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Page 10 The Skanner January 6, 2016 News By Sam P.K. Collins Special to the NNPA News Wire from AllEyesOnDC.com @SamPKCollins M illions of Rwandans took to the ballot box last month and voted to pass a constitutional refer- endum that will allow Rwan- dan President Paul Kagame to stay in office until 2034. The months-long debate about presidential term limits has placed the spotlight on the contro- versial figure credited with stabilizing Rwanda in its post-genocide era. Earlier this year, more than 3.7 mil- lion Rwandans petitioned the parlia- ment to consider abandoning newly imposed two-term limits on the pres- idency, citing developmental and eco- nomic gains made under Kagame. However, some opponents, including the Democratic Green Party of Rwanda, decried the move, describing Kagame as a heavy-handed leader who commit- ted human rights abuses and silenced opposing media voices. Kagame announced in a televised New Year’s address at midnight that he would seek a third term in 2017. “I did not apply for this. You go and ask Rwandans why they want me,” Kag- ame told the Agence France Presse, a Paris-based news wire service, shortly after submitting his ballot on Dec. 18. Kagame came to power in 1994 after his Tutsi rebel force, the Rwandan Pa- triotic Front, defeated Hutu extremists who killed more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus within a 100-day period. He served as vice president and minister of defense until the parlia- ment officially elected him as president in 2000. He won an election in 2003 under a new constitution and garnered enough votes for a reelection in 2010. Under Kagame, Rwanda’s child mor- tality rate dropped by 50 percent, RUSSELL WATKINS/DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT/CREATIVE COMMONS Rwandans Mull over Possibility of a Third Term for Paul Kagame A constitutional referendum may open the door for Rwandan President Paul Kagame to stay in power until 2034. This photo was taken at the London Summit on Family Planning in London on July 11, 2012. malaria deaths fell considerably, and annual economic growth exceeded 8 percent, even with a dearth of natural resources. Though Gacaca court proceedings to try accused perpetrators of genocid- al violence haven’t met international standards, the grassroots justice model “ stitutional referendum changes, how- ever, threatens that goodwill. During his visit to the Motherland in Septem- ber, U.S. President Barack Obama cau- tioned Kagame against seeking a third term, noting political instability in neighboring Burundi and Congo-Braz- zaville due to similar issues. Under Kagame, Rwanda’s child mortality rate dropped by 50 percent, malaria deaths fell considerably, and annual economic growth exceeded 8 percent has prosecuted hundreds of thousands of Rwandans. Globally, Kagame has maintained a positive relationship with his fellow East African Community members, in- cluding Kenya and Uganda, the United States, and, as of 2009, France. Controversy over the impending con- The European Union has also weighed in, expressing worry that op- position forces didn’t have enough time to campaign against the referendum. Some people, like Rwandan refu- gee Susan F., said that course of action by the Western powers won’t suffice. While talking to AllEyesOnDC, Susan, who requested the use of a pseudonym, expressed her disappointment in the in what she described as the United States’ lack of consistency in addressing Afri- can political matters. “President Obama has looked at Af- rica ambivalently. The West only steps in to get rid of the dictators they don’t want anymore,” Susan said. “They’re pleased with puppets. I would like to see the day when they give all African dictators equal treatment when they commit wrongs against their people. When a report came out accusing Kag- ame of downing the plane of President Juvenal Habyarimana, it suddenly dis- appeared. Why is that? The west has some interest in keeping him in pow- er. They support what he’s doing,” said Susan, who currently lives on the east coast. But expert Sam Phatey shared a dif- ferent sentiment, saying that a third Kagame term wouldn’t serve the Unit- ed States’ best interests or that of other African countries. “If President Kagame keeps himself in perpetual power, he won’t stay in office until 2034. This is a recipe for military expeditions to overthrow his government,” Phatey, a student in the U.S. Institute of Peace’s conflict analy- sis program in Northwest, told AllEye- sOnDC. In 2012, Phatey conducted research about the economic causes of the Rwan- dan conflict. These days, he talks exten- sively about the implications of a third Kagame term with his colleagues. “[A third Kagame term] will destabi- lize Rwanda. If Kagame says he needs to stay longer to maintain stability, that means he has failed as a leader to build strong institutions,” Phatey, a 26-year- old Atlanta resident, said. “He’s not the only one in Rwanda with great ideas and leadership skills needed to make Rwanda a progressive nation. Kagame thinks that staying in power would be Rwanda’s bet interest but it could de- prive the country of a lot when it comes to international cooperation.” Eugenie Mukeshimana, a Rwandan woman who has lived in the U.S. for 14 years, has a more nuanced view on presidential term limits, telling All- EyesOnDC that people in the East Afri- can country only want to do what they think benefits them the most, even if it means Kagame staying in office. “What’s complicated about Rwanda is that people don’t feel like they have to listen to those outside of their country. Right now, they’re fearful that the pres- ident succeeding Kagame could dam- age what we have worked so hard to build,” Mukeshimana, a social worker living in Baltimore, Md., said. “As much as people think of democracy on their own terms, it doesn’t fit everyone that way.” Even so, she admitted that a third Kagame term could open up Pandora’s Box, allowing future leaders to consoli- date their power.
