Yes, Rwandans have spoken out loud and clear; they have taken their own destiny and that of their country into their own hands. There was no doubt from the beginning that the results from the referendum to amend the constitution was what was expected, regardless of the lame attempts to pour water on the process by Rwanda’s closest “development partners”. Some even went as far as double guess the outcome, others took a step further and compared the Rwandan situation to that of Burundi. But they could never have been more off the mark. Rwandans have gone to show, in the past few years, that they are mature people who know what they want, what is best for them. The argument put forward by those opposing the will of the people, was, to say the least, an insult to the people’s intelligence. By insinuating that the voters needed more time to familiarise themselves (read; “were an ignorant lot that needed to be educated”) with the amendments, was in itself self-defeating. How do they explain that the Diaspora, which has some of the best informed members of our society, registered even better results than those who voted from Rwanda territory – some foreign polling stations even voting 100% in favour? The Rwandan political and social dispensation is not a glove-fits-all situation and does not follow any template but what is best for its people – and they have a say in that and have spoken. Now that that exercise is over and done with, Rwandans need some breathing space to continue with their journey.
