Readers of the part I of these series emailed a number of suggestions and comments that I found useful and appreciated. Reading through the comments though, one get the feeling that, some readers don’t take into account our past context, and as such address another environment not ours with our abnormal past. In our case, we shall have to consistently look in the rear mirror of our horror past, if we are to make prudent decisions about our future. Our abnormal past, one that no other independent African country has witnessed, with have to be our point of reference in all we do as a people and country for many years to come.

Context for us becomes not only the key word in all we say/do, but also a development national positioning center point.

And so any assessment/narrative/perception/prescription/opinion that fails to capture our abnormal past ends into subjective conclusion and fails short in the analysis of who we are a country and a people, where are, and where we are heading. In fact, part of our abnormal past may partly be explained by serious sense of entitlement of a section of our society, who saw others as not entitled and thus second class citizens/no citizens of this country at all.

When a sitting President (late Juvenal Habyirimana) declared that, Rwanda was full and cannot accept her citizens (who were refuges the world over), and that they can settle in the countries where they had been granted refugee status tells it all. One wonders whether Rwanda expanded in size when all refuges came home, including the writer. But this is indicative of systematic endorsement of entitlement of one section of the our society over the other. The stories of marginalization of Tutsis who stayed in Rwanda after many of the massacres of a people by their compatriot abound. From being denied education to employment, representation to association, name it. All in the name of un-entitlement.

Politics of entitlement: A historical Perspective:

Our past political landscape has been defined by extreme culture of entitlement so much so that, it defined who was who and who was not in our development as a country. The so called 1958 Hutu revolution (or Belgian revolution?) was premised on the ‘social justice’ which was underpinned by the perception that, the ruling Tusti elite were entitled to everything economy.

It might have been true to some extent that, a few elite Tutsis especially under monarchical system felt entitled (like in all monarchy systems the world over), but majority Tustis were not entitled. In any case King Rudahigwa had abolished entitlement system through abolition of Ubuhake (loosely translated as servitude). The theory advanced that, working for landlord with lots of cows (which a the time was unit/store of value/currency) was servitude was an over statement of the situation at the time, and had serious political coatings by Belgian system that had their political agenda. The truth is that, this was mere employment, where the employee was rewarded for work done in form of cattle of or agreed unit of exchange. Conventional employment we have today is no different except only in the unit of exchange.

However, the so called Hutu revolution aimed at ensuring ‘social justice’ was not to be for even among the Hutus those who originated from the South of Rwanda were more entitled than those from the north. Catholics were more entitled than Anglicans and Muslims. This lead to resentment among the Hutus especially from the North of Rwanda who were to topple Gregory Kayibanda, who was replaced by late Jevunal Habyariman in 1973. Entitlement this time round shifted from the South to the North of Rwanda, and to a few Hutu political elites. Tustis were not entitled and had to eats the crumbs from the table for a while if they did. The enormity of entitlement system is that, a few my in fact benefit from the same, by the entitlement perceptions extends to all by association with attendant consequences.

RPF and Real Social and Economic Justice

As pointed out in the first part of these series, most African political economy is anchored on various for forms of entitlement based on either region, religion, ethnicity, elitism, cronyism, etc, and these breed systematic corruption which is then resented by un-entitled who either form opposition not based in ideological differences (although it is cited as such) but rather a chance to be entitled and their turn ‘to eat’.

That RPF has demystified this through the conduct of its cadres and through them our government that ensured real and inclusive social and economic just systems where social as well as economic goods whether public or private are accessed by all Rwandese irrespective of their religion, region, class, or tribe is an achievement of proportions.

That, the exemplary leadership of President Paul Kagame has demystified entitlement in the entire government systems and by contagion to the private sector, is a heroic achievement we need to hold dearest as country and a people. We can only hold onto this at any cost for not doing so is more costly now and for generations after us.

{To be continued… {{}}}

Professor Nshuti Manasseh.
Economist and Financial Expert.
Email: [email protected].