EngRegional
Consensual democracy: The uniqueness of Rwanda’s politics
Rwandans are set to go to the polls to elect the president and members of Parliament on July 15. This will be the first time in post genocide Rwanda that the presidential and legislative elections are held on the same day.
Twenty-four women parliamentarians, two youth representatives, and one representative of people with disabilities will also be chosen by electoral colleges and committees on July 16.
Foreign political 'experts' and Western media tend to claim that in Rwanda, there is no political space for the opposition to thrive. They also consider the political atmosphere as being not vibrant.
Rwanda has 11 registered political parties that are all represented during elections. But some Westerners claim that there is no political space, yet Rwanda has more political parties than the US and UK combined. The motive behind this Western narrative is to tarnish the image of Rwanda.
Secondly, what the West calls lack of vibrancy, is the absence of confrontational politics. Some say that because there are no fights among political organizations especially during election and in parliamentary proceedings, then it is an indication that Rwanda’s political space lacks freedom and is, therefore, boring.
Every independent country has the liberty to choose the nature of politics that creates peace, unity and stability, without cloning Western models.
A country like Rwanda is judged to lack ‘good politics’ simply because it does not play by the Western political rule book, but following what is beneficial for the people of Rwanda. A Home grown political model based on the history, contextual realities and aspiration of the people, is what makes Rwanda succeed where others failed.
Rwanda is one of the few countries in Africa where all people share the same culture, speak one language and share the same clans. Anthropologists point out that such homogeneity is a strong pillar of unity and social cohesion.
Social cohesion and unity prevailed among Rwandans in the pre-colonial period. The Belgians, who colonized Rwanda from 1914-1962, used a divide and rule policy to dismantle the unity of Rwandans.
Rwanda was plunged into divisive politics and killings orchestrated by Belgian colonialists at a time Rwandans were agitating for independence. The confrontational political ground was prepared in 1933, when ethnic identity cards that classified Rwandan people as Hutu, Twa and Tutsi, based on physical features like the size of the nose and height, were introduced. This classification formed the genesis of the mass killings of the Tutsi in 1959, and the Genocide against the Tutsi in 1994.
With the prevalent legacy of genocide ideology, and its architects still spread all over the world, post-genocide Rwanda chose to guard against a repeat of the past, and ensure inclusivity to enable unity of all Rwandans, reconciliation, sustainable peace and development.
After consultations, Rwandans from all walks of life, including politicians and civil society members mainly through the 1998–1999 “Urugwiro debates” unanimously agreed to subscribe to consensual democracy as an alternative to confrontational politics, which had sunk the country into the Genocide against the Tutsi.
The National Consultative Forum for Political Organizations (NFPO) was established with the idea of promoting permanent consultative mechanisms among political parties and organizations.
Consultations among political actor is democratic and safeguards against major contradictions that result into confrontation and violence.
The NFPO works as a platform where political organizations recognized in Rwanda meet and discuss the country’s problems and national policies, with an aim of consensus building and national cohesion.
The aim is to avoid past mistakes and build a better Rwanda. Through the NFPO, political actors discuss national policies; agree on a minimum agenda where national security and unity cannot be compromised. Again, all political actors must individually and collectively fight against genocide ideology and all its vices.
There is no political model or democracy that is universal. When Rwanda develops its own model that brings peace and harmony, it should not be condemned for not subscribing to the Western ‘political rule book.’
When outsiders try to judge Rwanda, they should understand that the country went through a turbulent past, different from any other in the world. The model of democracy and politics that Rwandans want should be left to them to decide.
During elections, Rwandans are usually in a celebration mood, different from what happens in other countries where there is fear and panic in anticipation of electoral violence.
Another mistake that foreigners make, while judging Rwanda, is the assumption that all African countries should act and behave the same way when it comes to political matters.
Rwandans chose to put the turbulent past behind and build a prosperous, united and peaceful country. That is the reason why there is no confrontation among political parties during political campaigns and elections, which is at odd with many other countries.
When Rwandans go to polls on July 15, the world should expect peaceful elections as Rwandans have made it a culture in the last three decades. The nation chose to guard its political stability since the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi by shunning the politics of divisionism and exclusion.
