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Congo RDC Something’s wrong with Kabila’s Parliament |
POLITICS
Kabila’s self-appointed parliament is in no way a true parliament
On 11 May 2000, President Kabila gave a speech in Kinshasa to delegates from the People’s Power Committee (CPP) — a Kabila-appointed propaganda group, and to representatives from the NGOs and various religions. He announced that a National Assembly — a transition Parliament (ACL-PT) would be established on 1 July. The official opening ceremony in fact took place on 22 August. Kabila’s Parliament has 300 Members chosen by Kabila himself. The parliamentary office consists of five people, under the chairmanship of Mr. Tshiamala wa Kamwanya, the CPP‘s secretary-general.
According to an Order-in-Council published shortly after the initial announcement, Parliament was to sit in Lubumbashi, Katanga — which didn’t please Members because most of them live in Kinshasa. The general population «welcomed» this Parliament with complete indifference. Truth to say, the majority are against it.
The fact is, the ACL-PT is not an elected body, so for the people it lacks legitimacy. Members are appointed —in no way can they be considered as representing the body politic. Maybe they’re just there as a means of social advancement! This Parliament is regarded as a pure imposition.
Another weakness of this new structure is that it is wasteful of State resources. What’s each Member’s monthly salary? Nobody knows exactly, but everyone thinks it can’t be less than US $2,000 dollars. Multiply that by 300 and you can work out what’s it costing the government to keep Kabila’s parliament running. A sad situation because the government can’t even manage to pay its civil servants regularly. Added to the wage-bill are a number of other «benefits» to Members — e.g. transport charges (a return ticket Kinshasa-Lubumbashi); board and lodging in Lubumbashi... All that weighs heavily on the budget of a country in a war-situation and whose economy is in ruins.
This new expenditure brings to mind previous institutions which don’t exist any longer: the Commission for National Dialogue, the Constitutional Commission, the Commission for the Reform of Government Institutions... All these structures were established as easily as they were removed. The most obvious case is that of the Commission for National Dialogue which functioned for several months like an official and permanent institution and was included in the State’s budget. It no longer exists after a fortune was spent on its running expenses.
The ACL-PT‘s very existence is strongly criticised as it appears as to be an obvious sign of Kabila’s refusal to engage in inter-Congolese dialogue. The Lusaka Accord had emphasised the importance of a coming-together of all aspects of Congo’s society. Kabila seems to be going in an opposite direction. Proof of this is Kabila’s refusal to accept Mr. Masire as mediator and by the resumption of war on all fronts.
The ACL-PT‘s very existence is proof that Congo is heading for a split. National unity can’t be achieved by setting-up institutions which have no future other than contributing to the parcelling-out of the country. The ACL-PT‘s existence does prove, however, that any attempt to arrive at a national consensus, is up against innumerable obstacles. Congo’s current situation benefits the war-mongers because they benefit from plundering the country’s riches.
It’s obvious the ACL-PT will only benefit Kabila and his cronies. It won’t be able to play a true parliamentary role, for one of the main jobs of any Parliament is to be in a position to control the Executive, which in Congo’s case, is led by President Kabila. Consequently, it’s extremely doubtful if Parliament can be truly independent and if there can be any real separation of the Executive and the Legislature. The ACL-PT is nothng but a mouthpiece and propaganda utility for President Kabila. Mr. Etienne Tshisekedi has made it quite clear that only Kabila is bound by its decisions.
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