Political parties should be more than just names

On Monday, The Senates Standing Committee on Political Affairs and Good Governance, requested the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC) to revise and probably revalidate political parties in the country to ensure that they are operating under the law. The findings of the Commission unearthed improper operations of some parties while others were said to be financially handicapped to guarantee their future. The Ministry of Local Government which is in charge of licensing political parties should always follow up on whether they live up to the conditions that allow them to operate, Karemera told the attentive senate. To date, there are nine political parties in Rwanda; the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF- Inkotanyi), Centrist Democratic Party (PDC), the Rwandan Socialist Party (PSR), the Ideal Democratic Party (PDI), and the Democratic Popular Union (UPDR). Others are Social Democratic Party (PSD), the Liberal Party (PL), the Concord Progressive Party (PPC), and the Prosperity and Solidarity Party (PSP). The parties listed in the report as financially bankrupt are PSP, PSR and UDPR which is currently in turmoil that has led to its speaker and other representatives in the provinces to quit the party. Parties discovered to have no single penny in their accounts are UDPR and PSP, a party headed by Senator Stanley Safari who is accused by his supporters of taking his party home. Observers see these parties as incompetent since they not active in their programs. Surely, someone should tell me how a party without a penny in its accounts can implement its plan of action! Among the claims raised by the Local Government Ministry is that these political organisations don’t hand in their periodic plan action reports. Does this mean that these parties have no activities? If yes, why are they there? If no, why does MINALOC have to warn them about reporting which is prescribed by the organic law and ministerial decree governing their organisations? “We are to look at it in depth to see if there is any offence…they probably can be taken to court. But that is not our objective. The executive have to warn them on the law,” Dr. Vincent Biruta told journalists during Tuesday’s press conference in the Upper Chamber offices in Kimihurura. According to law no.16/2003 of 27/06/2003 governing political parties as amended on 04/05/2007, if these parties are not active as the report claims, the worry is that they may face a temporary or permanent ban. Another challenge for these parties ever since this law was amended is the article giving parties a go ahead to establish their offices from the national level to the sector level. Many of them are still struggling to establish their offices in all 406 sectors of the country. An official in the ministry of Local Government revealed that these two parties have written to the ministry asking the Minister to postpone the deadline until their parties congress meet to confirm the amendment of their constitutions. “Rwandese Labour party has asked for 60 days to meet all the requirements. And UDPR has requested until April 04, 2009,” he said. The official in charge of good governance told the Sunday Times on phone that they are still pondering and consulting the law to see if they are to give a green light to the parties that requested time to meet and make a final decision on fulfilling all requirements. Biruta who is also PSD party President called upon all political parties to abide by the law. However, he also said that like many other institutions, political parties are still struggling to develop. It is clear that majority of the political parties only become active during the election period while in other days are not active, because thy don’t have a budget, reads a report this writer saw. Part of Karemeras report which The Sunday Times obtained reads that currently UDPR and PSP operate with no headquarters and that all the nine political parties’ lack uniqueness in their awareness programs, yet it (uniqueness) is a legal obligation. According to Protais Musoni the Local Government Minister and letter no. 441 and 442-07.04/8 political parties warned are Union of Democratic Popular of Rwanda (UDPR) and Rwandese Labour Party (PSR) who are requested to abide by the amended organic law no. 16/2003 of 26/06/2003 and also abide by the principal of 30% of women in their executive committees. However, someone one should not be blamed to suggest that if these parties can’t advance they should close their doors and go home since it’s hard to convince one about the future when you are bankrupt. In conclusion, these parties should take their responsibility according to the law and what they promised the people. They should validate themselves instead of posing with the only names. Ends