Reading about world politics is like getting a taste of fresh gossip- until it hits you that unlike useless chit –chat with your friends, colleagues and the rest of the world-this is the real deal! The world is like a balloon filled with chaos and everyone’s wondering, who’s going to prick at the tender fabric that holds us all together? Zimbabwe’s story is like a classic case of political black humor- only it’s not so laughable when you remember that the life of a country and it’s people are in grave danger- which makes one reflect on that old African saying, “When the elephants fight- it’s the grass that suffers”. How sad to see a country with an outstanding inflation rate and as well as a poverty stricken people who are estimated to be reduced by a million, if the country goes on the way it is. And as the world settles into their comfortable couches to watch the evening news- we see the faces of two grown men fight for a piece of the country like it was a toy-how ironic…. The basic rules of leadership should be very simple- one leader to govern a people in the right consensual direction. In my opinion, a leader should be a symbol of the countrymen’s united objective to grow, prosper and develop. Unfortunately, we see our African leaders take ten steps back in implementing national wealth and success, has the basic rule has been forgotten? Today, I can only reflect on the East African Community (EAC) as a region that is knitting a strong fabric of positive energy through the numerous plans for regional and economic integration amongst member states. As a member of the private sector, I get to observe a country like Rwanda take slow, careful , gradual strides into the world of regional trade and investment. Seldom has a day gone by, without hearing about a new company’s plan to invest, or a local company planning to cross borders and supply to its neighbours . Every week, we see new ideas born and others take their first baby steps. I am truly living in region that is bursting with the energy of development- hopefully, we won’t have the little green men in suits of labeled “corruption unit” marching into this solid structure and bringing it down. Should we tell the fellow African states to borrow a leaf from us? As I ponder on this thought, a light bulb goes off in my head-dear reader, I have to say that this observation is made from an ignorant point of view- my political and diplomacy skills are very limited. But then, why doesn’t the AU simply look for other presidential candidates? Clearly, the fact that two president potentials are hackling over a country, whilst its people suffer day in day out, is not what fellow Africans can call leadership. Surely there is another Zimbabwean out there who can talk to the people at the ground level and state his mind about the people and the country’s needs-and slowly push the elephants out of the way? Besides, we all know that elephants have an enormous fear for mice, they usually run away. But then again, the political game is not an easy one that any Tom , Dick or Harry can play- simple decisions are made difficult as soon as one decides to dissect it from all angles. It is a blessing to have a president who sees his vision through the straight and narrow- and implements it just the same way. Through a very engaging conversation with one of my good friends, an observation was made about Rwanda in general. The gentleman talked about the lack of tolerance for corruption- the traffic cops rarely accept bribes, littering the environment is just as bad as burning down trees, a business passes through proper channels before it is recognized, and that no man survives long if he got his hands dirty to make some money. As we all argued- but of course, proudly agreeing with him- he made one clear statement that brought us to a complete and companionable consensus, “ ….a country is seen through its president, and yours’ has such a strong character- with your president as the backbone of Rwanda’s overwhelming strides into development, it is no wonder that Rwanda is reputed is the safest, most secure and business friendly country in East and Central Africa…..” Now dear reader, what can you make of that? I think we need to have a few more leaders like ours to straighten out the political shirts of our fellow Africans. Any suggestions? Ends
