Crucial lessons can be learnt from Russian president Vlamir Putin and Chinese president Xi Jinping. One common thing about these leaders is their love for their own people. Sometimes one can put all the prevalent prejudice aside and amply acknowledge what they have achieved for their people. After befittingly removing millions out poverty within a short span of time,China now seriously focuses on building a formidable army which will rival all the other powers. It still baffles western leaders and scholars how China achieved so much yet so fast. Russia on the other side is still a world leader in production of most agricultural products such as fertilizers, grains and tractors. It’s the closest to self-sustanance a country can ever be. Although they have their own flaws too since no one is perfect,to their people they are noble. This can be reciprocated in many African countries with a view of empowering their people and regions. African people are as industrious and remarkably innovative as any other people in the world. Where then is the problem? Why does Africa always lags behind?And is it that is needed to haul them completely out of their pitiful and dire situation?
As I have repeatedly said before,what African countries need are benevolent dictators and a patriot population with a view of developing their countries. This is what Dambisa Moyo also advocates for in her book,Dead Aid. These coupled with a strong sense of nationalism might come in handy in helping Africans to take their right place in the world politics. Xi Jinping once said that a people cannot depend on another race to save them. Africa doesn’t need to play a subservient role in the world. Nobody wants to play a second fiddle. The history of Europe in their most formative eras,is full of repressive and despotic authoritarianism which propelled them to prosperity. Their benevolence supported slavery and expedition which was instrumental in their sudden rise in unprecedented prominence. The “from rags to riches” story might only come by for Africa if this kind of leadership is positively embraced. Rwanda has been consistently praised by many after they turned around what is widely regarded as a bleak past into a promising future. Their economy is growing rapidly and cohesion among various communities is strong. How did they achieve all this within two decades? The answer lies with their president Paul Kagame. Western media, institutions and leaders regard him with the same view as that of a dictator but Rwandese citizens know how much he has turned the situation around. The same cannot be said of other countries struggling to give democracy a place in their midst. Others which are vehemently trying to impose democracy are marred with corruption, tribalism and nepotism. A good example is Kenya where the fledgling democracy has not been of any help to millions who struggle to eke out a decent living with all odds against them. Corruption is rife in every sector of the economy. It will be better to ask Africans themselves at the lower rungs of the society where most of them are, what they will prefer,a democracy or economic stability with authoritarian leader at the top? Research has shown that countries with authoritarianism in the African continent are doing better than those with an illusion of democracy.
History teaches us that benevolent dictators will at some point change and be bad like Mobutu Ssese Seko. He started out very promising but ended up very corrupt and cruel. However,it is important to note that there are many other malignant factors which also played a big role in altering his behavior. Many Kenyans will argue that life was better during the 24 year rule of president Moi than the last three democratically elected leaders although he was autocratic during the latter parts of his reign. Things were rosy and employment opportunities abounded. Unless when the tail end of his rule during the onset of democracy is factored in. Many state corporations were privatized and thousands lost their jobs. Corruption became a culture. I would argue that with democracy corruption gained a foothold and became prominent. This process was created and masterminded by the international Financial organizations like the world bank and the IMF. It was never the same again. Countries with benevolent dictators are doing so well than those with a nascent democracy. My message is clear. I’m not trying to demonize democracy. The developed world did not just wake up one day and right there they had democracy. It was a painstaking process passing through the other forms of governance such as communism to reach where they are. Actually, democracy was something of an accident. They were not searching for it. So,to put it into a context,there are innumerable processes a continent should go through before reaching the democracy stop. Skipping any of these might prove to be deleterious to a people or a country as can be vividly witnessed in Africa. It is a form of soul searching. The analogy of a child might come perfect for this case. No child can born and instantly run. They have to go through a lot of sitting, crawling and so on. Democracy comes by itself once a country has reached economic emancipation and empowerment without which it is just an illusion. For now Africa needs leaders like Kagame who are labeled as dictatorial.
Anonymous 