Rwanda elections 2024: Spare Kagame and blame RPF

Author: Gad Ntambara

• 2023-05-15 04:16:00

In August 2024, Rwandans will - for the first time - hold presidential and parliamentary elections at the same time.

Under the old electoral calendar, parliamentary elections were slated to take place in September 2023.

The reason for harmonizing the parliamentary and presidential election calendar was that it is cost effective, hence saving taxpayers’ money that can be put into other critical socio-economic development activities. Rwanda is well known for its frugality.

Today, the point of discussion though is not about the merger of presidential and parliamentary election, but rather how every time Rwanda is about to hold presidential elections, Western media start publishing recycled monolithic stories that one can recite even before reading the content.

The story titles run like this: Kagame changed the constitution to allow himself to serve a third term and could see him rule until 2034. How Kagame came to power until 2035. Kagame will run for a fourth term, potentially extending his tenure to become one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. Kagame is a dictator who has silenced his critics, killed some and exiled others. Paul Kagame is surfing on artificial popularity. Rwanda no longer needs a ‘strongman’ say Kagame opponents ahead of 2024 poll.

The list is endless.

Much as Rwanda has its own media outlets to talk about the life of the country, achievements and challenges, Western media assumes the role of being “the voice of the voiceless Rwandan people” because they claim Rwandans fear to talk about political issues lest their lives be in danger of being killed or sent to jail by a dictatorial government. Such are the narratives created in foreign capitals to tarnish the image of President Kagame.

There are probably three reasons, or more, why Western media does this.

The first one is to undermine Kagame’s great achievements including stopping of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi when the world abandoned Rwanda. Undermining Kagame’s achievements is primarily the work of genocide deniers and revisionists who are executing the last stage of genocide where those who stopped the genocide are turned into perpetrators. This category of genocide deniers and revisionists are not only genocide suspects being protected in Western capitals. It also includes foreigners working in the media, academics, researchers, non-governmental organizations like Human Rights Watch, Reporters without Borders, and more.

Secondly, Kagame haters point at Rwanda as a prison where people live in fear and under torture. This false narrative is created to influence foreign countries to stop cooperation and bilateral assistance programs with the country. When they talk about Rwanda’s achievements under Kagame, they simply mention them in passing, yet many African and world leaders are counting Kagame’s achievements with bewilderment wondering how he managed to turn around an almost failed state to one of the most well organized and fastest growing economies on the African continent.

The real story is that if Africa had many Kagame’s, the continent would be different.

Thirdly, Western media’s bad stories against Kagame are aimed at influencing Rwandans to turn against him with the ultimate agenda of causing a regime change. The hate agenda by foreign media has strengthened the bond between Rwandans and Kagame. They are happy for being blessed to have a pragmatic and transformational leader like Kagame. Rwanda is an African successful story of a people centered governance model, orderliness, checked corruption and employing home-grown solutions to overcome political and socioeconomic challenges.

Echoes of Kagame’s success in Rwanda are not only heard on a thousand hills. They spread beyond the horizon. Kagame is a Pan-African freedom fighter. He liberated Rwanda against a genocidal regime in 1994, and Rwanda is now helping to restore peace in other African countries.

In 2015, the constitutional change was through a referendum and there was nothing controversial. Kagame as an individual could not change the constitution unless Rwandans have been reduced to muppets, which is an insult. More than 3.7 million voters requested for the constitutional change as they could not let go of a rare President like Kagame. To suggest that Rwanda no longer needs a strongman is ironical as no country boasts of having a weak leader.     

During the RPF's 16^th Congress held in April, which also marked the 35^th Anniversary of the founding of RPF, leaders of opposition political parties were invited. They heard and saw how RPF has built a strong party in the last three and a half decades.

The idea that Kagame has been in power for a long time and therefore should retire when majority Rwandans still need him is against the principles of democracy.

In a multiparty democratic dispensation, there is no favor for the weaker parties. The game is about numbers.

As negative press continues to flow from Western capitals about Kagame and the 2024 elections, I would rather Kagame be spared and, instead, blame be put on the RPF for being stronger than opposition parties and not allow them to win.

Also, blame RPF voters who want to keep the same president for life.

Let Rwandans determine their destiny without external influence.  

When Western media attacks Kagame, just know that Rwanda is doing well.