Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe may be a certified critic of the West, except that those words in the quotes bellow are not his but that of General Paul Kagame, the darling of the West, of Rwanda. Kagame, the rebel-hero who defeated the genocidal government in July 1994, has been accused of heavy-handed crackdown on his political opponents and the independent media ahead of the presidential elections last August.
Kagame mentioned no names but it is clear that he was referring to the media, international human rights organizations, and the West. No surprise about his fiery inaugural speech because it comes amid signs that the West is increasingly keen to distance themselves from his government.
“In the months and weeks preceding our elections, there was an onslaught of bad press reports from sections of the media and human rights organizations, that deliberately misrepresented the situation in Rwanda, and sought to give the impression that our country was, so to speak, falling apart. This led some to expect an eruption of violence, in line with the prejudiced way in which African affairs are viewed.”
“There is no doubt that we face many problems in Africa, and the biggest one of all, is not the lack of democracy, but poverty, and the dependence that comes with underdevelopment. It is this situation of dependence that allows some governments, and even NGOs – who are not accountable to anyone – to think they have a right to dictate the conduct of legitimate state actors.”
“African governments are often accused of being corrupt and not responsive to the needs of our populations. But when we do what every government is expected to do – deliver services; instil accountability, transparency and efficiency; build social and economic infrastructure; and raise living standards – the goalposts change, and we are then accused of forcing progress on the people and of being repressive. Furthermore, these external actors turn around, and promote the ideas of adventurers who have no legitimacy, and who do not relate to the majority of the people, and deserve nothing more than to be ignored. This duplicity cannot be construed as confusion or lack of understanding. Rather, it is evidence of hypocrisy and a patronising attitude towards our entire continent, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty and underdevelopment, continues to deprive our people of their dignity, and which Africans must continue to stand up against.”
“Habitual critics of Rwanda may say what they want, but they will neither dictate the direction we take as a nation, nor will they make a dent in our quest for self-determination. And we therefore categorically reject all their accusations”
