If Kagame is a 'dictator', then Africa needs more Kagames than 'lying, thieving democrats' – Vladimir Antwi-Danso

African countries would be better off with dictators cast in the mould of Rwandan leader Paul Kagame than the current crop of liars and thieves in power who are being appraised as democrats, Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, the Dean of the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) has said.

Diagnosing why African elections are fraught with conflicts, the international relations and security expert told Korku Lumor on the Class Morning Show on Tuesday, 4 July 2023 that Africa’s democracy is messed up because it has become a means to riches.

“Democracy, generally, is the Westminster type of democracy, the American type of democracy; it’s conflictual, ab initio. It is a contest but a contest may be made where the rules are clear and the participants understand the rules and are ready to obey the rules”, he said, observing: “But, if in countries in Africa, because politics is a conduit to riches and fame and will become the distributor of the nation’s wealth, what happens is that people have tried all they can to make their followers subservient to this idea, so, they will fight to the death to make sure that their candidate wins – which is wrong.”

The point Dr Antwi-Danso noted, is: “If our politicians are ready to serve, they will not, under any circumstances, release their people to death”.

“I am of the opinion that it is because the conflictual nature of politics is being exploited by bad leaders, and that is why we are where we are,” he analysed.

“I have always said that I would even prefer a dictator who knows where he is taking the country and building up through institutions of state to create a very developed country, to a so-called democrat, who is lying to me, cheating and stealing and the whole world appraises him as a democrat, and we are having it all over the continent,” Dr Antwi-Danso said.

“If you take a country like Rwanda, you might think that there is no democracy there but I beg to differ. See, from 1994, what progress that country has made under the so-called dictator and if this is dictatorship, then I think we need such thing in Africa, the more.”

Sixty-five-year-old Kagame is a former military officer who is the fourth and current president of Rwanda since 2000.

He previously served as a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a rebel armed force which invaded Rwanda in 1990.