EASTERN PROVINCE NGOMA — Students have been warned against harbouring genocide ideology if they are to achieve their future targets. Addressing students of Groupe Scolaire De Gasetsa in Remera sector this week, MP Spéciose Mukandutiye who is also the president of women parliamentarians urged students to always expose proponents of genocide ideology among them. Accompanied by MP Juvénal Nkusi on their five—day tour to stem the genocide ideology in schools, Mukandutiye also urged students to expose teachers and parents still bent on promoting the vice, in order to find a lasting solution. “Even when you get home tell your parents and friends how genocide ideology is bad and how its effects affects all Rwandans not one group of people as they think,” Mukandutiye said. She explained that there were two kinds of ideologies; positive and negative ideologies. She said that positive ideologies include unity, humility, friendship, forgiveness and honesty among others, while negative ideologies include disunity, hatred and killing. “Colonialists divided Rwandans when they issued national identity cards along ethnic lines. It paved the way for the 1994 Genocide,” she said. “Rwandans before were united with no Hutu, Tutsi or Twa and this is what we want you to fight for. God never created man as a Tutsi, Hutu or Twa. We were all created as human beings.” She explained factors that leveled ground for the genocide including classification of people according to physical appearance; such as size and shape of nose, denial of the humanity of others; polarization, listing of victims and mobilisation using state media— Radio RTLM. Extermination rather than murder was considered because; the victims were not regarded as human beings, they were called vermin or cockroaches; she explained. Nkusi also warned that indulging in such acts would ruin the students’ future. “Genocide ideology is something embedded in people’s mind which can not be weeded out by one person; but rather everybody most especially you students,” he said. In a separate meeting with teachers, the MPs urged the teachers to be close to the students and diligently do what their work entail them. “You are role models, what is done by students is either copied or taught by you teachers,” Nkusi said. He urged teachers to be exemplary to the students, saying teachers act as parents while students are at school. “You may not be having this problem (genocide ideology) but you should remember that there are new students mostly in senior one and four from other schools ; who may spread this dangerous disease among other students. This is what you should stem out in this school,” Nkusi said. Ends
