Change with stability and continuity: A political homework. Part XII

These series have attracted incredibly large responses from readers both within our country as in Diaspora, so much so that, numbers of readers are approaching six digit figure, a very high number since I started these series, and out read these than other series I have written on our economy in the past, as well as in other areas that concern our country, our future, and mainly the future of generations after us. My email has in many cases been jammed by heavy traffic that deleting these is a daunting task in itself, but a worthwhile one given the critical importance of the issue in debate.Nevertheless, what started as a confusing and confused debate has become clearer at least going by the readers’ responses, to whom I owe a big thank you and lots of appreciation as well as a humble admiration for very enriching ideas, suggestions, and concerns in their responses with regard to downstream of political panorama. A number of these are well-wired thinkers, and have put on a show of maturity and poise in debating our political future.Serious anxiety:The responses have come in different forms both in content and style, from suggestions, constructive criticism as well as questions as to what should happen either way the debate ends. What is emerging from the strands of responses I have received so far, ranges from a large percentage of readers with serious anxiety over what changes entail to our country, with a large number suggesting no change at all, as a panacea to unknowns of stability or instability?, continuity or total disruption of the same?, sustainability or reversal of what has been achieved, and at a dearest price any country has ever paid anywhere. Many others have requested my opinion, and one I have given in these series, to which I hold on too dearly, convinced from my heart of hearts, that change in our country’s political dispensation, will only spell doom and groom for our economy, and the country. This is not being paranoia, sycophant, opportunist, or any other form of attachments one can name of, (am pretty far from that) but rather, I am writing as an informed and a very concerned Rwandese, and one who feels duty bound to do so, not only from my deep knowledge and experience of our economy, and thus country, but more specifically of our current political dispensation, and exemplary leadership President Paul Kagame has selflessly rendered to our country, and one I have been party to, or participated in albeit in modest way, among others Rwandans, who are humble enough to undress self. I will undertake careful reflection of my experience that informs my conviction in these series, and try and provide answers to many questions, comments, suggestions as well as few criticism raised by readers of these series, well aware that, unlike in previous series, this will be my heart to the hearts of almost one million Rwandans that have commented on these series so far. Answers to their comments will nevertheless overlap to next series.Contextual:Like many Rwandan compatriots, I have a clear and vivid contextual framework of where we have come from as a people and country. Having grown up as a victim of the previous sectarian regimes, whose record climaxed into loss of one million Rwandan compatriots for who they were, rather than what they did. The rest of economic malaise and malfunctioning of our country’s economy for more than three decades, is but secondary.For most part, I had followed events at home from various countries I lived in a broad with abandon up until mid-1980s. Then came 1994, after which time, it was total liability to be called Rwandan, let alone be associated with a country, and people that committed heinous crime beyond imagination. It was, is, and will be on our collective conscious as a people and a country, for we cannot wish it away. In the various career pursuits both in practice (auditing) and academia where I made tremendous contribution, hardly did I imagine that, one day, I will pride in being Rwandan, my inheritance and indeed identity. And when I decided to come home, it was journey to unknown, considering where I was coming from, and where I was heading, but nevertheless a journey home anyway.A humble Confession:When I was called to serve in the government in 2003, from a senior academic job of a Vice Rector in a foreign University, I came back loaded with all theories of development, economics and finance which at the back of my mind, was an asset for my country. To some extent it was. But hardly had I imagined the enormity of development challenges facing our country, and one which on seeing inside of same, my rich academic knowledge was humbled. Humbled because the call was too intricate, and too daunting to apply text book knowledge, theory and mind to provide solutions to unique problems facing our country. I was first in denial, which I guess is normal when one is as loaded academic as I was, and yet faced with off text book/un researched (un researchable) problems, that had to get answers and urgently. But after awhile I did the rational thing, to go into acceptance mode of total ignorance of a professor I was. My examination of conscious of what was at stake, had finally settled for what I had to do. Well aware that, problems that faced our country then, now, and for some time to come, demanded another type of leadership and style, unknown in literature of development theories I was laden with. I came face to face with real Rwanda, my country.Thus, my first few months in the cabinet as a minister of trade and industry, was like a fresher in graduate lecture, whose curricula was undefined, depth unclear, and outline out of horizon. And although we had several pre-cabinet meetings usually chaired by the Prime Minister, I must confess here that, these were less than expected of post-graduate tutorial, considering what would happen in the main cabinet meetings thereafter, where the leadership of President Paul Kagame, was not only humbling experience in giving solutions to intricate problems that we could not disentangle with the Prime Minister, but also to other brilliant minds of Rwandan Ministers and Ministers of State, that sat long hours, to look for solutions to milliards of, and very complicated problems facing our country. One would have been forgiven if he lost hope (for literally everything called for quick fixing), if it wasn’t for the ease with which President Paul Kagame (chairing the cabinet) defined, refined, and gave solutions virtually to all national problems that had been given face value solutions earlier in pre-cabinet, which left most, if not all of us in cabinet with a sense awe, and admiration as to what exemplary leader we had among us. It did not matter whether you were a professor (we were about five of us) or doctors (there were about four) and other intelligent Rwandans Ministers and Ministers of State. We all agreed both openly and in private that, we have a unique leader among us, and one that has really distinguished himself as born leader beyond measure. Every Minister at my time, and I am sure at present, would submit to my assessment of a leader, whose change in my opinion, will be disastrous.In retrospect, this is true for those who have served in his cabinet, and I am sure it is true for those other senior government leaders in various institutions that have had a rare chance and privilege to work with or close to President Kagame. This is but tip of an insider’s view of a leader in government business, as is true for his leadership in other national duties, where he gives self and beyond, from the beginning of our liberation struggle, and all national struggles we have gone through, except those, our change debate makes rather blurred. The results of his transformational leadership attest to the foregoing across our country and beyond, and no dispute in this, even among the misplaced and outlier critics. They exist in every system/country anyway.My series would in my opinion, be incomplete without this little inside knowledge of a leader, that many see in public (where he is certainly held high) but in closed leadership encounter leaves one humbled, at the same time with huge admiration of what our country has in the exemplary leader: Paul Kagame, with all the qualities of visionary and strong leadership, a true manifestation of his ablest, most dedicated and toughest, with the highest extra drive, intellectual verve, and above all extra tenacity of a leader that Rwandese deserve.My convictions are therefore, based on hard experience, and one that I am fully convinced is in the interest of our country to embrace. I am pretty sure, alternatives are no alternatives.Ours should not be the type of country that never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity so much so that, change is terrifying that most people would dare not speak about it. But here, we are faced with a reality that we have to contend with. The humanised cost-benefit-analysis facing our country in form of change is one we can hardly underwrite. If only we engage in a debate riven not with half-truth but whole truth, and void of prejudice about what the future holds for our beloved country, and where our country comes before self, then this change thing will be reasoned out with rationality. One that is laden with realism not idealism. For it is not an issue of not daring to hope or fearing to fail, but rather to face reality in its face. What is certain is that, no protest of political idealism, no matter how large, can alter the fundamental political choice facing our country at present. Reality can’t be wished away anyway. No change to me therefore, and to most of the readers of these series, alongside silent majority, is our ultimate reality for our political home work.To be continued…The writer is an economist and financial expert based in Kigali.