GITEGA September 1st (ABP) – Burundi Head of State Evariste Ndayishimiye criticized the unacceptable behavior of sugar wholesale traders who get supply from SOSUMO (Moso Sugar Company). They are bad citizens, he deplored, arguing that by speculating on the price rise or fraud, they are enriching themselves at the expense of the population. Worse still, he added, those traders want to turn the same population against him. Mr. Ndayishimiye promised zero tolerance against those lawless traders.
To traders who underestimate the gain on the sale, President Ndayishimiye advised to retract before the time to avoid exposing themselves to sanctions. He advised honest traders to denounce all those who tarnish their image. Due to the fact that the quantity produced by SOSUMO is insufficient, he suggested that the audience unite to build a sugar production cooperative. In this way, he explained, they will have given a helping hand to the Burundian State and, as a result, they will have demonstrated responsible citizenship.
For a parliamentarian present in that session, the bad sugar trade is the responsibility of provincial governors, the police and the intelligence services; hence, he asked President Ndayishimiye to invest in flushing out all the people who work against him. For more details, the same representative of the people indicated that fraud occurs on public roads, although guarded by the police. Likewise, he explained, the provincial governor knows the quantity of sugar supplied in his administrative entity and distributes it to the commune in conjunction with the police. Thus, President Ndayishimiye raised the tone to order provincial governors to effectively be his eye in their constituencies to establish good governance.