Fresh from winning the inaugural 5-million-dollar Mo Ibrahim Award for African Leadership, former Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano has denounced autocratic rule saying it has no room on the African continent anymore.

Military rule, single-party rule, life presidency - all that does not impress President Chissano. Constitutional rule should be the order of the day. We agree. Especially because Mr Chissano has the moral authority to comment on these issues. He is an exemplar of what he is talking about, particularly the constitutional governance bit. He is therefore not posturing.

The man pulled Mozambique out of the exhaustion of a bitter civil war and began the process of turning it around. Just when things were getting even better, with his country's economy growing at well more than 6 percent, he bowed out peacefully. He did not pretend he was the only one with secrets on how to deepen reforms and take the country forward at an even faster pace.

Neither did he come up with excuses such as the need to make the civil service or the military professional before leaving. Why, because improving a country's fortunes is always a work in progress. You do your bit to the best of your ability and hand over to the next person, the next team.

Unfortunately, there seem to not be many leaders who want to copy the Chissano way. For every Mozambique, there is a Uganda. It should be noted that both Mr Chissano and Mr Museveni assumed power in the same year: 1986. For every Zambia there is a Gabon. For every Senegal, there is an Ethiopia. For every Botswana, there is a Zimbabwe. For every Tanzania, there is a Burkina Faso - where Mr Chissano spoke on Wednesday. For every Namibia, there is a Guinea. And the list goes on.

When leaders stay too long in power, they tend to increasingly narrow access to that power. They begin to play the politics of exclusion, not inclusion. The leadership begins to decay.

That appears to be the natural order. But disaffection builds within the population. Before you know it, coups are taking place. The country then begins to deal with soldiers ill-suited to the business of politics.

If the military regime tries politics, it militarises it. And nothing good comes of it save for further militarisation. That is why heeding President Chissano is important. Any more inspiring leaders out there?