Politics Rwandan

All things you may know about RPF, the political party winning the presidential election in Rwanda

by admin on | 2024-07-17 13:28:13 Last Updated by admin on2024-11-15 03:27:21

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All things you may know about RPF, the political party winning the presidential election in Rwanda

 

 RPF is short for Rwanda Patriotic Front. Before it is changed, it was Called RANU( Rwanda Alliance National Unity). The latter was founded to save the cultural values. Some of them in the exile were about to forget their mother tongue and other merits. This is a small small country, covering 26,338 square kilometers, with a population exceeding 14 million, making it one of the most densely populated countries in Africa. Unlike many other African nations, Rwanda was not demarcated by European colonizers. When Europeans arrived in Africa, Rwanda had already existed for centuries with established borders and recognized leadership that unified its people. It maintained respected relations with neighboring countries.

When Europeans arrived, they found Rwanda politically independent, with laws carefully designed to benefit all its citizens. The country had its own recognized and respected leadership that united its people. Rwanda was also economically independent, sustaining itself through activities such as cultivation, animal husbandry, iron smelting, and carpentry. In the absence of currency, the Rwandan people relied on barter trade to meet their needs.

Because the economy was based on agriculture, the Rwandan people established a system to provide land for those without any, known as ‘ubugererwa.’ Similarly, cows were provided to those who lacked them through a system called ‘ubuhake.’ However, like in the history of any other country, there were injustices within these systems; masters did not always treat their servants fairly.

Rwanda was independent and had its own culture, which served as a unifying factor for all its people. Additionally, there was a common religion, education system, and other shared societal elements.

Rwandan children were taught to love and work for their country, and to adhere to rules governing human relations, such as respect, integrity, honesty, discretion, and friendliness. This unity among Rwandans was evidently the source of the country’s strength.

However, when the colonialists arrived in Rwanda—first the Germans from 1899 to 1916, followed by the Belgians from 1916 to 1962—Rwanda lost all political, economic, and cultural independence. The Rwandan leadership was controlled by the colonial masters and operated to promote their interests at the expense of the Rwandan population.

The colonial masters established laws and appointed leaders in Rwanda to serve their own interests. The economy was manipulated to ensure that all locally produced commodities were shipped to colonial markets, providing no benefit to the Rwandan people. Additionally, the colonial masters introduced schools and religious beliefs that aimed to teach their culture while undermining the existing Rwandan culture.

The colonial masters employed a divide-and-rule strategy in Rwanda, spreading malicious myths that claimed Rwandans had different origins, did not arrive in the country together, did not possess equal intelligence, and should not perform the same work or receive the same education. These tactics were aimed at dividing the people. This seed of segregation and favoritism ultimately destroyed the unity among Rwandans.

During the early 1950s, as African nations fought for independence, Rwandans joined in the struggle for their own freedom. The majority of those who fought for Rwandan independence were Tutsi. In response, the Belgians began spreading the ideology that Tutsis were foreigners who had originated from Abyssinia (present-day Ethiopia).

The Belgians encouraged Hutus to destroy and burn Tutsi homes, kill them, and send them into exile. By the end of 1959, the PARMEHUTU party adopted and executed this ideology with the support of the colonial masters. 

Rwanda gained its independence in 1962 following the killings carried out by MDR-PARMEHUTU, in which many Tutsis lost their lives while others fled into exile. Subsequently, the party was rewarded with the leadership of Rwanda.

 

After Rwanda gained independence in 1962, both the MDR-PARMEHUTU regime (1962-1973) and later the MRND regime (1973-1994) continued the segregationist policies inherited from the colonial masters, exacerbating existing problems. These regimes were marked by problematic methods such as:

• Openly preaching segregation propaganda;
• Propagating hatred among Rwandans;
• Excluding some Rwandans from education, employment, and political participation;
• Oppressing fellow Rwandans, destroying and burning their homes, killing them, and forcing them into exile, culminating in the 1994 genocide;
• Lack of democracy and opportunities for people to participate in leadership;
• Absence of an effective economic agenda for Rwanda’s development, resulting in poverty, disease, ignorance, and dependency on foreign aid;
• Prioritizing leaders’ profit over the welfare of the people, leading to corruption, favoritism, waste, and embezzlement of national resources.

The RPF-INKOTANYI was formed with the goal of combating the governance issues that had plagued Rwanda’s history and addressing the resulting problems. Both through political and armed struggle, their objective was to liberate Rwanda from dictatorial leadership and establish a nation governed by the rule of law, democracy, peace, security, justice, and development.

                   These are photos showing the different corners of the headquarter of this political party

The Political Programme of the RPF-INKOTANYI, detailed below, aims to tackle the intricate political, economic, and social challenges faced by Rwanda.

The RPF-INKOTANYI, having meticulously studied the challenges facing our country, Rwanda, as illuminated by its history, recognizes the imperative of re-establishing unity among Rwandans as the bedrock for fostering peace and facilitating development. Acknowledging the devastating consequences of segregation and the violation of basic human rights that culminated in a tragic genocide in our nation, and understanding that allowing people to participate in choosing their leaders is fundamental to genuine democracy and progress, the RPF-INKOTANYI is committed to resolving Rwanda’s political, economic, and social issues. Therefore, it has decided to develop and implement a political program aimed at constructing a nation that ensures freedom and fairness for all Rwandans.

I. Obligations of the RPF-INKOTANYI Congress

1.  Restoring unity among Rwandans;

2.  Defending the sovereignty of the country and ensuring the security of people and property;

3.  Establishing democratic governance;

4.  Promoting the economy by leveraging the country’s natural resources;

5.  Eradicating corruption, favoritism, and embezzlement of national resources;

6.  Enhancing social welfare;

7.  Addressing root causes of displacement and repatriating Rwandan refugees;

8.  Cultivating international relations grounded in mutual respect, cooperation, and beneficial economic partnerships;

9.  Combating genocide and its ideology.

Assembly of members

From the website of the political party www.frpinkotanyi.rw