A growing majority of Dutch political parties is calling upon the Netherlands to cut its aid to Rwanda, several MP’s have confirmed to Radio Netherlands. VVD, the biggest party in the Dutch lower House and a member of the ruling coalition, wants cut back on the amount of money that flows directly into the Rwandan national budget. Other parties want to continue the freeze on this direct budget support that has been in place since 2008.
By Sophie van Leeuwen and Ruben Koops
The damning UN report on Rwandan activity in east Congo and the arrest of Victoire Ingabire are examples of how Rwanda is suffering from a bad news cycle with no end in sight. Meanwhile the Dutch parliament is preparing for a final round of budget talks and representatives are doing the math. A political majority appears to be in favour of cutting back on Rwandan development aid and giving president Kagame’s government a strong warning at the same time.
Klaas Dijkhoff, MP for VVD and spokesperson on development aid for his party, considers the current political situation in Rwanda as worrisome. “I can’t support the things that are happening in Rwanda right now. We support the development of a professional justice system in Rwanda, but at the same time opposition leader Victoire Ingabire is locked up!”
Unfair
According to Dijkhoff, Ingabire is not receiving a fair trial in Rwanda. “They put her in jail, placed her under house arrest, released her and then locked her up again without any substantial evidence! When you ask me, it looks like a political trial.”
Joël Voordewind, who is an MP for the Christian Union uses even stronger language. “Right now, we support the construction of jails by directly funding the Rwandan justice department.” Voordewind says: “As we speak those jails are being used to lock up political prisoners, and I don’t want us to be responsible for these policies.” Voordewind calls upon the minister of foreign affairs to end the direct government support the Netherlands is giving to Rwanda, a proposition that is likely to gain broad support during the foreign ministry budget negotiations.
Freeze
There has been more criticism regarding the Dutch aid to Rwanda. The Netherlands is an important donor country to Rwanda with a proposed aid budget of 44 million euros for 2011. The part that flows directly to the Rwandan government has been frozen since 2008, because of the alleged Rwandan involvement in violence in east Congo.
Kathleen Ferrier, an MP for the Christian-democratic People’s Party, was responsible for suspending the direct budget aid to Rwanda in 2008. “I don’t see any immediate reason to resume our funding to the Rwandan budget”, Ferrier says. “I still have loads of questions, but I am willing to be convinced by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.”
Non-issue
However, the Rwandese senator Aloysia Inyumba who is visiting the Netherlands calls the criticism and the possible cancellation of direct budget support “hysterical” and “very unfair.”
Immaculee Uwanyiligira, the Rwandan ambassador to the Netherlands is worried about the tilting view amongst Dutch officials. “When Rwanda needed a friend after the ’94 genocide, the Netherlands was there for us”, she explains during a press briefing at the embassy in The Hague. “If the Netherlands had to redraw its budget support because of belt tightening, we’d understand. But we hope that it doesn’t happen because of Victoire Ingabire, because that is a non-issue.”
Hutu agenda
Labour MP Sjoera Dikkers is concerned about the outcome of the budget negotiations. “I think cancelling aid is a tough decision, because President Kagame is still the man who got Rwanda back on its feet after the genocide.” According to Dikkers, ethnic Hutu’s provide most of the criticism on the current situation in Rwanda. “It’s the Hutu agenda that I receive most pressure from, and I find it hard to just agree with that” says Dikkers.
Tuesday the Dutch House committee on Foreign Affairs will meet with a Rwandan delegation, the ambassador and Senator Inyumba. A final decision on Rwandan support will be made during the foreign affairs budget hearings in mid-December.
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"Changes"
[1]
Come on come on
I see no changes wake up in the morning and I ask myself
is life worth living should I blast myself?
I'm tired of bein' poor & even worse I'm black
my stomach hurts so I'm lookin' for a purse to snatch
Cops give a damn about a negro
pull the trigger kill a nigga he's a hero
Give the crack to the kids who the hell cares
one less hungry mouth on the welfare
First ship 'em dope & let 'em deal the brothers
give 'em guns step back watch 'em kill each other
It's time to fight back that's what Huey said
2 shots in the dark now Huey's dead
I got love for my brother but we can never go nowhere
unless we share with each other
We gotta start makin' changes
learn to see me as a brother instead of 2 distant strangers
and that's how it's supposed to be
How can the Devil take a brother if he's close to me?
I'd love to go back to when we played as kids
but things changed, and that's the way it is
[Bridge w/ changing ad libs]
Come on come on
That's just the way it is
Things'll never be the same
That's just the way it is
aww yeah
[Repeat]
[2]
I see no changes all I see is racist faces
misplaced hate makes disgrace to races
We under I wonder what it takes to make this
one better place, let's erase the wasted
Take the evil out the people they'll be acting right
'cause both black and white is smokin' crack tonight
and only time we chill is when we kill each other
it takes skill to be real, time to heal each other
And although it seems heaven sent
We ain't ready, to see a black President, uhh
It ain't a secret don't conceal the fact
the penitentiary's packed, and it's filled with blacks
But some things will never change
try to show another way but you stayin' in the dope game
Now tell me what's a mother to do
bein' real don't appeal to the brother in you
You gotta operate the easy way
"I made a G today" But you made it in a sleazy way
sellin' crack to the kid. " I gotta get paid,"
Well hey, well that's the way it is
[Bridge]
[Talking:]
We gotta make a change...
It's time for us as a people to start makin' some changes.
Let's change the way we eat, let's change the way we live
and let's change the way we treat each other.
You see the old way wasn't working so it's on us to do
what we gotta do, to survive.
[3]
And still I see no changes can't a brother get a little peace
It's war on the streets & the war in the Middle East
Instead of war on poverty they got a war on drugs
so the police can bother me
And I ain't never did a crime I ain't have to do
But now I'm back with the facts givin' it back to you
Don't let 'em jack you up, back you up,
crack you up and pimp smack you up
You gotta learn to hold ya own
they get jealous when they see ya with ya mobile phone
But tell the cops they can't touch this
I don't trust this when they try to rush I bust this
That's the sound of my tool you say it ain't cool
my mama didn't raise no fool
And as long as I stay black I gotta stay strapped
& I never get to lay back
'Cause I always got to worry 'bout the pay backs
some punk that I roughed up way back
comin' back after all these years
rat-tat-tat-tat-tat that's the way it is uhh
[Bridge 'til fade:]
Some things will never change
I think Hon Dikkers is the most sobber politician in the Netherlands. Cutting aid because of Ingabire is indeed too harsh and unfair. Because Ingabire lived in the Netherlands does not mean she should be allowed to come and mess up things in Rwanda just because Rwandans should fear aid being cut. If you ask me, the Netherland should be accused of mis-use of power. Because they are rich they should not use their handouts to oppress and influence poor nations, beating them into submission on issues that could affect their peace and stability. Ingabire has a case to answer, the Netherlands should listen to Rwanda and establish the truth instead of dismissing everything without trying to understand - i hailk the justice system for listening to Rwanda on the case and being seen to try and cooperate. By the way, Dutch aid did not make Rwanda richer, and the lack of it will not make us poorer. Its wasted gesture if you ask me
The time has come for the whole World to see and to know the true truth about what real happened; what is happening in Rwanda. It is all build on lies, greed and self enrichment of few to the expense of the mass of the Rwandan people.
If we do real want along lasting peace; development and stable democratic institutions in Rwanda and its
neighbours nations. The Rwanda govermnet needs to stopped in its policy and ambitions in planning
in order to consider all its citizen and those of the whole region instead of supporting a group of cronies
and murderers who are destroying the peace and stability of the whole region.
And if this has to start; the the British and USA goverments must take the fisrt step;
as they are the ones who wrongly empowered this criminal;liar government of Rwanda.
All the UN and HUMAN RIGHTS bodies must mantain their working ethic;and stop/correct the Rwandan
government whenever and wherever it is endangering the human being/violeting the human rights or killing the innocent peple.
Cutting or freezing Dutch aid to Rwanda won't make much difference. There are always enough other EU countries who are more than willing to help Rwanda out. What the Dutch are doing is simply putting themselves off-side. A famous former Dutch minister, Jan Pronk, once said: especially countries with questionable reputations should be given assistance. That's the only way you can guarantee yourself (as a donor) some influence behind the scenes -silent diplomacy! These ignorant uninformed MPs quoted in this article have no idea what they're doing, and they won't get more votes this way either.
Mr Dikkers, how come you can say such nonsense as a deputy! I don't think you deserve to
be a representative of great Dutch people. You are such corrupt person while I and the whole world
know very well that The Netherlands one of the most incorruptible countries in this world. Mr dekkers, shame on you, and you should excuse yourself for what you said. You are just heartless. People who are dying everyday in Rwanda don't mean anything to you. All the great political figures suffering from the merciless dictatorship of Kagame don't touch your heart and change your corrupt point of you.
May God forgive you.
hello, I'm living in Rwanda and no one is dying dear, you western people it is easier for you to judge rwandans and their authorities without knowing our history and background. Just come once and visit, try to understand and be objective, we are not angels, but we are building our country as best as we can, we passed by the darkest period 16years ago, and we will continue to raise up with or without your help. All we want is that all these genocidairs come back in Rwanda and face Justice and let their children born their to have chance to know and enjoy their homeland too, but if they choose to stay there for just shouting and sabotaging Rwanda, that's their choice but it will not stop Rwanda at all.
MP Sjoera Dikkers is not serious at all, she has just totally missed the point. is the UN Report that accuses Rwandan Troops of Committing Genocide in the Congo a hutu agenda? Are vague laws used to criminalise criticism of government in Rwanda made for/by Hutu agenda? Another Kagame aide reveals boss’ secret killing spots of Nyungwe spot and Kami military camp, is this a Hutu agenda? Maybe honorable MP Dikkers is working like former British Prime Minister Tony Blaire as a lobbyist of President Paul Kagame and his government! Dear MP we the survivors of genocide, have right to Truth and reconciliation of all rwandans. We are not interested in the propaganda that Kagame has stopped genocide, if he stopped it that means that he is the mastermind of it. If MP Dikkers does not read more and various information about Rwanda, she has to keep quiet when it comes to rwandan matters.
The discussion within the dutch parliament is absurd as far as I am concerned. Any serious member of parliament cant just recommend aid cut without taking into consideration we the innocent citizens. This discussion as one sided as it is, now simply confirms the role the dutch govt or certain key figures plays in the works of the opposition based in the Netherlands.
Don't you see the pattern? Rwanda cannot continue to hold its citizens captive, in order to push forward its disruptive national and regional agenda. If Western countries start questioning Rwanda's policies and actions, it is their right, since it is their money they are investing. If we don't want ' western mengling', we should stop accepting all sorts of aid money...
If a usually very supportive country such as the Netherlands starts asking questions to its pal Rwanda, perhaps it is time for our officials to realise that they have crossed the line. No longer can the mismanagement of the country continue. Jailing and killing opposants on false claims, among others, can only be tolerated to a certain point. Even for Rwanda.
I dont think you got it well Kayitesi..what the Dutch goverment is reconsedering is the direct budget support to the rwandan goverment and not the aid that goes through
NGO to the innocent citizen. AND WE ALL SHOULD STOP BLAMING OTHERS FOR OUR GOVERNMENT WRONG DOINGS the oppostion key figures based in the Netherlands it S not an argument at all. The opposition key fugers are in RWANDA in PRISON of DEAD..
WHERE IS MUSHAYIDI?IN PRISON
WHERE IS RWISEREKA?, BEHEADED.
WHERE IS INGABIRE? IN PRISON
WHERE IS NTADANDA? IN PRISON
WHER IS NTAKIRUTINKA?IN PRISON.
EVEN HABINEZA WHO IS NOW IN SWEDEN TOLD THE BBC YESTURDAY THAT HE GOT INFORMATION THAT THE RWANDAN GOVERNMENT IS SPREADING LIES TO ALL AMBASSIES IN KIGALI THAT HE IS NOW WORKING WITH THOSE WHO WANT TO ATTACK RWANDA. IN OTHER WORDS THE RWANDAN GOVERNMENT IS PREPARING THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY FOR HIS ARREST!!!
JUST TELL KAGAME'S GOVERNMENT THAT HIS LIES AND PROPAGANDA DONT WORK ANYMORE LIKE HE SAID IT HIMSELF IN THIS VIDEO: Westerners no longer swallow my story, says Kagame
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoxLZrodVfY
MP Sjoera Dikkers (Labour Party) excuse ME?!! a HUTU AGENDA? THIS MP Hasn't BEEN DOING HER HOMEWORK on RWANDA LATELY otherwise I dont know how to put it!
What does "hutu" has to do with all THIS?
.Former Rwandan Envoy Calls for International Pressure on President Kagame
Former ambassador to the U.S. Theogene Rudasingwa(A TUTSI) says opposition leader Victoire Ingabire is a freedom fighter who should not be in jail
http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Butty-Rwanda-Bail-Denial-Reac...
.UN Report Accuses Rwandan Troops of Committing Genocide in the Congo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ71_8SYpwI
.Vague laws used to criminalise criticism of government in Rwanda - 30 August 2010
http://www.amnesty.org/en/africa/centralafrica/rwanda
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/un-report-into-congo...
.Rwanda and Syria join ranks of 10 worst countries for journalists, says RSF
http://www.ifex.org/international/2010/10/20/rsf_2010_index/
.Another Kagame aide reveals boss’ secret killing spots
http://www.newslineea.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2...
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