By David Himbara
I am fascinated by different presidential styles in Africa. Mind you I am not talking here fashion – the two heads of state in this photo are obviously styled up. I am talking about substantive rulership styles or how African rulers address critical issues of their time.
Recently Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir illustrated their respective styles and strategies when addressing the question of future presidential elections.
KAGAME STYLE
When asked about presidential elections in 2017, Kagame’s response was: “It is as if I am here just to leave. I’m here to do business on behalf of Rwandans…I don’t know what else I can give you on that, but let’s wait and see what happens as we go. Whatever will happen, we’ll have an explanation.”
KIIR’S STYLE
On South Sudan presidential elections scheduled for 2015, Kiir said:
“Elections will not be held in 2015, because reconciliation between the people will have to take time.”
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE TWO?
Kagame’s wait-and-see strategy may be termed what some people have called “masterly inactivity.” A policy of deliberate inactivity usually aims at pushing opponents to guess the real intentions and exhaust/destroy themselves in the process.
Kiir’s style is in sharp contrast to ‘masterly inactivity’ – his approach is what is referred to ‘aggressive forward’ policy with likely disastrous results. By directly showing his hand, Kiir confirms he is amateur!
