Western Deontology versus Eastern Consequentialism

Does Rwanda Need Democracy as Sine Quo Non to Achieving Economic Development?

Abstract

Whether democracy is a prerequisite to countries that aspire to achieve economic freedom is fodder for academics. Rwanda has been, in the past years, criticised for suppressing the civil and political rights of its citizens in its quest for economic development. One major critic accuses the President of chronic cronyism, manipulated elections, and using exaggerations, half-truths, outright fabrications, misinterpreted data, and inflated figures to tell its success story. Rwanda is hailed as one of the fast-rising developing countries, following the footprints of its East Asian counterparts, the China and the Singapore. Rwanda’s case raises a number of issues: must economic development and democracy be achieved simultaneously? Besides, is a government that prioritises economic development over civil and political rights sustainable? These are some of the issues that this paper sets out to examine.