AFRICA/DEMOCRATIC CONGO - “Political transition in Democratic Congo has become a headache for everyone” says Archbishop Monsengwo Pasinya president of the Catholic Bishops Conference who reaffirms the importance of a process of electoral education

Kinshasa (Fides Service)- The president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Democratic Congo said political transition in his country has become a headache for everyone. Archbishop Laurent Monsengwo Pasinya of Kisangani was speaking at a conference in Brussels at the Circle Royal et d’Outre Mer.
“Transition has lasted 15 years and as things stand no one can say when it will come to an end” he said pinpointing “weights which keep Democratic Congo from taking off”.
“Among these weights” said Archbishop Monsengwo Pasinya “we must count 32 years of dictatorship under President Mobutu. Undoubtedly a people accustomed to blindly obeying the orders of a powerful leader finds it difficult to be autonomous again. There is also corruption, now second nature in our country, which can only be stopped with measures to improve living conditions considerably, examples of honest government and sanctions against those who fail in management of public affairs”.
The “original sin” in the history of Congo, according to the Archbishop, “was power taking with armed force which installed a law of the jungle, the rule of force rather than law”. This fact has consequences on the present situation: “Disorder and rebellions still today in the east of the country are also the consequence of arbitrary power taking with armed force”.
The Archbishop of Kisangani stigmatises a “lack of co-ordination” at the top of the government of national unity born of agreements reached in Sun City and Pretoria which foresaw a President flanked by 4 vice presidents representing the parties in conflict in the civil war. “The first consequence of a lack of co-ordination is non visibility of state and government action: no weekly government meetings, decisions taken remain dead letters and non existent communication between government and people” said the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference. “A second consequence is the institutionalisation of conflict among national leaders. You cannot expect four men who fought each other to obtain control of the whole country to share it and run it together”.
Archbishop Monsegwo Pasinya mentions the difficulties encountered to have unified army with a fusion of the many different militia groups which fought one another in the civil war, and remarks that indeed armed groups continue to proliferate. To overcome this situation the Archbishop says the first thing is to form a real national army able to guarantee public order and national integrity during the elections next year and secondly to provide civic education for the people: “The Church and other religious communities are right to want civic and electoral education for the people to prepare for authentic presidential, legislative and municipal elections. It is a shame political parties do not endeavour to form their militants” the Archbishop said.
“Please God, patriotism, good will and determination on the part of all and a keen sense of state and nation will prevail over any foolish egotist and expansionist attitudes” the Archbishop concluded. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides righe 58, parole 559)