Identifying Kagame’s successor rather tricky

Editor,THIS IS in reference to Pan Butamire’s opinion piece, “Rwanda should reject this “food for work” from the UK”, (The New Times, March 8).

Friday, March 08, 2013
Nyamagabe residents welcome President Kagame during his visit to the Southern Province mid last month. Opinion is divided over his plans to call it quits in 2017. The New Times/File.

Editor,THIS IS in reference to Pan Butamire’s opinion piece, "Rwanda should reject this "food for work” from the UK”, (The New Times, March 8).I think we need to show our wisdom now that we face a dilemma on the succession of H.E President Paul Kagame.As Prof. Manasseh Nshuti rightly puts it, we cannot throw our country into the hands of adventurer politicians but, on the other hand, I think we need to be mature and accept positive changes that can lead our country to its development without compromising our march towards freedom and democracy.If President Kagame said he does not want a third term, we must respect his word and wish. I humbly think that within his team, it is possible to identify someone who possesses the qualities quite similar to those of His Excellency Paul Kagame and who can validly replace him and carry more high the torch of freedom, democracy and development.We must avoid the tendency to always consider Rwandans as immature with no ability to think deeply and find adequate solutions to their problems. We must avoid falling into the trap of thinking that a country can always rely on just one man.It is true that Paul Kagame is a great and extraordinary leader who is cherished by the population. To find his successor is also not easy but we must admit that he is working in a team and within it, the population can easily choose a new President come 2017. God bless all Rwandans.Simon, Kigali***********************I AM supportive of Prof. Manasseh Nshuti’s analysis. The President’s qualities are really unique and that is what we Rwandans deserve of our President.If, as Nshuti has put, we can’t obtain these from our current crop of politicians, why change him for the sake of it? Can’t we request him to carry on the good work he has done for Rwanda?True to that, enemies of our country want our President to leave yesterday. But that has been their wish anyway. And the formula we are looking for does not suit them. Do we allow ourselves to settle for less? Surely not.Let us take Nshuti’s analysis quite seriously in our search for a suitable formula of the change we deserve.Marion Nirere, Cardiff, UKReactions to Prof. Manasseh Nshuti’s commentary, "Change with Stability and Continuity: A Political Home Work (Part IV)”, (The New Times, March 8).