As the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) Inkotanyi gears up for celebrations of its silver jubilee this month, questions remain on what has been the input of the other political parties that have been governing in a coalition with the ruling party over the past decade.

A huge fete to showcase the achievements of RPF Inkotanyi, which has been in power since 1994, has been planned to cap the silver jubilee celebrations – including a huge exhibition, dubbed the “Prosperity Expo”, and a mega concert – as the ruling party highlights the transformation it has ushered into Rwanda.

RPF is also set to unveil a book detailing all its achievements over the 18 years it has been in power.

But while RPF takes all the credit, what has been the role of the other parties that have been serving under a coalition with the ruling party since 2003?

While many may argue that there is little or nothing to show for the other parties, some of them, including the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the Liberal Party (PL), are actually laying claim to some achievements attributed to RPF.

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“The Silver Jubilee is for RPF and it is their right to celebrate it, but if we are to talk about the achievements of the government, it is on record that we have contributed to policy making, formulation and implementation, and our part cannot be undermined,” said Protais Mitali, a member of PL.

Mr Mitali, who is also the Minister of Sports and Culture, is of the view that while RPF could take all the praise, it does so as the ruling party but it cannot lay claim to all the achievements attributed to the current government – though it might prove difficult to draw a line between government and RPF achievements.

PSD, for example, claims that besides introducing several policies it has influenced big decisions at the national level, especially on Budget allocation, while some of the achievements seen today came out of its proposals dating way back to its 1991 manifesto.

A source within PSD who is privy to the inner workings of the party intimated to Rwanda Today that the first ever proposal to abolish the death penalty was part the PSD manifesto while some of the major infrastructure projects, especially roads linking different parts of the country, were conceived by the party.

PSD also claims that it has contributed 90 per cent of all the concepts of the Rwandan Constitution while the highly successful medical insurance scheme, known as Mutuelle de Sante, was one of the ideas born and adopted by the party.

The said parties had reached an agreement to govern with RPF when it took power in 1994 after stopping the genocide and toppling the then government, but it was not until 2003 that the alliance was formalised following a General Election.

By all standards, PSD and PL are the biggest parties in the coalition and they are the ones that claim a significant contribution to the current progress, having decided to rule with RPF rather than be in the opposition.

Record of contribution is clear

Indeed, each of the two parties partly claim to have touted the idea of power sharing, removing the 30 per cent quota for women representation in parliament, as well as raising the agriculture and health budget.

But, according to Mr Mitali, this should not put them at odds with RPF during these celebrations.

“We would only be concerned if there was an assessment of what the government has achieved since 1994 and we were not mentioned, because the record of our contribution is clear in the different ministries we have served in and also in parliament,” Mr Mitali said.

RPF vice-president Christophe Bazivamo however says that, as is the norm worldwide, a government’s performance is measured by the strength of the ruling party and any feats attributed to it.

“I cannot speak for the other parties but I think they also have a right to come out and tell Rwandans, ‘Look, this is what we have done.’ But, as the ruling party, we are accountable to the electorate since we were the ones chosen to lead the country,” Mr Bazivamo told Rwanda Today in a telephone interview.

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According to a reliable source, a proposal on the publication of a book chronicling RPF’s achievements ahead of the celebrations caused ripples in various ministries and the directorate as some party members questioned where the line would be drawn on the said RPF feats and the contribution of its partners.

However, both Mr Bazivamo and Mr Mitali denied any knowledge of such “friction”, maintaining that “all parties” knew where their lines stop.

“We are aware of what our contribution is but, unfortunately, this is not our silver jubilee,” Mr Mitali said, also denying allegations that the other parties were only in the coalition to ‘fill the numbers’. “The records of our contribution to nation-building are available.”

Mr Mitali added that ‘opposition’ does not necessarily mean being up in arms with the ruling party.

PSD and PL, which both fielded presidential candidates in the 2010 presidential elections, are seen as the other ‘bigger parties’ but are also dwarfed by the all-powerful RPF. The others are seen as merely being there to gather the crumbs.

Dr Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo, the flag bearer of PSD in the 2010 presidential poll, said: “Since 1994, we as a party have been crucial in contributing to the development of the country, introducing ideas from our agenda which have been vital for justice and reconciliation among other things.

“Through the different ministries and parliament, we have been able to influence policies at different levels. Our manifesto is clear and most of our proposals have been captured in the legal and policy frameworks.”

Other parties in the coalition include Party for Progress and Concord (PPC) of Alvera Mukabaramba, Social Party Imberakuri, led by Christine Mukabunane, and the Ideal Democratic Party (PDI), which is headed by the Minister of Internal Security, Musa Fazil Halerimana.