By David Himbara
In General Paul Kagame’s Rwanda, everyone and every institution must tow the line when the General proclaims a new decree. And so, when on March 21, 2020 Kagame announced his “Enhanced Covid19 Prevention Measures” decree, he expected everyone to follow the order with no questions asked.
The decree imposed a total lockdown on Rwanda whereby people must stay at home. No so fast, said you opposition leader Bernard Ntaganda. In Ntaganda’s view, Kagame’s decree aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19 will lead to many deaths from hunger.
As Ntaganda put it, it is one thing to impose a total lockdown, but quite another to ensure that citizens of a poor country do not starve. To avoid widespread hunger, the government must implement a comprehensive package aimed at sustaining the private sector and the working people, especially the vulnerable – said Ntaganda.
One may debate some of Ntaganda proposals, but his main message of a package to counter the impact of a total lockdown is shared by governments world-over. That is precisely what governments are doing to ensure that they don’t starve the very people governments are saving from Coronavirus. Ntaganda must be given his due. His outspokenness about his beliefs and principles are well-known. This is what landed him in jail for 4 years. Still Ntaganda persists in his outspokenness. Ntaganda will not be silenced.
