TIME magazine asks former honorees
to suggest who should be included
in the next
TIME'S 100 MOST
Important & Influential PEOPLE
IN THE WORLD. So I recommended Paul Kagame,
and they agreed.
Then TIME's Editor asked me
to write the short tribute for
the upcoming issue.
Below are my words.
You might want to offer congratulations
to President Kagame.
TIME'S 100 MOST IMPORTANT
& INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD
Category: World Leaders and Reformers
President Paul Kagame,
By Dr. Rick Warren
President Paul Kagame, 51, of Rwanda ,
is the face of emerging African leadership.
His reconciliation strategy, management model,
empowerment of women in leadership,
and insistence on self-reliance,
are transforming a failed state
into one with a bright future.
Rwanda 's rapid improvements
have impressed the rest of the continent
and Kagame's influence is exponentially
greater than the size that
his small country might warrant.
Paul Kagame is one of few leaders
who has successfully modeled
the transition from soldier to statesman.
During the atrocities of the
1994 Rwanda genocide,
the world watched in horror,
but did nothing.
Kagame, with no outside help,
was solely responsible for ending the slaughter
that murdered over
a million citizens in 100 days.
When his best friend was killed,
Kagame was forced to assume
the leadership of
the Rwandan exiles that ended
the killing spree.
He was hailed as liberator by his countrymen,
but wisely refused the presidency
at that point.
"What we needed most was unity",
he said, "and I had not been elected,"
After the genocide, the nation
was in shambles.
Kagame and other began
the slow process of rebuilding.
But the process moved into hyper drive
when he was elected president in 2000.
He launched a series of reforms
and reconciliation strategies
that have caught the attention
of investors worldwide.
He has since taken the small
but densely populated
African country from
division and devastation
to unity and stability,
fostering a social and
economic recovery
unimaginable 15 years ago.
Even his critics respect his accomplishments.
Kagame's leadership includes
a number of uncommon characteristics:
One is his willingness to listen
and learn from to those
who oppose him, and even find ways
to partner with them.
When Stephen Kinzer was writing
a biography of Kagame,
the president gave him a list of
his critics and suggested that
Kinzer could discover what
the president was really
like by interviewing them.
Only a humble, yet confident, leader would do that.
Another uncommon characteristic is
Kagame's zero tolerance for corruption.
Rwanda is one of few countries where
I've never been asked for a bribe.
Anytime a government worker is
caught in corruption,
he is publicly exposed and dealt with.
It is a model for the entire country and
the rest of the world too.
Rick Warren
Saddleback Church
Purpose Driven Connection
P.E.A.C.E. Connection
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J-L K.
Procurement Consultant
Gsm: (250) (0) 78-847-0205
Home: (250) 55-10-4140
P.O. Box 3867
Kigali - RWANDA
East AFRICA
Blog:
http://cepgl.blogspot.com Skype ID: kayisa66
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