As Rwanda’s ruling party, the Rwandese Patriotic Front-Inkotanyi, led by President Paul Kagame, prepares to celebrate 25 years of existence and 18 years in power, opposition parties are complaining of having been left out of the cold. 

Although December 15 will mark the official Silver Jubilee of the ruling party, a fortnight ago, the party kicked off activities at the grass roots to mark the occasion. 

According to Frank Habineza, the head of the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, the RPF lacks real opposition, with minor parties choosing to be allies in a coalition, with the balance of power in favour of the RPF.

“There is no recognised opposition inside the country. All opposition voices are outside the country, therefore, RPF is only playing with its allies. The field is not level at all, since RPF dominates the political field,” Mr Habineza, who is in self-exile in Sweden, told Rwanda Today.

When asked what plans opposition groups have to challenge for power, Mr Habineza, who is planning to return home next month said that he intends to register his party upon return and be the “other voice.”

READ: Green Party leader Frank Habineza to end self-exile

Mr Habineza fled the country in August, 2010, after claiming that his life was in danger following the death of his vice-president, Andre Kagwa Rwisereka, ahead of the 2010 presidential election.

Mr Habineza says he is ready to return home at the beginning of September and popularise the Democratic Green Party ahead of its third anniversary.

“The opposition Democratic Green Party of Rwanda will strive to be the alternative voice for Rwandans. If we succeed in getting registered, we will provide alternative policies and compete for political power using peaceful means,” Mr Habineza said.

Launched in August 2009, the Democratic Green Party describes itself as an opposition and alternative party to the ruling RPF but its efforts to get registered and take part in the 2010 presidential elections were marred by confusion and infighting.

However, Senator Tito Rutaremara, one of the founding members of RPF-Inkotanyi says that the ruling party is not to blame for the lack of a vibrant opposition but rather opposition groups should blame themselves for failing to mobilise Rwandans.

“We have been building this party for 25 years, it is not a short time. We have been mobilising Rwandans all that time, maybe they should also be patient and go down to the people and build a foundation,” the ageing politician said in an interview with Rwanda Today.

For now, Mr Rutaremara believes RPF is the only party positioned to lead the country because it has policies which Rwandans agree with such as development, unity and reconciliation, all of which the party has delivered and remains on track to improve.

Despite being an opposition figure, Mr Habineza of the Green Party agrees that the RPF has done well but it is time more parties are allowed to participate in deciding the future of the country.

“There is no doubt that RPF has brought peace and stability in a post-genocide country. There is also visible economic progress, though our party believes that in order to have sustainable development, democracy should go hand-in-hand with economic development,” Mr Habineza said.

But as the ruling RPF maintains a stranglehold on power, questions linger on whether it can survive once President Kagame retires.

To some, the party thrives on the image of Kagame, whose larger than life personality embodies the image of the party. However, Senator Rutaremara does not believe so.

“A party is not about individuals or one man, because President Kagame alone cannot be a party. There is no doubt his leadership skills are overwhelming but that does not mean that there are no other individuals who can replace him after he retires,” he argued.

“Of course you will not find many of his type, but you cannot say there are not two or three people to replace the party chairman when he retires. As we progress, more people will emerge as potential leaders of the party,” Senator Rutaremara insisted.

President Kagame has hinted at not seeking another term come 2017, when his current seven-year term expires, but the party has remained tight-lipped on who could be potential candidates to replace him.

Concerns have also emerged over the ageing crop of founding members 25 years later but according to Senator Rutaremara, the party is implementing a youth policy which is nurturing “new cadres” from the youth to take over when the elders retire.

“In our party statute, we have addressed the issue of transition by ensuring that at all levels of party leadership, 30 per cent is made of up of youth who constitute a new generation of cadres,” Mr Rutaremara says.

He also maintains that major defections, including those of prominent members like Lt Gen Kayumba Nyamwasa and Col Patrick Karegeya have not shaken the party at all.

“Parties worldwide are not built on individuals. Those who defected are the ones who diverted from the main objectives of the party. There had short term aims which they failed to achieve, so they opted out. But that does not in any way affect the objectives and long term plans of the bigger party,” Mr Rutaremara says.

At the national level, the activities were kicked off in the Northern Province district of Gakenke. The preparations were flagged off by the vice chairman of Rwandese Patriotic Front-Inkotanyi, Christopher Bazivamo.

Cows draped in RPF colours were given to 38 needy families in Gakenke while party members “dished” out cheques to support development projects. The youth were encouraged to start income generating projects which will be funded by the government.

“The Silver Jubilee is for us to reflect on the past and assess why RPF was born, what it has delivered to Rwandans in terms of development, unity and reconciliation, good governance and the fight against corruption,” said Mr Bazivamo.

He reminded the residents of Gakenke that the district was one of the remotest and neglected in the country but under the RPF government it has been transformed into an agricultural and economic hub.

Also on the same day, the party gave out 56 goats, 48 pigs, 200 sheep and 56 mattresses to needy families. Party members also took part in Umuganda and made terraces to stop soil erosion and also took part in the construction of classrooms for 12 Year Basic Education in Nemba Sector.

At the same time, preparation activities were launched countrywide by party members. In Kicukiro, the events were led by Protais Musoni, the Cabinet Affairs Minister who is also one of the founding members of RPF.

Mr Musoni says that having transformed the country from a state of poverty built on ethnicity, by channelling it towards development and unity, RPF has what it takes to consolidate its position for the next 100 years.

“Twent-five years ago, Rwanda was a poorly-governed country mired in abject poverty, the citizens were divided along ethnic lines, people had been denied their basic rights, the country commanded no respect at the international level, and the RPF has changed all that,” Mr Musoni says.

Recently, during the National Executive Committee meeting, President Kagame reminded senior cadres that RPF remains strong on its values and the principles it was built on, one of which is defending the dignity of Rwanda and its citizens.

Revealing no details, the party’s secretary-general Francois Ngarambe told Rwanda Today that the president will unveil the roadmap for the party to consolidate itself “when the right time comes.”

The RPF seeks to affirm its position in the country as the country faces fresh allegations of involvement in the war in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, which has left the government on shaky ground, with several donors threatening to withhold aid following a damning report by the UN Group of Experts.

Irked by the donor’s decision, the RPF is now spearheading efforts to generate a “fall-back position” for the country,  with President Kagame reminding party members that the decisions by donors based on the “false” allegations were made in an attempt to punish the country.

President Kagame told the RPF cadres that at 25 years, the party may still be in its infancy, however, its achievements and goals show that it has come from far and still has a long way to go. Thus, it should not allow Rwanda and its people to be “arm twisted” by the international community.