Rwanda 2017: You simply do not change a winning team

As 2017 approaches and the debate regarding presidential term limits advances both within and outside Rwanda, I feel I should add to this ongoing conversation by focusing particularly on one important question; why would anyone wish to change a winning team that has been tried, tested and in many ways triumphed? In many ways, although the structure of this question may give away my position on the matter at hand, I intend to justify why I do not think that it is wise to change a winning team. Likewise, in doing so, I hope I will have made the case that we should not surrender the right to retain President Kagame simply because the current provision of the constitution on term limits dictates that we must remain so blind as to voluntarily resign the right to keep the leadership we trust to take us to where we ought to be. As a public policy professional, one way I have been trained is to always consider alternative options before recommending the most appropriate of them to remedy an existing problem. In line with this thinking, I became a big believer that no leader is irreplaceable until President Kagame came into the equation. From various angles, a lot has been said and written about President Paul Kagame. In fact, the Rwandan leader has been described as an entrepreneurial president - one who runs Rwanda like an enterprise with the objective to achieve what is best for shareholders (read Rwandans). How does he do it? In part, the explanation is that he is exceptional at holding his lieutenants accountable for their departments’ actions, and does not hesitate to bring to book and/or sideline those who fall short of expectations. The other part of the explanation is that he is quite simply a natural born leader whose qualities have been likened to a visionary (by Tony Blair), an innovator, and as one of the greatest leaders of our time (by Bill Clinton). Likewise, at home, scores of Rwandans continue to praise him for the conviction he displayed in the 1990s and in later years when, as a military leader, he revived a liberation war that was all but failed. Say what you will, truth is, when you put all these attributes together, it is easy to see why under his leadership Rwanda has registered several milestones. Led by a winning team, independent institutions such as the World Bank have confirmed that up until 2012, Rwanda’s annual growth rates averaged over 8 per cent – a factor that played a critical role in elevating over 1 million people out of poverty. Health services, education, and gender equality are achievements that most Rwandans will take for granted, but regional neighbours still struggle to achieve. Likewise, unlike similarly situated countries, Rwanda has evolved to become a nation notable for its security thanks to its disciplined and reliable security forces that have kept at bay any potential insurgency groups. Similarly, the provision of law and order are some of the traits that many of our visitors will happily play an ambassadorial for. In the same way, investors who are considered to be unbiased assessors of stability, continue to assert their confidence in Rwanda’s future by investing in various long term projects. This in part is thanks to private and public sector reforms which have positioned Rwanda as an ideal destination for investment, not to mention the low levels of corruption. As can be seen, the debate regarding presidential term limits in Rwanda has only just started. Some will argue that we must not change our constitution because it is a sacred document that holds us together and facilitates the execution of our values. This is true and I believe that too. But, I equally believe that left as rigid as they are, term limits have the potential to limit the choice of the polity to retain a leader who has proven time and again that he is capable of delivering results – which is by all means what most Rwandans want after being at the bottom of the totem pole for far too long. President Kagame is a leader not just of Rwanda; he is the mastermind of the country’s rebirth who is also capable of positioning Rwanda to succeed against ongoing challenges such as our trade deficit, energy and water shortages. With all this in mind, it makes little sense, at the moment, to place our delicate future into the unknown. At the very least, we must give ourselves a chance to revise the current supposition which undoubtedly shackles the choice of the people to exercise their right to self determination. In fact, as we reach this juncture, we ought to consider the words of one of America’s founding fathers, John Adams, who observed that “there is no right clearer, and few of more importance, than that the people should be at liberty to choose the ablest and best men, and that men of the greatest merit should exercise the most important employments.” junior.mutabazi@yahoo.co.uk

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Rwanda 2017: You simply do not change a winning team