Saturday, 15 February 2014

News of Rwanda' must know charity begins at home

More probing news on Tanzania’s recent actions in a ‘Coalition of the Willing’ to help restore peace in the Congo, namely South Africa and Malawi, are still being beamed from Kigali, liberally mixing fact and fiction, apparently playing to the gallery of a home audience, wishing to believe that Rwanda was a victim in the issue.

The fact was actually the converse; that after 18 years of the genocide, the world expects that Rwanda has grasped what is needed to foster democracy at home and end lawless policies in the neighbourhood. ‘News of Rwanda,’ which seems to have absolute liberty to write any fantasy so long as it is pro-M23, has been doing some art work lately.

For a while, ‘News of Rwanda’ seems to be more interested in Tanzania than Rwanda itself, telling us what went in the corridors of the security department prior to the formation of a brigade to help eliminate the M23 threat to peace; what the editors of the newspaper need to be told is that decisions of Heads of State usually relate to what they discuss between themselves, not what they are told by subordinates or advisers, as that input is entirely meant to help make their minds, on the internal perspective on issues.

Even if there was factual truth in the report, why does the editor believe the director of intelligence would have the last word, and not the foreign minister?

The editor ventures to pursue investigative journalism where the silly finding is that the war against M23 was really meant to boost business tied between the twin sister of dear friend who grew up in Tanzania, President Joseph Kabila, and an old acquaintance of hers, First Lady Salma Kikwete.

And the editor expects us to start wondering if indeed their supposed up-market jewelry shop actually pays taxes or not, as all this is a take it or leave it story, without any merit attached to it.

What would make it worth the ink it is written on is if the editor would have drawn a comparative perspective, and tell us the businesses of President Kagame and his generals, even his wife.

That is where the sloppy cut and paste pseudo-intelligence report becomes a horrendous fiasco, as it only served to highlight to Rwandans what they are missing, that they can write freelance intelligence hocus-pocus on Tanzania and it is published, or extensively reported almost verbatim.

Let this mis-registered ‘News of Rwanda’ that is in actual fact ‘News of Tanzania’ dare to publish any silly rumours on the streets of Kigali and ‘get the feeling’ of what comes next. Then we would get authentic ‘News of Rwanda’ as to the next editor or rumour monger shot dead on motorbike or such other, which the editor should know only too well as he takes liberties.

So let us all focus on Congolese peace, where everyone, the first ladies included, will be able to conduct honest commerce and pay the relevant levies in the Congo and in their own countries. Rwanda has for far too long insisted on a policy of piracy in the guise of a baby-sitted rebellion whose ringleaders (not leaders) can be arrested at a wink of army or security headquarters.

This had to stop as at 18 years of age a youth is allowed to vote, so after 18 years of the genocide, international law takes precedence, not any indulgence, including military occupation of swathes of the Congo, by bona fide agents christened as rebels.

We do not relish to make all this plain and vivid, but attacks leveled at the presidential household were unacceptable, and what is worse, by a newspaper that can’t write a line of that sort on its proper domain, that is, Rwanda.

That sort of tears on the collapse of the M23 charade shows that old habits die hard, and now we are being told that Tanzania’s security department had no confidence in the joint operation backed by the UN and the United States. Silly, isn’t it?
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

No comments:

Post a Comment