Paul Kagame Condemns Corruption and Its Foreign Roots
Posted on : Monday , 16th October 2017
The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame has rejected the idea that Africa is characterized by corruption, which is rife in its institutions today. He instead chose to highlight the role played by non-African entities and their involvements in corruption, smuggling and other illegal practices on the continent.
At the UN General Assembly in New York, Kagame urged the rest of the world to see Africa as more of a partner than anything else. He said “Corruption is not African, it’s just corruption. There is a misconception that corruption is the way of life in Africa. This is far from the truth,” he said at the Corporate Council on Africa session on U.S.-Africa relations.
“As a matter of fact, in Africa corruption always involves non-Africans …Corruption also takes place around the world,” he added.
Kagame attempted to diffuse these assumptions and spoke about how these assumptions are dangerous and how they have affected investment in Africa. He even revealed that some companies have gone as far as allocating funds for bribes for their business dealings in Africa, based on such assumptions.
At a different conference held by the Council of Foreign Affairs, Kagame reiterated his stance by condemning foreign interference in Africa’s affairs.
He also recalled the time he was advised against contesting the elections ahead of a referendum that would decide whether he would stand for a third term.
This interference, in his opinion, was a clear contradiction to the ideas of democracy and freedom that the West so often preaches. Kagame went on to affirm his belief in the people’s right to choose their own leaders.
“How do u expect me to be free when you want to dictate to me how I should live my life? Democracy is a democracy, this whole thing of adding ‘Western’ is okay but what does it mean? All countries can hardly fit into that sort of definition,” he was quoted by local media portal New Times.
He eventually won the elections with over 98% of the total votes cast.
Source : Business News Africa
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