Genocide issues dominate Parliament retreat

Members of Parliament from both chambers have agreed to tighten measures taken against the Genocide Ideology and revisionism. The agreement was reached during the just concluded parliamentary retreat that was aimed at assessing the country progress towards attaining full unity and reconciliation. According to a release issued after the retreat, MPs “agreed to be exemplary in spearheading unity and reconciliation amongst Rwandans through openness and object to anything that related to genocide ideology and genocide revisionism.” The statement further adds that parliament will be following up all Non-Governmental Organizations operating in Rwanda to ensure that they follow and implement the national policy of unity and reconciliation. “MPs will be going into all local administrative sectors in the entire country giving lectures on the national policy regarding unity and reconciliation, especially in schools and youth meeting centres,” reads the communiqué signed by vice Speaker Denis Polisi. The current conditions of Genocide survivors dominated the parliamentary retreat and according to the communiqué, MPs agreed to follow up on how funds allocated to survivors and restructure the process on how the funds are dispersed. The parliament will also step up its efforts in following up and ensuring that remains of victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi are re-buried decently and they agreed to continuously visit Rwandan refugees living in exile and encourage them to return home. Besides several measures and initiatives taken by parliament, MPs also came up with several measures to improve the welfare of Genocide survivors and boost unity and reconciliation. “The government should announce a full list of Genocide survivors in less than six months so that the parliament can revise the assistance allocated to them,” read the statement. It also ordered the government to ensure that land belonging to Genocide survivors is protected. In addition, the government was requested to avail modern houses to all Genocide survivors in the shortest time possible, especially children who do not have homes to go to during holidays. It instructed the government to ensure that every survivor who graduates from the high school joins university, since most of them were living a sorry life during their secondary school. Ends

National

Genocide issues dominate Parliament retreat