;)
A Time to Heal
The acceptance of Rwanda into the Commonwealth is a topic that I must admit being personally attached to, as I have a few friends from Rwanda and also Burundi. I have a few friends from the Congo as well. In my discussions with them about the atrocities that took place in the region it is evident that it is a very painful topic for all. The whole region harbours the pain of countless number of lives lost, from all groups. After such a harrowing experience what is obvious is that all have come to realize that at the end of the day a life is a life whether it is Hutu or Tutsi or Batwa.
It turns my stomach when I hear that some feel that Rwanda should not be allowed into the Commonwealth because of their history. By their reasoning Belgium should not be allowed into the European Union for their involvement in nurturing the situation that precipitated the problem and by such same reasoning, Germany one might argue should not have been welcomed back into NATO after the terrible war.
Here is a quintessential example of a situation where dominant States have created problems within autonomous countries for their own selfish benefit. Woven into the tapestry of Rwandans lives is a colonial history that is replete with colonial wrongdoings and the negative results continue to reverberate as time passes. To ensure that they maintained political control of the region he Belgians essentially pitted one group against another by throwing their political power from one group to the next.
The acceptance of Rwanda into the Commonwealth should be an easy decision and they should whole heartedly be welcomed into the fray. Opposition to their entry point to human rights atrocities as reason for denying this struggling State entry. Providing that they are correct and Rwanda has a way to go in fostering democratic principles and human rights in their tiny nation, then I would propose that they be given at least conditional acceptance and aided in fostering and entrenching these desired attributes throughout their civil society. Exclusion can in no way be helpful in this instance as it would be better to have positive reinforcement and reward the fledgling democracy for the strides that has been made in addressing such a terrible genocide, rather than punishing them for the past.
Would the commonwealth not be better positioned to help Rwanda by acknowledging them as a partner rather than chastising and excluding a nation that is struggling to let go of the past. Where was the world community when all these atrocities were taking place, no one rushed to their aid then but it pains me to realize there are those who are ready to exclude them from a grouping that could possible help them foster future development, push their past into memory and foster a new legacy, of inclusion and human rights.
Finally the word commonwealth connate an idea of a unified destiny, as it stands there are the well to dos and the struggling in this group. Let not the well to dos appear to be collaborating to exclude a struggling State. One would assume they would have a mandate of inclusion and do all in their powers to help the struggling countries in the group achieve self sufficiency and to also help developing States with identical colonial histories such as Mozambique which are interested in joining the Commonwealth because they want to grow. Those States who are seeking better for their people such as Rwanda should be aided in their goals.
We are in a position to share knowledge skills and show empathy to Rwanda and help them through an outstretched hand to achieve a stable democratic and human rights track record. Rwanda can know that there are States with people of African descent that have been able to achieve stability and foster democratic and human rights principles. Rwanda provides us an opportunity to reengage Africa, willingly and openly.
It turns my stomach when I hear that some feel that Rwanda should not be allowed into the Commonwealth because of their history. By their reasoning Belgium should not be allowed into the European Union for their involvement in nurturing the situation that precipitated the problem and by such same reasoning, Germany one might argue should not have been welcomed back into NATO after the terrible war.
Here is a quintessential example of a situation where dominant States have created problems within autonomous countries for their own selfish benefit. Woven into the tapestry of Rwandans lives is a colonial history that is replete with colonial wrongdoings and the negative results continue to reverberate as time passes. To ensure that they maintained political control of the region he Belgians essentially pitted one group against another by throwing their political power from one group to the next.
The acceptance of Rwanda into the Commonwealth should be an easy decision and they should whole heartedly be welcomed into the fray. Opposition to their entry point to human rights atrocities as reason for denying this struggling State entry. Providing that they are correct and Rwanda has a way to go in fostering democratic principles and human rights in their tiny nation, then I would propose that they be given at least conditional acceptance and aided in fostering and entrenching these desired attributes throughout their civil society. Exclusion can in no way be helpful in this instance as it would be better to have positive reinforcement and reward the fledgling democracy for the strides that has been made in addressing such a terrible genocide, rather than punishing them for the past.
Would the commonwealth not be better positioned to help Rwanda by acknowledging them as a partner rather than chastising and excluding a nation that is struggling to let go of the past. Where was the world community when all these atrocities were taking place, no one rushed to their aid then but it pains me to realize there are those who are ready to exclude them from a grouping that could possible help them foster future development, push their past into memory and foster a new legacy, of inclusion and human rights.
Finally the word commonwealth connate an idea of a unified destiny, as it stands there are the well to dos and the struggling in this group. Let not the well to dos appear to be collaborating to exclude a struggling State. One would assume they would have a mandate of inclusion and do all in their powers to help the struggling countries in the group achieve self sufficiency and to also help developing States with identical colonial histories such as Mozambique which are interested in joining the Commonwealth because they want to grow. Those States who are seeking better for their people such as Rwanda should be aided in their goals.
We are in a position to share knowledge skills and show empathy to Rwanda and help them through an outstretched hand to achieve a stable democratic and human rights track record. Rwanda can know that there are States with people of African descent that have been able to achieve stability and foster democratic and human rights principles. Rwanda provides us an opportunity to reengage Africa, willingly and openly.
posted by Garry at
4:46 AM
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