The PARCEM organization, which focuses on activities aimed at changing the public’s perception, has asked President Evariste Ndayishimiye to solve the problems facing Burundi instead of leaving them to God.
President Ndayishimiye, who has been in power in Burundi since June 2020, has often said that God loves his country and that he will guide it on its journey of development and solve its problems.
This seems to be the line that the ruling CNDD-FDD party is following, because Pierre Nkurunziza, who has led this country since 2005, often expressed that God loves Burundi more than other countries and entrusted its problems to it.
The leader of PARCEM, Faustin Ndikumana, reminded President Ndayishimiye that Burundians elected him to solve the problems facing them, so saying that God will solve them is unfounded.
He said, “Refuge in the things of God, ‘God will bring us the answer, He loves Burundi’, God loves all countries. They elected you to find answers to the problems of Burundians, they did not make it difficult. We did not elect you to ask God to do it for you. God gave us all wisdom, and He gave it to you, He is watching what you will do with it.”
Ndikumana pointed out that Burundi is facing various development challenges, and that this is evidenced by signs that include neglected basic infrastructure, while leaders build apartments and buy expensive cars.
He said, "You see a country where the leadership is consumed by embezzlement, you will see tall buildings for leaders and nice V8 cars, if you go to the national infrastructure, look at the lights, water, roads, bridges, government buildings, universities, old offices, and you see old cars, V8s passing by, apartments, plots..."
On October 23, President Ndayishimiye announced to the population that the problem of the shortage of petroleum products that had been going on for many years had been resolved, ordering station owners to go and buy it from the national company responsible for it, SOPEBU.
At that time, he said, "The fuel has been found, it is full. Tell the people at the stations to take the fuel, saying, 'I have no money'. Tell the person who built the station that he has no money. Because they had turned it into a business of theft, now they are sad."
Ndikumana pointed out that although Ndayishimiye says that "the fuel is full", it appears that the supply is not enough because vehicle owners are still required to take turns at the stations based on their numbers.
He said, “That tank is full, and we go back to the plates for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, where is it? My car only fills up on Friday, Thursday… The tank is full, no, it’s empty!”
Since last year, President Ndayishimiye has said that Burundi has abundant mineral deposits, and that if it starts mining them, it will join the list of rich countries, which will also provide support.
Last month, the Head of State sent two batches of more than 400 tons of mineral deposits, explaining that the money that will be generated will solve the problem of the lack of dollars in Burundi and other problems, including oil products.
Ndikumana pointed out that if President Ndayishimiye was telling the truth, he should disclose the money these precious stones brought in and the problems they are going to solve, otherwise, it would be no different from previous years, where all the money brought in by these assets disappeared.
He said, "So, the precious stones are not always moving? After all, it is not a rumor. We are looking at the results that will come. Give us the precious stones."
The Burundian government had planned that precious stones would bring the country 26 billion Fbu last year. However, an audit conducted revealed that not a single coin entered the national treasury.
