James Munyaneza
15 December 2005
Kigali — Fervent talk on the genocide ideology among Members of Parliament has yet again resurfaced in the Chamber of Deputies.
This regards MPs who are accused of harbouring and spreading the deadly genocide ideology.
The fresh scandal, which on Thursday forced Deputy Brigitte Tuyishime (RPF) to resign her parliamentary seat, marred the Lower House plenary activities on Thursday and risked to drive the MPs into a heightened crisis.
Trouble revolves around Tuyishime's scathing attack on Genocide survivors on November 4, when, according to a group of fellow MPs, she said the survivors deserve to be wiped out from the earth's surface. Tuyishime, who has been a lawmaker over the last six years is said to have told her colleagues on the Standing Committee on Security that the continued existence of survivors was a stumbling block to the attainment of peace. This was during an official tour of Butare province last month.
All the Committee members confirmed they heard Tuyishime's statement save for Mediatrice Uwitonze, who most MPs accuse of attempting to cover up for Tuyishime's weird utterances.
"Icyadukiza abacitse kw'icumu twagira amahoro, ni batanu gusa, (loosely translated to mean: If only something can rid us of survivors we can be peaceful; they are merely five)," the Committee President Fidele Mitsindo, who was part of the team to Butare, quoted Tuyishime as saying during a breakfast at Fauco Hotel in Butare town.
The Genesis
Mitsindo said that Tuyishime made the statement after a committee member asked him of a long time case in Gisenyi province, in which a woman was jailed after her child had allegedly been defiled.
He said immediately after he had replied to the question, Tuyishime stood up in anger and hurled the aforementioned remarks.
"I answered that I released the lady the time I was still the Gisenyi prefect. Then, no sooner had I finished, than an angry Brigitte (Tuyishime) stood up and made the comments as she hit her forehead," Mitsindo told The New Times. Mitsindo (RPF) was the prefect of Gisenyi until October 2003, when he joined the post transition Parliament.
A source told The New Times that the alleged defiler is a Genocide survivor in Gisenyi Province. Mitsindo, Tuyishime and Uwitonzi all hail from Gisenyi.
Wrath
Subsequently, Mitsindo said, the team members were shocked and depressed by Tuyishime's remarks.
Other MPs on the Standing Committee include Emmanuel Gatera (vice president), Esperance Mwiza, Polycarp Gatete, François Munyurangabo and Alfred Gasana.
MP Munyurangabo did not travel with the committee to Butare.
Then on Thursday some MPs criticized the committee for not having communicated the issue to Parliament promptly.
It was the Standing Committee on Human Rights which learnt about the scandalous statement during a parallel field mission in Masoro sector, Kanombe district in Kigali city on November 21, which promptly brought it to the attention of the House plenary on December 5.
"When we were attending a function to recover Genocide remains from a latrine in Masoro, we were disheartened by what we were seeing. But as we looked depressed, a driver whom we had hired during our tour asked us why we were depressed and yet we (MPs) still had among us people who continue to advocate for similar killings (genocide). When we asked him the basis of his argument, he told us of the remarks by Tuyishime in Butare," a troubled Evarist Kalisa, the President of Human Rights Committee, told this reporter.
Subsequently, some Deputies were unhappy with the security committee's delays to bring the matter to their attention, with some calling for an investigation into its conduct.
Connie Bwiza said: "The committee members did not act responsibly. The remarks were supposed to be of primary concern for people who zere charged with security matters. They did not give it due weight, it was neglect of duty."
"Given the dimension and the connotation of the remarks, it was no longer a committee issue. They should have brought it before the plenary as a specific motion immediately, rather than sticking to the long procedures of preparing a report," Bwiza told The New Times late Thursday. She expressed doubts whether the committee would have indicated the incident in its report had it not been for the Kalisa committee.
But Mitsindo said the issue was still being handled at the committee level. He said the committee convened about three times and asked Tuyishime to retract her statement and ask for an apology, to no avail. Asked to whom Tuyishime could have apologized, Mitsindo said: "both the committee and the plenary (all MPs)."
Meanwhile, during the Thursday plenary MPs were disturbed that Tuyishime had attributed her resignation to "personal reasons" in a letter she wrote to her political party, RPF, and copied to Parliament."
Abbas Mukama said: "We had asked her to give us her side of the story. But in her letter, she says that 'after discussing with (my) political party, I have decided to resign for personal reasons'. We have been told that RPF has got much more on the case, and I request that they prepare a dossier (on the issue) and send it to the judiciary for the law to take its course."
"I was dying to hear her (Tuyishime's) explanation. But she will do it before other organs. However, something should be done on the attitude of Uwitonze--who has remained unclear," said Henriette Sebera Mukamurangwa.
Old wounds
As the issue drew charged remarks during the Thursday plenary, some MPs nearly opened old wounds. They drew in the case of genocide charges against some members such as Speaker Alfred Mukezamfura and Elysee Bisengimana.
Said Juvenal Nkusi: "Her resignation letter is out of shame, not personal reasons. She has left disgracefully not honourably. The letter is an open lie, and should not be put in our records as it is."
"She is culpable and the House should dispose of MPs who still harbour the genocide ideology," said Julianne Kantengwa.
Aaron Makuba said: "I have repeatedly said that you cannot give what you don't have. This Parliament harbours the genocide ideology and we lack the moral responsibility to preach against it."
Elie Ngirabakunzi said: "Let's stop lying to each other. We should openly discuss all these Genocide related issues including (Genocide) charges levelled against the Speaker (Alfred Mukezamfura)."
However, Uwitonze, on Thursday disassociated herself from Tuyishime's remarks, contrary to her earlier assertions that she had not heard the latter's statement. Previously, Uwitonze had given conflicting statements, at one time, claiming that at the time Tuyishime made the remarks, she was breastfeeding, while on another occasion she said she was deeply contemplating about her children.
Should there be action, Tuyishime is likely to be charged under the law against genocide. In 1994, Genocide claimed an estimated one million Rwandans.
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