FINDINGS of the latest report by Gallup, a highly respected international research-based performance management consulting company has rated Rwanda as the safest place to live in Africa.The Global States of Mind: New Metrics for World Leaders report says Rwanda tops the list of countries where citizens are most likely to feel safe.According to the report 92 percent of Rwandans feel safer in their country today than ever before. The report which was released last week arguably gives an independent picture of what Rwandans think about their leadership.Some sections of the international community have depicted Rwanda as not being democratic enough, claiming that the government tramples on the rights of people. The international community often takes these accusations too seriously.But if 92% percent of the population say they feel safest living in the country, then certainly this is a vote of confidence in the government.Sometimes positive reports like the one of Gallup should also be used by the international community to reflect on some of the negative perceptions about the leadership in Rwanda, that are peddled out to the world by human rights groups and activists.The urgency, with which they treat reports depicting Rwanda as a country being governed with an iron hand, should be the same when independent reports giving a positive picture are disseminated. The international community should not be seen to only rubber stamp negative reports.Certainly even if Rwanda had issues like some human rights groups are putting it, when 92% of the population comes out to say their country is the safest place to live-then there is need to pause and critically assess the negative accusations against the Rwanda leadership.
