Senator Tito Rutaremara (in charge of conduct and discipline in the Senate and one of the founders of the ruling RPF) told Isango star that effective leaders should be well informed about national policies so that they might fulfill them accordingly.
He said this as he was explaining issues regarding the recent resignations of senior officials such as PM and the President of the Senate. In his explanations, he specifically affirmed that the Dr Ntawukuriryayo Jean Damascene will be acting as an ordinary senator but will not be brought to justice.
The mistakes done by Dr Ntawukuriryayo were administrative not penal,therefore he will remain a senator, Tito Rutaremara said.
In the same showm, the journalist Lambert Usenga of the Makuruki.com was invited too.
Journalist Muvunyi asked which conducts and behaviors required for a member of the Senate specifically . To this, Tito responded that if one is set up as an official, he/she must be patriot, meaning loving Rwandans and the nation, Rwanda itself.
This goes together with the spirit of devotion to the work that benefits to all Rwandans, he said.
According to Rutaremara, being well informed about one’s job and attributions is another requirement for an honest official who serves the best interests of Rwandans.
He added that an effective leader must be keen to listen to citizens’ concerns, ready to learn from them and fully understand their daily challenges.
In addition to these characteristics, Senator Rutaremara said that such a good leader avoids being involved in any misbehaviors such as the adultery, alcohol abuse among other issues that are likely to compromise his, her exemplary conduct as an official.
Asked whether the members of the RPF fulfill these above mentioned characteristics, Tito responded that some of them have misbehaved and are no longer respecting the code of conduct regulating the RPF.
He, however, mentioned that the ones who misbehaved are kindly reprimanded and return back to order.
Sen Tito Rutaremara said that 90 per cent of the high officials behave effectively, adding that 10 per cent that remains does receive adequate advises as to return to the established code of conduct.
Tito Rutaremara revealed to journalists that the Senate has decided to remove the former President of the Senate due to his unwillingness to effectively cooperate with fellow senators.
Journalist Muvunyi asked whether Dr Ntawukuriryayo will remain in the Senate as an ordinary senator while he has been accused of power abuse, among others. Tito responded that Dr Ntawukuryayo will keep acting as an ordinary senator with no special capacity as President of Senate.
He will remain as an ordinary senator, he affirmed.
Asked about the contribution of media in shaping good leaders who are both responsible and accountable, Lambert Usenga responded that most of the news regarding behaviors of senior officials are provided by them and the most challenging issue, affecting media consumers, concerns the fact that officials involved in these cases are not given the space to explain the reality about the accusations.
Tito Rutaremara affirmed that in RPF, all of its members have equal rights to express their political ideas freely.
The RPF never chases its members. Any member who wants to exit the party is allowed to do so, but it never forces its members to exit, Sen Rutaremara told Isango.
Asked about the role of media in reporting these issues, Lambert Usenga responded that normally journalists report on issues after obtaining balanced views of both sides involved.
For him, such kinds of issues regarding the senior officials are hardly to be investigated as the concerned officials do not cooperate easily with media or the information might be highly sensitive to be published in media before the courts or concerned bodies reveal the truth about the issues.
Tito Rutaremara urged the journalists to increase their efforts in investigating sensitive issues so to hold the officials accountable. He, however, lauded the efforts already made, hoping that more positive outcomes will be observed in the future.
Listeners urged the RPF represented in the show by Sen Rutaremara to uphold officials accountable instead of changing their posts.
This show is supervised by the Institut Panos Grand Lacs and ARJ with the sponsorship of the Embassy of Netherlands and European Union. It takes place every Sunday from 2 to 3PM local time.
It is aired in different radio stations including Inkoramutima, Izuba, Ishingiro, Isango, among others.
The aim of the show is to increase the awareness of Rwandans about the current issues concerning both the national and international headlines that marked the whole week.
UM– USEKE.RW
