On Saturday, I joined around 2,000 Rwandans at Intare Arena to attend the RPF-Inkotanyi Extraordinary Congress for two main purposes: firstly, to find out who the 70 RPF-Inkotanyi parliamentary candidates were and secondly, to vote for the RPF-Inkotanyi flagbearer in the upcoming July presidential elections.
Beyond merely discovering the party's parliamentary candidates, as I looked at the names and faces of the women and men who would represent the party, I realized that the party was undergoing renewal at the parliamentary level. It was transitioning older members out and replacing them with younger, fresher faces.
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Kagame reflects on RPF-Inkotanyi's 35-year journey
After getting elected RPF-Inkotanyi flagbearer by almost 100%, Party chairman, President Paul Kagame, addressed the members at length. He spoke on many topics, but ones that piqued my interest were when he spoke on the issue of the longevity of his presidential service as well as when he spoke about decision making in leadership.
Reminding party members of the discussions held in 2010 and 2017 regarding his candidacy as the RPF-Inkotanyi presidential candidate (as well as his feelings about those discussions at the time), he urged the 2,000 people in the audience to rise to the challenge, relieve him of the burden of presidential responsibility, and take it upon themselves.
Saturday's call echoed a similar one he made last year at the same venue while accepting to continue as Party chairman.
Personally, I most enjoy President Kagame's unscripted speeches for his ability to blend extremely complex philosophical ideas with historical and present-day context to explain our journey, our current state, and our future path.
For instance, when discussing 'learning', he explained that one could learn through books (formal education) or "from the experiences that you've gone through".
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Seven reasons why RPF-Inkotanyi remains on the right path
Reflecting on this, he stated that Rwandans' life experiences should have taught us all the lessons we need. For me, he didn't need to elaborate further. My mind immediately wandered to the challenges we've faced as a nation in years gone by: refugeehood, civil conflict, genocide, and the international community's abandonment during our darkest time.
I then considered the positive developments of the last 30 years: Ndi Umunyarwanda, Girinka, Gacaca, Visit Rwanda, socio-political stability, economic development, and people-centered governance. The lessons from our past, both positive and negative, were invaluable.
President Kagame also emphasized incorporating strategic thinking into the decision-making process in leadership ("think before you act"), teamwork ("you cannot achieve any goal without working with others"), and the paramount importance of ensuring a peaceful and prosperous future for us all. I left Intare Arena that evening still pondering President Kagame's address.
On Monday, the National Institute of Statistics Rwanda (NISR) revealed Rwanda's GDP (Gross Domestic Product) numbers for 2023. Surpassing projections, Rwanda's economy grew by 8.2% last year, compared to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning's projected 6.2% growth.
Had I not attended the RPF-Inkotanyi Extraordinary Congress, I would have been delighted by these numbers. However, as I read that GDP had grown to $14.1 billion last year (translating to a GDP per capita of $1,040), I couldn't help but wonder, "What if we had collaborated better?
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What if we had planned more effectively and executed projects with less waste? What if we had taken more time to understand the contexts of our decisions?" What would our growth rate have been?
It's easy to feel a sense of satisfaction while sitting in Kigali, enjoying coffee in its many bistros. This satisfaction is likely amplified when one observes developments across the region and the African continent.
However, this satisfaction can be a trap--a trap of mediocrity. As President Kagame said, history teaches us the consequences of weakness, poverty, and dependency on the whims of the world. Mediocrity typically ends badly for all of us. And that is a fate that no rational person desires for themselves or their children
