Editor, I read with interest Charles Haba’s letter slamming Germaine Ingabire for suggesting that the Ombudsman be given “a break”. The gentleman took issue with the Ombudsman and wrote “how can our Parliament even give audience to a man who is going to talk about people’s perceptions of constitutional organs?” This is exactly what the Old man as you call him should be concerned about. Perception is everything especially in matters of governance. If I perceive an institution as corruptible, that means I will have less confidence in it or will attempt to bribe its officials to get what I know I am not entitled. Or if a decision is made against me, I will be more inclined to see it as biased because I FEEL (perceive) the institution taking that decision is corrupt. And the vicious cycle of mistrust and bribery will carry on. Let’s take an example of the judiciary. If I perceive it as corrupt or corruptible, I am less likely to feel confident in the decisions and judgments they make at best, and at worst, I will be inclined to bribe the judges especially when I know that I do not have a strong case. So the sense of justice really comes from the perception we have of the justice judging us. Another example, the police. People confidence in that institution is very important. If the police is perceived as corrupt or corruptible, more and more people will try to bribe officers therefore increasing the temptation and opportunities for bribery.So, PERCEPTION is everything! Then when you say “my President was very clear the other day when he called upon Rwandans to desist from being mediocre. Was the Old Man on leave when this message was put across?” It is exactly mediocrity to not care about how our institutions are perceived. Fairness, independence, justice etc are more a matter of perception than anything else. So all this Ombudsman bashing is ridiculous in my opionion. Let the man get on his job. And all those people complaining should try to do better so they are not on his list next time, that is how it works everywhere. Jean-Christian christian42002@yahoo.fr
