Democracy, a rare breed in Burundi

The act by leaders across the world of failing to fete at Burundi’s presidential inauguration ceremony on Thursday last week was a message well sent to Pierre Nkurunziza that the world is not contended with his leadership at all. Why deny citizens the right to decide on their own? Why amend constitution in order to favour your eligibility to vie for presidency? Furthermore does it mean that Burundi without Nkurunziza cannot stand on its own?

Burundi: While many countries in Africa have launched strategic plans for achieving millennium goals Burundi is still scrambling for power. Neocolonialism in Burundi is alive and well. We are in the era of democracy and independence means that we liberate an Africana from the Yoke of slavery and totalitarian regimes that existed courtesy of colonialists.

Totalitarian regimes in Africa have for a long time left a scar in Africa where the trails left are unrelenting civil wars, poverty, hunger and the latest crop of religious extremism and radicalization. This explains why Ebola, cholera and other deadly diseases have been a continental pandemic. Africa is still in the words of David Cameroon as the scar in conscient of humanity.

Surprisingly African leaders will cry foul and fault any move by United Nations and United nations when they put sanctions and intervene to end the stalemate. That Africa is being manipulated by foreign bodies when we can locally solve the existing problems. It is high time that democracy we often say be manifested in actions but not just mere pronouncements. The acts of few leaders staying in power for decades, amassing wealth for themselves while majority die and starve in abject poverty should come to an end.

My hope is that Burundi will not be drawn back to a regime of bad leadership that does not address the concerns of Burundians. While other civilizations will be ceremoniously wiping out elements of poor leadership, corruption and oppression of human rights and freedom of expression the Burundi people should also be singing the same tune.

The unfolding of events in Burundi the moment Nkurunziza declared his interest in presidency for third term is against humanity. As it appears, President Nkurunziza employed Machiavellian theory of leadership which states that a leader will do anything to get into power. No one can ignore the lives lost by those who were killed opposing the present regime. Leadership can never be good if it is only achieved on the basis of self-gain, self-centeredness and lack of humanity in an individual.