Opinion
5 reasons why Rwandans still need Kagame
Addressing
a press conference in Kigali on March 1, President Paul Kagame said that he
doesn’t know whether he will be a candidate during Rwanda’s 2024 presidential
elections.
“It
could be, may be it won’t be. Go home with 50-50,” he told a Mozambican
journalist.
This
answer attracted Rwandans attention on social media, many stating that they want
him on the ballot in the next presidential election because they still see him
as the right person to continue leading the country.
“We
can't let our President retire! Paul Kagame still has a lot to do and Rwandans
want him in power as long as possible,” said one Twitter user.
“Please
No! I beg him to leave that (50-50), and let the chances of being presidential
candidate be 100%,” said another.
By
and large, from the Rwandans’ viewpoint, here are five reasons why the nation still
needs him.
1.
Peace
and security is his top priority
From
1950s to 1994, Rwanda was an unstable country whose leaders promoted
discrimination and division among citizens.
President
Kagame who headed RPF Inkotanyi that stopped the 1994 genocide against the
Tutsi, led the post-genocide Rwanda and invested all his effort in bringing peace
and security in a devastated country.
He
helped establish a sense of belonging to many Rwandans who had completely lost
it.
He
removed ethnic categorization from identity cards, eradicated divisionism, established
national unity and reconciliation, healed the wounds of genocide, restored a
proper justice system, built strong and disciplined security forces, among
others. Rwandans are enjoying living in a safe and secure country.
Kagame
has even gone beyond Rwanda’s borders and provided military support in
countries like Mozambique, South Sudan and Central African Republic to restore
peace and security.
2.
Strongly
committed to Rwanda’s socio-economic transformation
Rwanda
has undergone an astounding transformation in two decades since President
Kagame took office in 2000.
He
inherited a country whose government and political institutions were broken, a
large segment of the population killed and the economy in total meltdown.
He managed
to change nation from a failed state to an exemplary African nation. A success
that can only be reached by few leaders in this world.
Life
expectancy improved from 49 years in 2000 to 69.6 years in 2022, poverty fell
from 77 per cent in 2001 to 55 per cent in 2017, maternal mortality ratio has
declined to 203 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 down from 1,071 in 2000
while under-five mortality dropped to 45 deaths per 1,000 in 2020 from 196
deaths in 2000.
Rwanda
has broken the mold of African dependency and embraced free market reforms that
has enabled average annual growth of 7 per cent since 2000, a fact UNESCO has
called “the Rwandan miracle.” But, it has not reached yet where it wants to be.
Rwanda aspires for middle income country status by 2035 and a high-income country
status by 2050.
President
Kagame is highly committed to investing in technology and innovation to improve
service delivery and accelerate economic transformation and development. Rwandans
need him to reach to these long term goals. He is a man of action.
3.
Zero
tolerance to corruption and irresponsibility
Kagame
is known for his fearless spirit and strong determination to zero tolerance
against corruption and ineptitude. Ministers, high level officials, government
staff and local leaders who committed corruption crimes, mismanagement of
public resources or professional malpractices have been publicly suspended and
some arrested and held accountable.
“Government
is not that political animal that is there to eat up the people but one that
serves the people,” said Kagame.
His
strong anti-corruption stance has contributed to developing the culture of
transparency and accountability among government officials. This paved the way
for Rwanda to be among the least corrupt countries worldwide and attracted foreign
investment.
The
2022 Corruption Perceptions Index of Transparency International ranked Rwanda
as the fourth least corrupt country in Africa.
4.
Gender
equality advocate
Fighting
gender inequality has been one of Kagame’s priorities since coming to power.
For Kagame,
gender equality is neither a favor nor something men should be thanked for, but
the right of women to play the role they want to play.
To
date, Rwanda is the world leader by having many females in parliament, 61.3 per
cent in the lower house, and 38.8 per cent in the Senate. In the cabinet, women
and men have equal representation. Many programs empowering girls and women
have been established in education, employment, and entrepreneurship, among
others.
Rwanda’s
stand is; the right policy frameworks, politics and legal reforms will assure
equal rights and opportunities for men and women.
Kagame
made Rwanda one of the most pro-women countries in the world. Women feel safe
and secure, motivated, empowered, free to do whatever they want without any
discrimination. They are protected from any gender based violence.
5.
Political
stability
Security,
rapid economic development, a reduction in poverty and mortality rates, access
to health care, equal opportunity for education, policies that empower women, and
others, would all not be possible in Rwanda if it was not for Kagame’s ability
to establish and maintain political stability.
Over
two decades now, Rwandans have been enjoying stability which helped them to
significantly improve their living standards. This is something they don’t want
to lose. They already experienced the dark history of the 1994 genocide against
the Tutsi.