My thought on President Kabila speech on the situation of the Nation

Yesterday I followed President Kabila’s speech on National TV about the situation of the Nation, made on Saturday, December 15th in the parliament with the two chambers. I was disappointed, to say the least.

This speech comes in a crucial moment : The nation is at war. Almost three quarter of Congolese are internally displaced; Goma and few cities around her are under threat of imminent attacks; There is continuous insecurity in Ituri; in Fizi, warlords rule on part of the national territory, and have the right of life or death upon citizens. Terrible exactions are committed, particularly in the North and South Kivu from where I write these lines.

In addition to the crisis we have, the Congo under living in extreme poverty. According to Professor Collier, the DRC needs 50 years of uninterrupted peace to come back to its 1960’s growth! If we are to evaluate our development using any development tool, Congolese people are amongst the poorest in the world! Our education, health, infrastructures, employment, water, electricity, everything is dragging in « the bottom billion ». The plundering of natural resources scandalises the most capitalists, especially after the Getler saga.

The tearful speech of President Kabila focussed on the M23 rebellion, the last of Congolese’s evils. He said nothing we did not know already. He said that the people were tired to wait for change and that the numbers reflecting our national growth did not change their daily lives. He said that national integrity was under threat; he also said that the M23 were supported by Rwanda and that the Balkanisation of the country was threatening our national integrity. The President called us for national cohesion. He mentioned diplomatic, political and military offensives. This sentence, repeated ad nauseum since April this year is nothing but an empty slogan to me because his actions, or lack thereof, are not materialising.

What is done to get out of this crisis? I did not see in this speech what we all expected: An action play to get out of it. Not only on the M23 rebellion, but one or multiple positive actions that could end this war. On the diplomatic side, he brags about progress made in establishing an International Neutral Force, but the said force is composed of Rwanda and Uganda. How is this force neutral since it contains our aggressors?

On political efforts, that aim at regrouping various tendencies, he creates frustrations by maintaining officially or insidiously under house arrest opposition leaders, by excluding women in national dialogues or by ignoring some members of the local civil society altogether. On his military efforts, I will not even mention General Amisi scandal (a.k.a. Tango Fort) or exactions commuted by the FARDC on the frontline.

What we expected was a positive vision, a man who inspires trust and who tells us with confidence that all will be well soon. Once again, the president has just confirmed his total lack of leadership skills. This speech is even more depressing than the situation it describes!

What can we expect from President Kabila? Well, nothing. He will keep discussing with our aggressors, and ignoring our development needs taking war as a motive. The misery and despair generated by this war will remain one of the causes for enrolment of incompetent youth in an army of looters and rappers. If these youth had an alternative in terms of education, health, employment, they would eventually be useful to their country.

The next national budget has been adopted and unsurprisingly, there are no major changes. We will keep depending on foreign aid, NGOs, religious organisations for health and education. On infrastructures, we will keep depending on the plunders of our natural resources. No real governmental initiative. He also mentioned a Human Right Commission. I don’t believe this will happen, i don’t expect anything from such a commission. How can we believe that the government is sincere in this country where the freedom of speech, cornerstone of human right abuse denunciations, is so often violated? According to our friends of Journalistes En Danger, this year has witnessed one of the worst records in abuses on this right. I even believe that by publicizing this article I have just won an interpellation in the national security agency.

My friends, dear compatriots, the hour is critical… we should not lean on President Joseph Kabila, he has no idea on what is to be done, he is waiting to consult a few people here and there to get a clue. If we want some change, we should bring our own.
I know that some of us already belong to movements aiming at changing the situation in the Congo. I encourage all these initiatives and hope that we will be able to coordinate our efforts from wherever we meet, from wherever we discuss and put our heads together to come up with a real exit strategy that considers leadership at the top level of the state, the repetitive incursions of our Eastern neighbours, the extreme poverty that Congolese are living in, the flagrant human right abuses committed by the army, the government and other state organs that are used today to maintain a few people above our laws, and other problems that really affect us on a daily basis.

Very soon, through our joint efforts, things will be different; soon the Congo will be free, sovereign and strong.


PS: this article was written in french. the original version can be found by clicking here

Unpublished: National Democratic Institute questionnaire

NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTE
Questionnaire/Young women in DRC
September 2012

NDI: WHO ARE YOU?
SAS: Soraya Aziz Souleymane a rising academic and a promising professional in the mining industry as well as development field in the DRC. She is the Community Relation Manager for Banro Corporation, a Canadian mining company operating in Maniema and South Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In July 2011, she was awarded the British Chevening Scholarship. She now holds a Masters in Development studies from the International Development Institute of the University of Sussex in England. This masters comes in addition to a post graduate degree in International Relations specializing in conflict resolutions and international diplomacy which she completed in Kenya. She has a background in Public Law acquired through her 3 years at Université Catholique de Bukavu. Most of her academic papers were about Conflict resolution or Governance in the DRC.
At 29 years she won the youth leadership competition organized in Kinshasa in March 2011 by the Congolese Civil Society. Due to the nature of her job and out of personal interest, Soraya is fluent in 6 languages and dialects – among them English, French, Swahili and Lingala. She enjoys cooking, reading and writing.


NDI: DESCRIBE ANY ASSOCIATION OR GROUP YOU ARE ACTIVELY INVOLVED WITH.
SAS:I am currently working as the CR manager of a mining company named Banro Corporation. This company operates in the South Kivu and Maniema Regions, located in the Eastern DRC. The Department I champion is in charge of mitigating the adverse social impact of the mining operations at the local level, and also maximise the opportunities brought about by the Company presence in the Region. I am in charge of activities such as Community Development, Resettlement, Livelihood Repositioning etc.

I am also a member of the board of the ”Reseau des Femmes Medecins pour le Development Integral (RFMDI)”, an organisation that bring together women health practitioners and aiming at improving health in rural areas. The presence of a development specialist among medical doctors makes this women’s organisation a very effective organ to share our health and development vision in a gendered manner that benefits the poorest. Some of its activities include raising awareness on HIV, reproductive health, free consultations and prevention of waterborne disease and sexual infections. At present, the association is fully funded by member contributions.


NDI: DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS OR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF DRC?
SAS: I believe that the Congolese people deserve a better and prosperous country where all of its children have a better future. The Congolese people love their country deeply and are ready to work for its reconstruction. However, they are disappointed with the successive failures of the past that characterise the country history since 1885. This disappointment, together with the suppression of some of the fundamental human and civil rights has made a number of people to stay away from participating in national efforts (or lack thereof) of building a strong nation.

The future of the DRC may sound uncertain to people looking at it from the outside, but from my position I think it looks as sombre or as bright as the Congolese see it. With a strong leadership that can reassemble and unite most of the citizens behind a strong and clear vision, attributing responsibilities at the most appropriate levels, and keeping an accountable relationship with the sovereign people, Citizens would start hoping again and working together. I’m very convinced that the future of DRC is still brighter even under what seems to be the fog of perpetual uncertainty. With able leadership, clear vision and people centred policies and pointed law and order efforts the future of DRC has limitless positive possibilities.


NDI: WHAT DO YOU THINK IS NEEDED FOR POSITIVE CHANGE?
SAS: There are a number of things that can be done and need to be done to effect positive change in DRC. Some are political reform efforts and others include economic restructuring programs as well as sectoral reforms – education, mining, infrastructure etc. The important part of this is that all these reforms need to be taken together and with a sense of urgency. However, I can say that four major reforms are needed: Educational reform, law and order (security issues), infrastructure development and economic reform. In addition to these reforms, it is important that the citizen start participating in the life of their nation and come out of their passive role.

For example in economic reform the area of taxation is of paramount important if DRC were to develop a more modern economy. Only by creating or re-establishing a proper taxing mechanism would the politicians consider themselves as the executants, and the people regain their sovereignty. One might argue that people are too poor to pay taxes that would run the budget but if the aid or rent money that is used to solve one time off issues (like building a school here or a clinic there) was used to create a strong governance system with the citizen at its head and heart, It would take one generation to start moving in an upward spiral.


NDI: WHAT IN YOUR BACKGROUND INFORMS THESE IDEAS?
SAS: As a Master in Development Studies, holding a postgraduate diploma in International Relations with focus on Conflict Resolutions, I have acquired some of the theoretical knowledge needed to unpack the problems faced by the DRC in its struggle for long lasting peace and sustainable development, regional integration and strategic positioning. I have also had an exposure on how other countries facing similar challenges have overcome them in the past. This is useful in proposing best fit solutions that inform my ideas about our national situation.

As a Development practitioner, working in the mining industry, I can see how all eyes are turned toward the company to solve the most basic problems of the local communities, the provincial government, leadership problems in the traditional chieftainships, bringing development infrastructures etc. I have also seen an exodus of intellectuals from their main field of work, from the government agencies, into NGOs and the Mining sector. This situation which can be observed in all fields (health education, agriculture, engineering, legal, economy etc) leaves no strong representatives to speak on the behalf of the government at the local level, or even the population. As a result, everybody, including the Government turn to the natural resource industry as the only solution to their problems.


NDI: HAVE YOU EVER STARTED ANY PROJECTS OR PROGRAMMES TO HELP OTHERS IN THE DRC?
SAS:
As part of my job, I advise the Vice-Presidents of the companies on policies that are likely to make the most positive impact on local development. They vary from small agricultural projects, adult literacy, strengthening local business in farm project and creating employment, facilitating the building of health and education facilities etc.
As a volunteer, I advise RFMDI on small projects that can have a quick impact on women in rural areas around the South Kivu capital City of Bukavu.I also volunteered for 4 years in TUMAINI, an association disseminating useful knowledge and promoting positive attitude on HIV.
I have been a member of international social media through which I have learned (and still do) on how to use modern digital media to reach people especially the youth, women and those disenfranchised by the society.


NDI: WHAT QUALITIES IN YOUR VIEW, ARE NEEDED TO BE A LEADER?
SAS: There are quite a number of qualities needed to be an effective leader. However, some of the qualities are proper to certain challenges or area of leadership. But generally, some of the qualities that are needed in all kind of leadership positions are same the world over. These include:
- Trust – a leader need to be trustable
- Honesty – a lead need to be believable because of his or her honesty
- Integrity – a leader has to distinguish him/herself for his impeccable integrity
- Ethical – A leader needs to be a person of ethical or moral aptitude.

To me, all the other skills or abilities that a person possess need to be anchored in those four cornerstone of effective leadership. Thus, a good leader would be a person with sufficient knowledge of the problems faced by the poorest, as most of the Congolese live in that category. He/she should also have strong communication skills and display a sense of righteousness to inspire people around him, not only by his speech but also by his actions. Ideally a leader would be as close as possible to the people he/she intend to lead. If not physically present in their communities then, most importantly, share their problems, their lifestyle, their pain, their hope.

A good leader is a person with a clear vision, and enough common sense to admit that the organisation needs a team of technical competencies to materialise the vision into a program that can be implemented. This person is inclusive and gives every member of the organisation he/she leads a sense of importance by highlighting the way in which the member contribution brings the organisation closer to the ultimate objective (which is clear and shared by all). A good leader motivates the organisation member by reconciling their individual achievement with the overall organisation objectives, leads by example and at all time ensure the continuity of his organizational vision beyond his own personal involvement.