PHOTOS & VIDEO: RPF has even bigger tasks ahead – political experts

The celebration this week of Rwanda Patriotic Front’s 30th anniversary is all the more important because of the party’s ideology that puts country above all else, political analysts have said. RPF Chairman, President Paul Kagame, addresses the governing party’s National Congress at the party headquarters at Rusororo in Gasabo District. Courtesy. The experts were speaking to The New Times yesterday, on the same day the RPF-Inkotanyi started its three-day National Congress ahead of its anniversary celebrations tomorrow, December 16. President Kagame speaks at the RPF’s National Congress in Rusororo, as his deputy, Christophe Bazivamo (left), and the party secretary-general Francois Ngarambe listen, at Rusororo, yesterday. Courtesy. First Lady Jeannette Kagame, Sports and Culture minister Julienne Uwacu (left) and Senator Marie Claire Mukasine on Day 1 of the RPF National Congress at the party headquarters on the outskirts of Kigali yesterday. Courtesy. President Paul Kagame, the Chairman of the RPF, opened the congress at the governing party’s headquarters in Rusororo, on the outskirts of the capital Kigali, with a call to members to remain true to the values of the political organisation. It was all smiles as the party cadres descended on Rusororo for the National Congress. Courtesy. RPF Chairman President Paul Kagame and Secretary General Francois Ngarambe at the party’s National Congress in Kigali yesterday. Courtesy. Kagame said RPF’s 30th anniversary is “a milestone not only of years, but of efforts that changed the course of history of Rwanda as well as our character.” Veteran politician Senator Tito Rutaremara, an RPF commissioner, speaks at the congress yesterday. Courtesy. First Lady Jeannette Kagame is one of the 2000 party delegates attending the congress. Courtesy. Eugenia Kayitesi, the executive director of local think-tank, Institute of Policy Analysis and Research-Rwanda, said RPF’s guiding principles and the party’s consistency in espousing high moral standards put it in a good position to pass down its ideology to the next generations. A youthful member of the governing party makes a contribution at the congress yesterday. Courtesy. Thousands of RPF members are attending the National Congress at the governing party’s headquarters in Rusororo, Gasabo District. The party will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this weekend. Courtesy. Thousands of RPF members are attending the National Congress at the governing party’s headquarters in Rusororo, Gasabo District. The party will be celebrating its 30th anniversary this weekend. Courtesy. “The party’s leadership strategy has proved to us that they are able to deliver,” she said. “RPF has been the engine for Rwanda’s transformation for the last two decades and is now looking at a longer term national blueprint, Vision 2050.” A woman speaks at the RPF congress in Kigali yesterday. Courtesy. Kagame greets RPF commissioner Abdul Karim Harelimana on the first day of the congress in Rusororo yesterday. Courtesy. She added: “I must say that the party is strategically positioned to continue the national development agenda and transformation.” Delegates took turns to exchange views about the party’s state of affairs on the first day of the congress yesterday. Courtesy. President Kagame and the First Lady chat with RPF stalwarts at the governing party’s headquarters in Rusororo, Gasabo District yesterday. Courtesy. Asked about her take on the RPF’s 30 years of existence, she said the party’s “inclusive ideology” had been one of the most important pillars of its success. A delegate makes an intervention at the meeting in Kigali yesterday. Courtesy. Kagame delivers the opening remarks during the RPF National Congress yesterday. Courtesy. “They have brought back refugees, promoted unity of all Rwandans and they have embraced a forward-looking ideology that is now focusing on the youth who are the future of the country,” she added. Veteran politician Rutaremara was among the speakers on Day I of the RPF’s National Congress at the party’s headquarters in Rusororo, Gasabo yesterday. Courtesy. President Kagame addresses the more than 2000 RPF members who turned up for the governing party’s National Congress in Rusororo, Gasabo yesterday. Courtesy. ‘The bigger picture’ Dr Christopher Kayumba, a political commentator and a lecturer at University of Rwanda’s School of Journalism and Communication, said that RPF-Inkotanyi has effectively delivered on many fronts because of its ideology. An RPF member speaks at the congress yesterday. Courtesy. Some 2000 delegates from within and outside the country are attending the three-day congress, which will climaxSaturday with the celebrations of the party’s 30thanniversary. Courtesy. “This party has a belief of putting the country first. This is one of the biggest reasons that have made it successful,” he told this newspaper yesterday. “This is why RPF is one of the liberation movements that are not tainted by corruption scandals.” A young man makes his contribution at the congress yesterday. Courtesy. The RPF National Congress is taking place at the newly constructed party headquarters in Rusororo, Gasabo District. Courtesy. Kayumba said that in light of the tremendous successes that have characterised the RPF-Inkotanyi as a political organisation and the governing party in Rwanda since the end of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, the single most important challenge facing it is to pass on its values and beliefs to younger generations. A female delegate poses a question at the event yesterday. Courtesy. Addressing the gathering, President Kagame urged RPF members to stay the course in their mission to build Rwanda. Courtesy. “The young people are the future,” he said. “The problem is how to ensure that these beliefs espoused by the founding members, the values that Rwanda should be first, the values of self-reliance, and those of focusing on the bigger picture are inherited by young people.” RPF cadre James Vuningoma puts his idea across at the event held on the outskirts of the capital Kigali yesterday. Courtesy. RPF cadres during a morale-boosting session on the first day of the three-day National Congress yesterday. Courtesy. Addressing the RPF delegates at the congress yesterday, Kagame cited the need for sustainability of the party’s philosophy. “What we are celebrating today are the achievements of a generation. But we cannot be shortsighted. We must think of what we can do today to benefit the generations to come.” The Chairperson of Pan-African Movement Rwanda and former Local Government minister Protais Musoni speaks at the event yesterday. Courtesy. RPF Commissioner Wellars Gasamagera addresses the congress during the opening session yesterday. Courtesy. Kayumba also said that the RPF members have actively contributed toward the party’s growth from the beginning, which is partly why party’s leadership was able to create Crystal Ventures, a conglomerate that has significantly contributed to economic advancement of the country. Left-right: President and CEO of L.E.A.F.Pharmaceuticals Dr Clet Niyikiza, former African Development Bank president Dr Donald Kaberuka, and the president of Rwanda Cycling Federation, Aimable Bayingana, at the RPF National Congress yesterday. Courtesy. The RPF National Congress drew members from all corners of Rwanda and outside the country. Courtesy. “RPF members used to sell cows and goats to contribute to the success of the struggle. Even after the liberation struggle, members continued to give personal contributions and this is why RPF is one of the richest parties in Africa,” he said. The event attracted Rwandans from all walks of life. Courtesy. Members were urged to put national interests above self.Courtesy. For Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, a researcher and political scientist, RPF’s continued effort to make Rwanda self-reliant is one of the most commendable aspects of its ideology. A party delegate speaks at the event in Rusororo yesterday. Courtesy. RPF senior cadres James Musoni and Abdul Karim Harerimana on the opening day of the three-day congress yesterday. Courtesy. “The RPF has a strong ideology of self-reliance for Rwanda, and since they came to power they have been pursuing this consistently. As a poor country that aspires to wean itself off aid, this is a very big ambition that is not attainable easily,” he said. Former Vice Speaker of Parliament Amb. Denis Polisi speaks at the RPF National Congress in Kigali yesterday. Courtesy. RPF members dance on the first day of the party’s National Congress at Rusororo yesterday. Courtesy. The Agaciro Development Fund, for instance, he said, will take a long time to grow into a big sovereign wealth fund that can replace aid (that Rwanda receives from development partners). Youthful members of the RPF during a morale-boosting session at the event yesterday. Courtesy. Hundreds of youths are attending the governing party’s congress. Courtesy. But it will require a lot of efforts from the RPF, he warned. RPF Vice Chairman Christophe Bazivamo at the event yesterday. Courtesy. Some of the youths attending the RPF congress. Courtesy. Strong party structures Golooba-Mutebi said that consolidating the gains the party has brought about will also require a lot of effort. He said that it is critical to have a party structure that further strengthens the organisation to make sure that it remains well above individual members. RPF Secretary-General Francois Ngaramba claps hands during a morale-boosting session on Day I of the party’s National Congress yesterday. Courtesy. The RPF will be marking its 30 years of existence this weekend. Courtesy. “President Kagame was re-elected [in August presidential poll] and the debate has been about helping strengthen the party to ensure the consolidation of the gains made and for his successors in the future to operate within the context of a strong political organisation. This requires a lot in terms of organisation and structure,” he said. The first day of the RPF’s National Congress was characterised by extensive discussions ahead of the party’s 30th anniversary tomorrow. Courtesy. The RPF headquarters in Rusororo was dominated by the party colours of red-white-and-blue as members embarked on a three-day national congress. Courtesy. Today, the RPF National Congress enters its second day, with a panel discussion themed, Shaping Rwanda for global challenges and opportunities, as well as presentation of proposed amendments to RPF-Inkotanyi statutes among items on the agenda. A participant makes a point during discussions shortly after the opening session yesterday. Courtesy. The congress is also expected to elect new leaders of the party tomorrow, including the chairperson, secretary-general and commissioners at the national level. Kayumba said that RPF’s belief in consensual over confrontational democracy is unquestionable as it provides for power-sharing and inclusivity. Senior RPF cadres share a light moment at the event yesterday. Courtesy. “Researchers who have studied deeply divided societies recommend that this is the best form of democracy because it makes divided societies lessen violence,” he said. Veteran politician Boniface Rucagu, a member of the Rwanda Elders Advisory Council, speaks at the RPF event in Kigali yesterday. RPF-Inkotanyi was formed by Rwandan refugees in 1987, having morphed from Rwandese Alliance for National Unity (RANU) that had been created in 1979. Some of the delegates at the RPF congress in Kigali yesterday. Speaking yesterday, Kagame said the RPF emerged as a response to serious problems in Rwanda, caused by bad politics. The event is taking place at the newly constructed RPF headquarters in Rusororo in the urban district of Gasabo. Courtesy. Some of the issues he said the party set out to address include the fact that citizens had no rights, dignity and a sense of security. A cross-section of participants at the meeting yesterday,. Courtesy. In the years that followed the 1959 pogroms that targeted the Tutsi, successive governments in Rwanda also continued to persecute the Tutsi inside the country, while they also denied refugees a chance to return home. A youthful delegate speaks at the RPF National Congress yesterday. Courtesy. The RPF is credited with stopping the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi which claimed the lives of at least a million Rwandans. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

News

PHOTOS & VIDEO: RPF has even bigger tasks ahead – political experts