Let hoopla not deter our relations with Rwandese

The going between Tanzania and Rwanda has not been cosy as it used to be before President Jakaya Kikwete’s attempt to counsel the neighbouring country.

President Kikwete advised Rwanda to consider going to the negotiation table with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) rebels for peace talks.

Alas, we have witnessed verbal attacks and misplaced interpretations of the advice between the sister countries since then. For instance, President Kikwete told the nation in good faith that our borders are secure and the government is determined to maintain the situation when addressing the Heroes Day.

The media, unfortunately including the local ones, construed it to target Rwanda and Malawi following their misunderstandings with Tanzania. The media took Mr Kikwete’s statement as a declaration that Tanzania was ready and capable of waging a full-fledged war against both countries if need arises.

While Mr Kikwete was still in his routine visit of Kagera, he ordered a clean-up of aliens in the region as well as in the neighbouring Geita and Kigoma regions.

The Rwandan media took the directive as Tanzania’s attempt to retaliate against Rwanda leader’s refusal to buy President Kikwete’s advice.

We learnt how Rwandans took issue with President Kikwete’s directive through the media. Some leaders in Rwanda implied that the repatriation of illegal immigrants targeted their country’s nationals living in Tanzania.

Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda striking a deal which singles out Mombasa as the landlocked country’s sole port rubbed salt into the wound. The local media implied that the move was  Rwanda’s attempt to punish Tanzania by isolating its strategic neighbour economically.

And the way some Rwandan media outlets are ridiculing President Kikwete has been getting on the nerves of many Tanzanians lately. The media outlets are quoting some of the Rwandan leaders as using a derogatory language against President Kikwete.

In fact, whatever any of the leaders of one of the two countries at loggerheads utters or does gets a different connotation altogether in another country.

Leaders, particularly those of Rwanda, cannot escape the blame for taking President Kikwete’s advice out of proportion. Their response to him was, in the first place, uncalled for.

If they were not contented with what the Tanzanian President had asked them to do, they could have ignored it.  Neither President Kikwete nor Tanzanians would have harboured a grudge for turning down an advice which attracts both affirmative action and a negative response as well.

Besides the leaders, equally to blame for inflaming the sour relations are the journalists and their media houses. The media stand is worsening instead of helping the situation, for some of the outlets fail to observe their gatekeeping role and carry politicians’ comments without gauging their implications.

The journalists and their media houses are committing this grave mistake in the backdrop of untold suffering their colleagues caused to innocent people elsewhere. And Rwanda is a living example of irresponsible journalism in fanning the 1994 genocide. 

Whatever stance one takes in this war of words, Rwanda and Tanzania still need one another.  Being a land locked country; Rwanda needs an outlet to the sea just as Tanzania needs someone to provide with the port services to.

Journalists and politicians will be deceiving themselves to think they will be immune once the verbal fire flares up. If they will not be among the victims themselves, their close relatives will be.