ali ubukene, ali ubujiji, ari amacakubili, ko ibyo abanyarwanda batacyibyifuza, bashaka kugira ngo batere imbere.

Ibyo kubivuga ntyo, ndabitekereza bihagije, ndashakisha ikintu cyabisubiza inyuma nkakibura. Ntabwo njya nkibona. N'abagerageza baba abo dukorana, baba ababa hanze n'ibibafasha, ntacyo bazahindura rwose icyo nagira ngo nkivugire aha kandi nabibabwiye kuva kera.

Nababwiye ngo impunzi tuzazicyura zo muli Kongo, turazicyura. Nababwiye ngo tuzabaha umutekano turawubaha. Nababwiye ngo iyi nzira izakomeza, izakomeza. Sinzi impamvu abantu batajya bemera ukuli umuntu ababwira.
Aliko impamvu batabyemera, ni uko bilimo n'ineza nyinshi. Bilimo kubabalira kwinshi. Ngira ngo abantu bageraho bakabisomamo, bakabyumva nabi. Ntibabone ko ali inshingano yo guha abantu uburenganzira ngo babukoreshe neza, amahirwe ngo bayakoreshe neza, bo bakibwira ngo, abatuma bibaho, ngira ngo bakibeshya ko ali imbaraga
nke bafite. Icyo bikora gusa, ikibazo limwe na limwe, ni uko bigenda bigabanya izo mbabazi. Bigatuma hari ibyo abantu bagomba gukora bitali ngombwa.





Aliko ku mutekano w'abanyarwanda, rwose, mbebwe bantu ba Rebero, bantu ba Byumba, mujye mukora akazi kanyu neza, nta kwishisha, muharanire umutekano wanyu, ntabwo umutekano wanyu uzahungabana na limwe, baba ababazamo cyangwa se abaturuka hanze cyangwa se baba abaturanyi. Ntibishoboka. Ubushobozi bwo kulinda umutekano w'abanyarwanda, cyane cyane bishingiye no ku banyarwanda, burahari. Ubushobozi burahari buhagije. Buranarenze. Burenze ubwo muzi. Aliko wenda ntabitinzeho, kubivuga gusa ntabwo bihagije, nizeye ko bitazaba ngombwa kubyerekana ko ubwo bushobozi buhari, nicyo umuntu ahora
yilinda gusa.

Aliko, mu bashaka kugenda nk'uko nabivuze, cyangwa mu bashaka kwinjira, n'abandi tuzi, turaza kubabwira, hari ababa bashaka kugenda bakibwira ko uba utabizi, aliko tuzajya tubibutsa ngo bagende. Hali abo nza kurekure bali bagifashwe n'akazi, ako kazi ndaza kubasaba kugasubiza abanyarwanda, noneho bashake inzira bigendere. Abo bose bamwe mujya mwumva bagenda, bagenda tubizi, tukabihorera. Yajya
kugenda akagenda yububaaaa, akagira ate, yibwira ngo alihisha kandi tuzi ngo aragenda.

Mu bagenda, hali abo twambura akazi kubera ko tuzi ko bashaka kugenda kugira ngo babone uko bagenda. Kugenda jye ntacyo bintwaye. N'abandi bakivunwe n'akazi ko gukorera abanyarwanda, bashaka kugenda, turaza kugashyira iruhande, bakomeze bagende.

 You sometimes hear about people going and others
coming back. This is related to individual rights. But
nothing will change our way forward, either by going
or coming back. Whether leaving with some hidden
agenda in mind or returning with the objective of
reversing changethey will never reverse the process.
They will be wounded, for they need to understand that
Banyarwanda suffered for a long time due to poverty,
ignorance, and division. Rwandans no longer wish
situations like these to develop.
 
I am aware of the way I put it. I constantly look
around to see what can reverse the process, but I have
never found anything. Whether among my colleagues who
tried, or among those living abroad and their
supporters, they will never reverse anything. I want
to be clear on this now, and I have told them since
long ago.
 
I told them we would repatriate refugees in the Congo
and we did. I told them we would provide them security
and we did. I am telling you that this process will
continue and it will continue. I do not know why
people do not believe in the truth that I always tell
them.
 
But, the reason why they do not believe is that we
have been too good to them. We have been too tolerant,
and people have misunderstood that. They never noticed
that it was our responsibility to provide people with
rights and opportunities to be used well. On their
side, they interpreted that as weakness. Tolerance is
progressively diminishing as a result of that, leading
to unnecessary actions.
 
As far as national security is concerned, you people
of Rebero and Byumba, conduct your business as usual.
There will be no threats due to either infiltration or
invasion or from neighbors. (applause) It is
impossible. Capacities to protect Rwandans by Rwandans
are there. We do have enough capacity. It is even
beyond the capacity you know. (applause)
 
I would like not to spend much time on this since
talking about it is not enough. I hope that it will
not be necessary to demonstrate that that capacity
exists. I have always avoided that.
 
Those who want to leave, as I said, or those who want
to enter the country, and others that we know, we
shall tell them. There are people who would wish to
leave and think we are not informed about their plans,
we will remind them to go. (light applause)
 
There are some individuals who are held back by
official positions whom I will soon liberate. I will
request that they hand back those positions to allow
them to find a way to go.
 
We always have information about all those you hear
who leave and we let them go. When it is time for them
to go, they try to hide, thinking that we are not
informed about their departure. Among those who leave, there are individuals whom we remove from office to allow them to go. To me, leaving is not a problem. We will soon put aside official positions for those being held back by those positions, to let them go.
 
Uzajya aturatira ko yejeje amasaka cyangwa ibigoli, tuzajya tumubwira ko dutunze ibiyasya n'ibisya ibyo bigoli. Dufite politiki izi gusya ibigoli iyo byeze, ntibipfe ubusa.

….

Nagira ngo rero, ibyo ndabivugira ko, ku nshingano yo gukomeza gutera imbere, yo gukomeza kubaka igihugu, n'ibi bindi tugiye kujyamo, ngira ngo muzi iby'itegeko-nshinga, ubu biliho binozwa, bili hafi kurangira, bili mu nteko ubu biligwa, vuba aha bizajya muli referendumu mu kwezi kuza, kwa gatanu kurangira nk'uko byemejwe, nyuma y'aho hazaba amatora, amatora y'a Prezida wa Republika, amatora
y'abadepite, ibyo byose tulifuza, kandi turabasaba ko byazaba
mw'ituze, mu mucyo, kandi turumva ali ko bizamera, ni haba hali abatabyifuza ko ali ko bizamera, tuzabemeza ko ali ko bigomba kumera. Ntabwo bizahinduka. Ko bizagenda neza, mu mucyo, neza.

To those who would pride themselves on having
harvested abundant sorghum or maize, we will tell them that we have enough machines to grind (crush) the grains.
 
As it has been decided, there will be a referendum by
the end of May, which will be followed by presidential
and parliamentary elections. We wish, and we would
like to request, that you hold these events in a
peaceful and transparent manner. We think it will be
in that way.
 
If there are people who desire the contrary, we will
convince them otherwise. It must be carried out
peacefully and in a transparent manner.



N'ikizavamo, jye nababwira ko kizwi. Muli ayo matora, hazavamo abazatorwa, jye navuga ijana kw'ijana ko mbizi, ko ali abazaba bakulikiza gahunda, politiki dufite yo kubaka iki gihugu. Niko bizamera. Kandi nzi ko namwe ali ko mubizi. Kandi nzi ali ko mubishaka, ibyo kugira ngo gahunda yo gukomeza umutekano, ubumwe bw'abanyarwanda, amajyambere y'abanyarwanda, demokarasi, abe ali byo tugeraho. Amacakubili, uzazana amacakubili, kuko bamwe bazaza ni byo bagenderaho n'ubwo babihisha, nta mwanya bazabona. Kubera ko nababwiye ko iyo gahunda yo kubaka igihugu, ntabwo izahinduka. Ni uko icyo mba nifuza gusa ni uko bizaba ku neza. Ibyo byose tulifuza ko bizaba mu mucyo, mu mahoro, aliko icyo nzi ni uko, aho bizaganisha, ali ugukomeza kubaka igihugu. Abashaka kugisenya nta mwanya bazabona.

Ibyiza abanyarwanda bamaze kugeraho, muli iyi myaka hafi icyenda tugiye kumara, limwe na limwe igitangaza, ni uko abanyarwanda ahali ali bo batabizi gusa. Abandi batubamo, batali abanyarwanda b'abanyamahanga cyangwa abo mu mahanga yo hanze, bavuga ko nta handi biba rwose. Ikintangaza ni abanyarwanda ubwabo, batabibona gusa. Aliko ndizera ko igituma babikora bigakunda, abanyarwanda, ubwo ni uko n'amaherezo bazabibona, bakabona ko ibyo bakora ali byiza, bakanabyumva nabyo bikabageza ku cyifuzo bifuza. Cyo kugira ngo dutere imbere, kugira ngo tugire ubumwe, kugira ngo u Rwanda rwongere rube igihugu kitagayitse. Kuko ntabwo ubundi, mu mateka maremare y'u
Rwanda, ntabwo u Rwanda rwigeze rugayika. Sinzi impamvu abantu bamwe bashaka kurugayisha. Ntabwo u Rwanda, mu mateka tuzi na mbere tutarabaho aliko dusoma, ntabwo u Rwanda rwigeze rugayika. Rwakoraga ibintu byiza, bituma abantu bemera ko ali igihugu gifite abantu bacyo batagayitse.		 I can even say that outcomes of these elections are known. Those elected will be individuals who are 100 per cent in line with the current political agenda, aimed at building the country. This will be the case, and I am sure it is also your view and your wish to have national security, unity, development, and democracy.
 
Anyone who would bring in divisionbecause I know that the views of those who intend to come are based on division will not be elected. As I told you, the
agenda of national reconstruction will never be
reversed. I hope to make them understand this will be done peacefully.
 
We hope that the whole process will be peaceful and in a transparent manner. Something I am sure of is that the ultimate outcome will be to continue building the country. People who want to destroy the country will not be elected.
 
The most surprising thing is that only Rwandans seem
to be ignorant about our achievements over the last
nine years. Expatriates and foreign partners say that
our achievements are exceptional. What surprises me is that Rwandans dont see that.
 
I hope that sooner or later Rwandans will appreciate
and understand that their achievements should conform to their plans based on peace and unity. In order to
build up Rwanda as a respected (respectable) country.
 
Throughout history, Rwanda has always been a respected
country. I do not know why some Rwandans want it to
become an unrespected country. From recent history,
and before we were born, and what we read about
Rwanda, Rwanda has always been respected. Rwanda has
always made great achievements leading people around
the world to understand that it was a country of
respectable people.




1.

0 http://rwandarugali.tripod.com/rwanda/id383.html