Constitution needs participation of all

Prime Minister Bernard Makuza has called on local leaders to play a role in sensitising and mobilising the population towards full participation in the ongoing constitution drafting process, the Rwandan News Agency (RNA) reported on Wednesday. Makuza stressed that for any policy to be effective, the legal and constitutional commission must collaborate with local administration. “It is your duty to explain to different categories of citizens on what the constitution is,” RNA reported Makuza as saying. “The supremacy of any constitution in the world hinges on whether it manifests the aspirations and consent of the people.” A training program will begin with representatives from local governments and provincial administrations. At a later stage, the commissioners in collaboration with the trained personnel in each province will, in turn, train members all districts, sub-districts and sectors. The legal and constitutional commission is comprised of twelve commissioners elected last year by the transitional national assembly to elaborate a new constitution and to review laws deemed to not be in conformity with that constitution.