Referring to the repeated question about the term limit, President Paul Kagame said the author of the opinion should be the one to respond to journalists who have over asked him about it.
Recently, while addressing a press conference in Kampala, Uganda journalists asked President Paul Kagame whether he is not bothered by people suggesting him to run for third term.
The journalists referred to the view which was forwarded by Sheikh Musa Fazil Harerimana the Minister of Internal security.
For two times, Minister Harerimana from Idealist Democratic Party (PDI)has publicly expressed his view to amend Rwandan constitution to remove presidential term limits to allow Kagame run for a third term of office.
According to Article 101 of the 2003 Rwandan Constitution, the President of the Republic of Rwanda is elected for a term of seven years renewable only once.
“There’s contradiction, on one hand you say people should have freedom to express themselves. On the other hand, you start questioning somebody expressing himself.” President Kagame said recently in Uganda referring to his critics who say there is no freedom of expression in Rwanda an issue he repeatedly commented on in his speech while opening the 9th National Dialogue.
“There is this question I have kept on answering, and keeps coming back asking me if I am comfortable with people saying to amend the constitution for me to run for the third term, I begin to answer what I never suggested. Fazil who said it is here,” he said.
“I can serve my country whether I am in this office or out of this office. I actually served my country even before I came to this office but people keep on accusing me for the offence I have not committed. I think Fazil needs to carry his own cross,”Kagame said.
Kagame added, “This is not serious and some of us are used to serious issues, members of the press misunderstand us. They draw cartoon of me that when they asked me I was vague, I have never been vague in my life,” Kagame concluded his speech.
In an interview with a local newspaper The Chronicles, Prof. Shyka Anastase, the executive director of Rwanda Governance Advisory Council, a national body that promotes and monitors good governance in Rwanda, described Harerimana’s comments as a joke.
“I think he was probably trying to be funny. He was just saying out what was in his mind but nobody in Rwanda is actually interested in following him,” he said.
“President Kagame has stated clearly that he shouldn’t be counted in if anyone ever wants him for another term because he is not interested in that game,” Prof. Shyaka added.
The Professor said there is no such momentum building up in the country to delete term limits, stating that had the comments come from inside the ruling Rwanda Patriotic Front or two years before the next election due in 2017, or if Kagame says I’ ll think about it, then people would be worried.
Only Uganda in this region has no presidential term limits which turned around since 2005.
ENDS
Leave a Reply