Despite the West’s criticism that Rwandan President Paul Kagame has been in power for long, Rwandans want him to run for another term.

President Kagame transformed post-genocide Rwanda from a failed state to one of the world’s success stories, an achievement many leaders refer to as a miracle

After the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Kagame managed to restore hope. Security has been on top of his leadership’s agenda, which made it possible for Rwanda to become one of the fastest growing economies on the African continent.

By relying on homegrown solutions, sectors including tourism, agriculture, education, health, industry and service are improving year by year.

Ruining Rwanda’s democracy? This ‘criticism’ is totally illogical. Kagame is not ruining democracy in his country, since his stay in office is Rwandans’ choice.

Originated from the Greek words "demos" meaning people and "kratos" meaning power; democracy can be thought of as "power of the people”. It is a way of governing which depends on the will of the people. President Kagame is leading because of the will of his people.

Rwandans believe that Kagame is a transformational leader who is capable of leading them to their dreams of a better life, with Rwanda now aspiring to middle income country status by 2035 and high-income country status by 2050.

What anti-Kagame critics ignore, is that democracy is not a one size fits all.

Rwanda as well as every country has the right to choose a democratic system that suits its own national conditions. History has proven that it is not possible for Rwanda to copy the political system of other countries.

The east African country opted for a consensual democracy where there is a quest for solutions through dialogue and consent, to avoid confrontations and disorder as witnessed in other countries.

This aims at fixing historical mistakes partly attributable to the confrontational approach to politics. The imperative for this was the cost that Rwandans paid for it, with more than a million people killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

The Rwandan Constitution provides for power sharing and recognizes a multiparty system.

The Global North seems to have self-proclaimed itself as a teacher of democracy for the rest of the world, but theirs is only arrogance and bullying.

“Sorry to the West, but what these countries think of us is not our responsibility. The West dictating to others what they should do, but if they violate their own principles, how can we listen to them? Trying to transplant democracy is already a violation of democracy itself,” Kagame told Jeune Afrique in early September.

“People are supposed to be independent and should be allowed to organise themselves as they wish.”

The West’s criticisms towards Kagame are only favoring their colonial mindset, wishing Africans to depend on their way of ‘reasoning’.

Rwandans are not there to satisfy the wishes of foreigners. Rwandans deserve better, and have to depend on themselves.

Who else knows what is good for Rwandans except themselves?