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Central African Republic A new Prime Minister |
POLITICS
Mr Martin Ziguélé has taken over from Anicet George Dologuélé as Prime
Minister.
There must be a hidden agenda somewhere!
Since President Patassé’s re-election and the renewal of Dologuélé’s mandate as Prime Minister, the politburo of the ruling Liberation of the Central African People (MLPC), had gone out of its way to treat Dologuélé as a usurper, because he was against the massive entry of a number of big shots into the government. The many political and financial scandals, the embezzlement and corruption which characterized Dologuélé’s administration, and especially the fuel crisis and the socio-political crisis, made it possible for the MLPC‘s politburo to obtain Dologuélé’s head.
Martin Ziguélé
But Mr Martin Ziguélé’s appointment as Prime Minister which was announced on 1 April 2001, took the MLPC‘s politburo by surprise, as it had put forward the name of Mr Eric Sorongopé Zoumandji, president of the party’s parliamentary group, as a candidate to high office. Mr Ziguélé is a senior party figure and for twenty years has been working in an insurance company based in Lome, Togo. He’s a zealous MLPC member and belongs to the same ethnic group as President Patassé.
As background to this appointment, there was the mysterious business of the illicit transfer of 325 billion CFA francs. Because of this shady deal, the board of directors of the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) had sacked its national director, Mr. Jonas Yologaza, and his assistant Mr. Khamis. When the BEAC‘s Governor, Mr Mamalepot, put forward to President Patassé, the names of three Central Africans who had been working for a long time with the BEAC, as possible replacements for those who had been sacked, President Patassé left them aside and instead chose an ardent MLPC supporter, Mr. Ziguélé. The BEAC‘s Governor had no choice but to accept Mr. Patassé’s decision. While Mr. Ziguélé followed a banking training course, first of all in N’Djamena, Chad, and then at head office in Yaounde, Cameroon, the duties of national director were taken over temporarily by a Chadian national, Mr Laoundoul.
On 26 March 2001, Mr Laoundoul handed over to Mr. Martin Ziguélé. On 31 March, President Patassé received the BEAC‘s new national director, Mr Martin Zinguélé, and announced his appointment to his fellow citizens. The following day, 1 April, Patassé appointed Mr Zinguélé as Prime Minister. Obviously, the BEAC‘s Governor was none to happy with this last appointment, because not only had Mr. Patassé paid no attention to his proposals, but the President had got a Prime Minister on the cheap — in that Zinguélé had received financial training at the BEAC‘s expense!
In his first speech as Prime Minister, Mr Ziguélé promised to set up a broadly-based government which would put into practice the Head of the State’s political agenda. On 6 April 2001, the new government was announced — 95% of its members are President Patasse’s supporters. Once more, the MLPC has excluded the opposition from the government!
Dologuélé’s dismissal
President Ange Felix Patassé, the MLPC‘s leader, gave as reasons for sacking Mr. Dologuélé — his inability to stamp out corruption; the administration’s involvement in fraudulent practices and embezzlement. The Head of the State made it clear that those ministers found guilty of serious failings, would feel the full weight of the law. However, curiously, nine ministers from the preceding government were re-appointed as ministers, others were appointed as presidential aides and as advisers to the Prime Minister and to other senior positions.
The MLPC think there are other reasons for Dologuélé’s dismissal which have not been clarified. The former Prime Minister is a relative of Mr Konamabaye, the National Assembly’s Speaker. Recently, the Speaker had written an open letter to Mr Patassé, challenging him to come clean on what is happening within CAR, and urging him to use his presidential powers so that some light is thrown on the current politico-financial scandals concerning: The Central African Air Lines, Zongo-Oil, the illegal transfer of 325 billion CFA francs, etc. This open letter was abundantly commented on and published in the national press. Then came the final straw (for the President) when the Speaker visited Libya. The visit was interpreted by those close to Mr. Patassé as an attempt to destabilize the MLPC government from outside the country.
An unfortunate background
Let’s see what’s now happening. First of all, we’ve got a new government. On 5 May 2001, the trade unions’ strike ended, with a joint communique from the trade unions and the government. But the government has done nothing to respect the spirit or the letter of this official statement. None of the trade unions’ grievances over arrears in salaries have been met. Most of CAR‘s income is derived from taxes. However, experience shows that while the level of the receipts is high during the first four months of the year, for the remainder of the year, the country knows hard times.
The energy crisis which lasted more than two months, and the strike by public sector workers, weakened the national economy. This situation has worsened with the State’s involvement in the diamond, gold and wood «connection», and the on-going corruption and fraudulent practices maintained and encouraged by Lebanese tradesmen who «flirt» with the political authorities. Sources close to the Ministry for the Planning and International Co-operation, say that a joint World Bank and IMF mission will arrive in Bangui in the second half of May, to see how things are going half-way through the agreement signed with the CAR. CAR‘s experts think this mission will be more political than technical.
Indeed, during preceding negotiations with the international financial institutions, CAR‘s financial wizz-kids were hard put to explain what had happened to a lucrative gift of petroleum products from Libya to the CAR. This gift was administered by the Head of State and his adviser in hydrocarbons. Also, President Patassé was involved in the privatization of the Central African Oil Company (PETROCA), without there being any official invitation to tender. He has now set up another company, TRANSOIL, in charge of the distribution of fuel.
Value-Added Tax (VAT), which has now been introduced into CAR, is deductible only on consumer goods. But Lebanese traders who are the country’s main importers, use tradesmen who work in the informal section of business to import their goods. Which means VAT is being avoided, with a consequent serious fall in the amount of revenue which ought to be collected. It’s clear, then, that the demands of the international financial institutions are not being carried out, and the establishment of a company such as TRANSOIL under such vague and shady conditions, will pose serious problems for the second disbursement of a loan.
In his seven years in office, President Patassé has had six governments. This has done nothing to end the people’s miserable existence — just the contrary. CAR will only enjoy an economic revival when President Patassé and his supporters manage to surmount tribal considerations, so as to effectively eliminate all corruption, fraudulent practices and embezzlement.
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