A developmental state is on the democratic path

FAUSTIN Twagiramungu was on BBC, the day President Paul Kagame took oath for a second seven-year term in office. I listened to his rhetoric and somehow made a comparison with the president’s speech at Amahoro national stadium, shortly after swearing in. The contrast in what the two hold as their beliefs and ideals is unmistakable, when you listen to what they have to say whenever they make public speeches. Twagiramungu has strenuously sought to portray himself as some kind of leader. On the other hand President Kagame vision and hopes and plans for his people as contained in his speech that day, make many a Rwandan and indeed Pan-Africans proud of his leadership. Resilience and tenacity against odds is truly inspiring. These among other reasons are what make him stand above many characters now posturing and making all kinds of noise from the safety of their overseas homes. As columnist Frank Tanganika pointed out, early in the week, Twagiramunga lost it when he said that he does not care how high buildings rise in Kigali. He clearly said he does not care about development in Rwanda. He stated that what he wants is freedom for his country. Well, the freedom is there and people in Rwanda have enjoyed it for many years. Sixteen years. Either he does not know or does not want to know! By watching events from afar, he remains a hostage of the past. He said that he followed the proceedings at Amahoro stadium on the the internet. Well the images relayed from Kigali, must have given him a clear picture of what was going on at the stadium, that day. Rwandans living outside, as well as foreigners interested in the country, the internet, should not always be their only source of what is going on in Rwanda, if they really want a balanced picture. Well, the internet is a great tool of information sharing, but everything on the net should not be taken in hook, line and sinker-as they say. Indeed many people are, these days, consumed by malicious propaganda, and outright insults, so uncouth, that one always wonders about the sanity of people behind some postings in some chat rooms and message groups. It is rare for people to debate objectively on most of the available social media. Even comments on stories are always dominated by outright insults and uncultured comments. Therefore, even some of the information that is clothed in civil language is sometimes just a way of lending credibility to malicious misinformation. Back to Twagiramungu’s contempt for the developments in Rwanda and developmental aspirations of the Rwandan people. He has obviously presented himself as a man of yesterday. He is a leader of a bygone era. His politics of the past have no place in a modern society. Now, things have changed for the better, but some remain in that mindset. This implies that their time is over but due to unfulfilled ambitions, they continue on a futile journey. Rwanda is an emerging democracy and a developmental state. It is well accepted among political theorists that development and hence the emergence of a sizeable middle class, is a cornerstone of modern political pluralism and hence a vital part of the modern democratic process. So states on a developmental path like Rwanda are simultaneously on the democratic path. frank2kagabo@yahoo.com