New Press Law in Rwanda

Journalists in Rwanda manipulating government cry for capacity building BY GEORGE KAGAME The turn recent turn of events Rwanda’s media industry have had the new minister of Information begin her reign in dramatic fashion. First, there was the theatrical dismissal of three “independent’ journalists from a ceremony in Kigali Serena hotel. That incident coupled with the recent tabling of the new Press Law in Parliament left “our sister’ the information minister Louise Mushikiwabo answering embarrassing questions with even more embarrassing responses. ‘Independent journalists’ have been quick to milk sympathy from the two incidents while Mushikiwabo is busy dealing with the equivalent of a “baptism of fire” in her debut at the ministry of information. ’International’ concern about the Rwandan media has come from as far as New York and Paris. For a fact the Committee to Protect Journalists-CPJ has written to the President expressing their anger at Mushikiwabo’s action at Serena and a new press law, which to their credit, pointed out how the new press law would keep away well meaning professionals from beginning new enterprises in Rwanda’s media industry. In the public relations hogwash that has followed these two, the Rwandan government-as usual has been perceived as behaving like monster at times when criticized by the press. Even administrative decisions at pro government media houses have been interpreted as attacks on the Rwandan media.
The minister's actions at the Serena event have been interpreted as one of several measures the government has adopted in its ongoing campaign against journalists and this time round, the government is intimidating the press in while it prepares to cheat the September parliamentary elections. None of the independent journalists is known to be researching about or even writing speculatively about elections.
Rwanda’s so called ‘independent media’ are in fact an embarrassment to Rwandan journalism, they are opportunists, sadists. To avoid sounding like a government gong, I formed these opinions long before I got a job with The New Times. Many journalists that have touted themselves as heroes of Rwandan journalism based on three personal clashes with three of them, their actions are responsible for the ridicule which main stream media practitioneers are perceived by the private sector, government and other professionals in Rwanda. The government’s continued patroninzing attitude towards the press, by political talk and meager pay, even to well meaning journalists has ensured the media in the country are not taken seriously, one private media investor in the country is quoted to have said; “we don’t have journalists in the country, we have boys who dropped out of school.” Private sector is the real enemy of journalism in Rwanda, not government. While the private media investors claim they do not have advertisement, the principles of these investors are questionable. Many do not pay their employees on time, and even the ones that do, monthly salaries are barely enough for some Rwandan journalists, they have to share a house. Yet as ordinary decent Rwandan reporters hustle on the streets looking for the next news story, opportunists in plush offices exploit the industry to which many young vibrant Rwandans are dedicated. And should government be repressive in its dealings with the media, some of the journalists that have touted themselves as heroes do not have moral authority to question government. Suffice it to say, that the government itself is faced with the unresolved closure of The Weekly Post, it could easily be argued that governmnet forfeited its moral authority to voice its desire to help the development of the media. However I will tell my own personal experience with two of the founding fathers of The Weekly Post, not as my opinion about the closure of the Weekly Post but the to give a very brief insight that even the self proclaimed ‘independent journalists’ do not have the moral authority to question government. Manfred Natamba (not his real name) was my senior at The New Times late 2006, one Monday morning when I had just reported to office, he looked in my direction once and said; “Kagame, were you born in a refugee camp?”, I replied in the negative, he continued, “everyone here seems to have been born in a refugee camp.” The statement could imply so many things in the circumstances but what made it more embarrassing is the fact that Natamba was not known to be a person of jokes.

Natamba later went on to stage the most dramatic resignation episode I have ever seen in my working life and I was looking for my ninth job at the time! Natamba went on to help found The Weekly Post, and its closure fuelled an already burning grudge against senior mangers at The New Times.
In the same month another incident happened at the same workplace in the same setting. It was a bright Sunday morning. Allan Karuhanga the architect of the incident also was among the founding fathers of The Weekly Post. He showed the worst expressed the worst possible scene of pure selfishness and humiliation to the RPF. Looking at a copy of The New Times on my desk which had a front page photo of the burial ceremony and inset the face of former RPF leader Colonel Alex Kanyarengwe, Allan Karuhanga (not his real name) said; “look at these ones, they fought for the country and right now, we are the ones enjoying the benefits.” AK was referring to a front page picture of the Rwanda Patriotic Army/ Front late Colonel Alex Kanyarwengwe. AK has since gone on to manipulate the international community after his detention at an airport in a European country last year. Immediately Karuhanga was detained he claimed that he was running away from government intimidation and brutal force against ‘independent journalists’.

He used this thread of information to willing listeners who offered him asylum in that European country. To date, AK masquerades around especially in the European country as a hero of Rwandan journalism. It’s a shame! The third is very humiliating and it involves a senior reporter at one of the leading independent newspapers in the country. To cut it short, the reporter demanded a ransom from an American executive with an NGO with threats of publishing a ‘big’ blackmail story that involved another executive at the NGO. The bargaining chip was a four page supplement in the independent newspaper, which has been reported in the international media as very popular. The incident happened early last year. The above individuals in one way or another have influenced how Rwandan society, government and even international community perceive the media in Rwanda. The government, as by extension President Paul Kagame has been depicted as the ultimate bully with ‘PK’ as the dictator on top, the principles of the journalists goes without question, ‘international experts’ camouflage it in capacity development terms. In their judgment, Kagame and his government will not tolerate criticism and will use the crudest measures possible to eliminate the independent press, who like to see themselves as the de facto opposition. They go on to suggest that even some of the officials in the government itself don’t have the independence to express themselves.
Such attitudes are fuelled further by programmes broadcast in international media vernacular versions of BBC and other leading satellite stations. Irrespective of the topics for discussion; every early morning edition of BBC’s "Imvo N'Imvano." is like a page lifted from the parliamentary report on genocide ideology across Rwandan junior education institutions, the nature of statements used during this shoe which broadcasts the entire Great Lakes Region is filled with such accusations against politicians but the arguments take Tutsi Hutu counter accusations. The journalists that work for the Kinyarwanda and Kirundi services of the BBC and VOA in the pursuit of careers or money could be used by western interests in regard to regional politics are possibly ignoring h weight of their continued branding of Rwandans as Tutsi or Hutu, but they surely are promoting the western held beliefs about those two identities. It is with such current perceptions of the media that the Rwandan government will set forth a new press law, which will not go much further in developing a vibrant media in the country as the RPF promised us in 2003. Addressing journalists last week, Bernadette Kanzayire the chairperson of the political committee said government was set to introduce a new press law, the law, she said would reform the media industry and lead to a more professional environment in the field. “The government will set up a school of journalism to ensure that all media practitioners acquire the relevant qualifications, she added that government would set three years as an ultimatum for Rwandan journalists to acquire those qualifications. The issue of qualifications is a question with no scientific proof, the newsroom in which I work, it has never been a problem, and many of the journalists I work with have qualifications that can embarrass the honourable MP and her colleagues. Government measures to keep unscrupulous journalists out of the profession will injure even well meaning career journalists, and investors thereby sabotaging itself in the drive to create a vibrant private sector. Financial and academic restrictions will ensure that the status quo and the filth will go on. Notes in the New Press Law Fixed minimum start-up capital for people seeking to start media house;
For radio station the minimum required capital is Frw50 million, for a television station Frw100 million and for print media, the proposal is Frw6 million.