The 6th National Dialogue that was concluded Friday is one of those uniquely prudent forums that make our country stand out! It being a dialogue, it was packaged with the quality of giving every one, mostly the representatives of civil society, local government, law enforcers and other crucial players in the betterment of our society, an opportunity to evaluate themselves, brainstorm on the way forward and table possible solutions to our problems.

In this year’s dialogue, the president who was the chairman was more assertive on confidence building, attitudinal change and proactiveness in devising solutions to our social-economic problems as opposed to depending on aid and ideologies from outside.

A number of issues were discussed. These included strengthening our economy to overcome the patronising and domesticating factor of aid, revitalising our efforts in the direction of development, among others.

But the topic which caught my attention and energised most in house participants to endlessly contribute was the discussion on the issue of corruption which was exhaustively deliberated on Friday.

All institutions holding a central role in the fight against corruption and those where it has been detected like police, local government and Rwanda Revenue Authority, were given chance to speak out.

The Commissioner General of Police, Mary Gahonzire, set a precedent by taking the first courageous move in the fight against corruption, when she accepted its prevalence in the force she heads.

Just like testing for HIV and knowing that you have it flowing in your veins helps to prepare for the necessary and timely treatment package like ARV’s and planning ahead, coming clean on corruption behaviors is plausible.

This brings me to one of the most sickening default our society has, I don’t exactly know its root cause, though am yet to find out’ but it’s really eating us up.

People tend to keep quiet and keep a ‘discreet screen saver’ on mistakes and social disorders thinking that by not exposing them they cease to exist. However, this is a total delusion which will only serve to sink our society if unchecked.

During deliberations on corruption, the President pointed out that one of the most realistic and proactive ways of tackling a social problem, he said that wrongs should be talked about and publicised as a way of fighting their prevalence as opposed to focusing on only talking about good things, which is not very paying since in most cases they talk for themselves.

President Kagame said this while emphasising the point of adequately punishing those implicated in corruption, through apprehending, publicising and not employing them elsewhere.

There are many institutions which have tended to protect their dirty officials from the media with an intention of protecting the image of the institution, not knowing that by protecting the institution image you are killing the broader image of our country and society.

This should serve to inform the entire populace not to disown our priceless values of integrity, objectivity, fearlessness and impartiality in exchange with the demeaning iniquities of favouritism, self hate and opportunism such that we can collectively fight and overcome social disorders like corruption and the like.  

Ends