BUJUMBURA July 5th (ABP) – On the eve of the celebration of the 61st anniversary of the independence of Burundi, the President of the Republic of Burundi Evariste Ndayishimiye delivered, in Gitega, a message to the nation under the theme “Altogether, raise the country’s economy to achieve effective independence”.
In that message, the Head of State expressed his thanks to God who put an end to the colonial period, while recalling that the colonial power did not promote freedom of expression for the people Burundi.
He did not fail to thank our forebears who were martyrs of independence, in particular Prince Louis Rwagasore, who fought harder for the independence of Burundi.
President Ndayishimiye specified that Burundi before colonization was a peaceful and prosperous country, without ethnic and regional divisions, with full respect for human rights and good governance.
From the minerals, he said, Burundians were able to manufacture various materials necessary for the development of the country. He cited hoes, spears and axes, in particular. With colonization, he regretted, everything was destroyed because the colonizers sowed divisions, and the industries of Burundians were overturned by those of whites. Burundians have lost the courage to continue their industrial activities, even the small object is not produced, the Head of State deplored.
According to the Head of State, the celebration of independence is an opportunity for Burundian citizens to pull themselves together, to show that they are capable and autonomous. For this reason, he invited the people of Burundi to become aware of the aforementioned theme, by increasing production, each in their function, and fighting against poverty. He also invited them to go about development projects to have something to eat, which will allow Burundians to live together peacefully, explaining that most conflicts are linked to poverty. The fact of being autonomous will also make it possible not to wait for aid from outside the country and to achieve effective independence.
The Burundian number one asked the people of Burundi, including young people, private individuals, religious denominations, civil society and others, to love their homeland, keep peace and tighten security of the country, harness the natural heritage, create industries to fight against poverty and have what to export in order to raise the economy of families and that of the country.
The President of the Republic also asked foreigners to bring their capital to invest in Burundi, explaining that the latter is full of potentials and that the peace and security that reign there, favor investments.
He further urged Burundians to work together in their development projects by teaming up in cooperatives or associations, arguing that unity is strength. Burundians are also asked to safeguard the public treasury, while avoiding economic embezzlement and corruption, and taking care of public infrastructure.
Burundians are called on to have the culture of keeping their money in the banks so that those who have development projects can use this money for the development of the country. Keeping the money in the house is a loss for the country, the President of the Republic of Burundi underlined.