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Rwandan Green Party calls for Rwanda’s Ombudsman resignation

Rwanda�s Ombudsman Should Apologise to Rwandans or Resign

The Leadership of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, would like to express its great sadness and astonishment on the verbal statements made by the Rwanda�s Ombudsman/ Information Commissioner of RPF Inkotanyi, Mr.Tito RUTAREMARA, broadcasted on Saturday 5th June 2010 on BBC Gahuzamiryango�s talk show, Imvo n�Imvano and calls him to apologise to Rwandans or else resign.

We are greatly saddened and surprised to hear someone of a high caliber like Tito RUTAREMARA, whom we respect, expected constructive advice from, whom we have been expecting to fight for the disadvantaged and be the voice of the voiceless, to have spoken so abusively on the Person of the President of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, Frank HABINEZA, that he is a street-kid (mayibobo).

Frank Habineza is a Rwandan, staying in Rwanda, playing a role in the sustainable development of the Country. He worked in the same Government Tito RUTAREMARA is working in. His appointment as Personal Assistant to the Minister of Lands, Environment, Water, Forestry and Mines was confirmed by the cabinet chaired by the President of the Republic of Rwanda in 2005.

He is the President of the African Green Parties Federation, and also represents Africa on the Global Greens Coordination Committee. For someone like Tito RUTAREMARA, to say that he does not know Frank Habineza, who is playing a role in both continental and international politics, and calls him a street-kid (mayibobo), is indeed a big problem and a shame !!, unless if it is true that some people are intentionally refusing to recognize the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, otherwise, the rest of the people know it very well and know him as its Founding President.

The Leadership of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, would like to remind Mr.Tito RUTAREMARA, that among its leadership they are also other outstanding men and women, elders like him, who have contributed a lot to RPF�s development and ascension to power, whom now he is calling ‘mayibobos’, simply just because they have left RPF and joined an opposition party to RPF.

We would also like to remind him that all the members of the national committee are able to feed themselves and are not beggars, so calling them mayibobos is something out of context.

Frank HABINEZA, is playing his role in the political development of Rwanda, its now over TEN months ever since him and fellow colleagues publically declared this. For Tito RUTAREMARA to say that he doesn�t know him and that he is a mayibobo, it�s something non-factual. These statements are destructive, and also undermine the credibility and honor of the National Ombudsman.

If Rwandans are in agreement that we should all join hands in the betterment of our country, then our elders like Tito RUTAREMARA do the opposite by giving us such a bad example, then there is no guarantee for a better future of our country.

We are wondering, whether the articles on multi-party politics are no longer in our National Constitution – which Rwandans voted for (to remind you, we are not foreigners, we voted for it)

We also wonder, if Rwandan politics no longer accept democracy as a founding principle, and if this has become a reason for those starting opposition parties in Rwanda, which give constructive criticism, to be called criminals and mayibobos.

Rwanda�s Ombudsman, also alleged that the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda is lost and does not know what it should be doing, that instead of taking care of forests, floods, landslides and so on, that it is only abusing RPF, we would like to clarify the following :

A. The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda does not abuse any one, it says the truth about what is happening in Rwanda and will continue to do so.

B. The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda is not lost, it follows the Laws of the Land. You cannot build a permanent house without a foundation.
Protection of the Environment is just one of the different principles of the party and the Rwandan Citizens are our number one priority and are part and partial of the environment.
The people are the foundation, they are the basis of everything and are the ones who protect or destroy the environment.

We would like to inform Mr.Tito RUTAREMERA, that besides our Principle on ECOLOGICAL WISDOM, which has something to do with protecting the environment, we have other principles which are :

1. Participatory Democracy

2. Social Justice

3. Non-Violence

4. Sustainable Development

5. Respect for Diversity

6. Respect for Human Rights.

Mr. Tito RUTAREMARA also mentioned that he is aware of other Green Parties around the world, we would like to remind him that these are the same principles which the Global Greens follow and the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda has subscribed to all of them.

Whenever the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda is requesting for freedom of speech, freedom of association, participatory democracy, sustainable development, it is fulfilling its constitutional and fundamental rights.

We are just waiting for the party registration from the Government of Rwanda, so that we are able to do other developmental activities. We have constructive programs for Rwandans, we shall start implementing them as soon as we get registered.

We would like to request all Rwandans to respect and give credit to all those who have constructive ideas, this way, we can all be happy staying in our mother land.

The Leadership of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, requests the Rwanda�s Ombudsman who is also one of the powerful advisers to the President of the Republic of Rwanda, to apologize to Rwandans and in particular to the Leadership of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, in order to regain his honor or else resign.

Issued at Kigali, 10th June 2010

Frank HABINEZA,

Founding President, Democratic Green Party of Rwanda

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June 12, 2010   No Comments

Rwandan ombudsman denigrates opposition politicians

Kigali: Ombudsman Tito Rutaremara is under fire for referring to one of the opposition politicians as �mayibobo� (literary meaning street kid) in a BBC interview, RNA reports.

Mr. Rutaremara, who also doubles as the Information Commissioner for the RPF, spoke on the regular Saturday IMVO N�IMVANO program on BBC last week, where he attacked the three opposition critics Victoire Ingabire, Bernard Ntaganda and Frank Habineza.

With specific reference to Frank Habineza of the yet-to-be registered Green Party, the Ombudsman called him �mayibobo�, who was not up to the job of leading this country.

Detailing the roles he is playing on the local and international green movement, the troubled Habineza says the Ombudsman �spoken so abusively� of him.

�The Leadership of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, requests the Rwanda�s Ombudsman who is also one of the powerful advisers to the President of the Republic of Rwanda, to apologize to Rwandans and in particular to the Leadership of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, in order to regain his honor or else resign,� the group says in a statement.

[ARI-RNA]

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June 12, 2010   No Comments