Congo 2023: A stable, secure and prosperous DRC is possible
Destabilised by the scramble for its minerals, the DRC’s upcoming election could trigger a transformation to prosperity – if conducted fairly.
Moise Katumbi in Kinshasa, May 2023. Photo courtesy: Moise Katumbi media.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is often viewed through the lens of the challenges it faces. War in the east, arbitrary detentions of journalists, and the unrelenting persecution of opposition figures have all fuelled recent negative headlines, as we move closer to presidential and parliamentary elections scheduled for 20 December 2023.
While we can spend our time rehashing all that is wrong with the current situation, listing the many frustrations of the Congolese citizens, and detailing recent human rights violations, it is equally important to talk about how we can still turn things around and transform the DRC so that it can be defined by its opportunities and not by its challenges.
The DRC is the fourth most densely populated country in Africa; its more than 100 million citizens have a median age of just 16. We have nearly 80 million hectares of arable land, and the country is rich in minerals that are vital for the green energy transition. Almost half of the world’s known supply of cobalt, a by-product of copper production and a vital ingredient of battery production is found in the DRC. Lithium, too, is in abundance beneath the Congolese soil, as is tantalum (needed for smartphones and computers), diamond, gold, and tin. As a result, the country’s prospects following the elections, not only matter to its citizens, who deserve far better lives, but also stand to have a real impact on the global efforts in tackling climate change.
Having filed my candidacy for the upcoming presidential elections, my task between now and election day is to explain how we can capitalise on these assets and, in so doing, transform the lives of our people, inspiring hope in a change that is possible if we ensure proper scrutiny of the vote and convince citizens to come out in huge numbers on December 20.
While touring the country from Kongolo to Lukolela in recent weeks, we witnessed a strong desire for change among citizens. The citizens of the DRC are angry about the current situation and frustrated by the failure of the government to deliver on its promises. But they are not ready to give up on their dreams. They know the potential that is ours, as a country and as a people.
The upcoming elections will not be without challenges. Whilst President Tshisekedi claims to support a free and open democratic process, the government in Kinshasa has already shown its hand. The voter registration process has been characterized by mismanagement, incompetence, and malpractice. There have been reports that citizens were harassed and intimidated by security forces at registration centres.
Moreover, the external audit of the electoral roll was flawed from the start. Five officials were contracted by the commission to undertake the audit, all reportedly close associates of the head of the electoral commission. The team was given just five days to audit the entire register, a fifth of the time that was required by a much larger group during the 2018 elections.
Despite all this, we believe that change is possible. The government is clearly concerned about the very real prospect of change, indicated by the recent attempts to silence media and opposition voices.
There is a huge task at hand for any incoming administration, but we are undaunted by the prospect. After all, I have seen first-hand how much can be achieved when you push back against corruption, and work in partnership with the people. During my time as Governor of Katanga, between 2007 and 2015, we were able to increase the share of the province’s population with access to clean drinking water from 3% to 67%; while the number of children attending school went from 400,000 to 7 million, including a tripling of the number of girls in school. We were also able to create jobs, and at the same time strengthen workers’ rights. Furthermore, revenues increased from $100 million to more than $1.5 billion, meaning, we were then able to re-invest in the province and to rebuild vital infrastructure. By offering land and tax breaks to farmers, we encouraged local production, and as a result, boosted food security and reduced reliance on imports.
As Ensemble pour la République, we are setting our vision for the country – a stable, secure, and prosperous DRC for all. Ending war in the east must be a priority. People are dying and thousands upon thousands have been displaced as the M23 thrives on the ruins of the Congolese state. Turning the situation around will require strong leadership and a commitment to invest more in our defence sector. We need to build a professional army that is well equipped and more respectful of human rights. Only by doing this can we restore peace and put an end to external aggressions.
Looking across the region and beyond, the trend of military coups is deeply worrisome. The answer to our problems lies in more democracy, not less. That is why institutional transformation is at the heart of what we are proposing. Only by consolidating the state, promoting democracy and peace, and fighting corruption, can we lay the foundations for everything else we want to achieve and offer a better life to the Congolese people. To restore faith in democracy, we will invest in and rehabilitate the judiciary, to ensure its independence and impartiality.
In our manifesto that will be launched in the coming weeks, we are detailing our action plan for a large-scale transformation, encompassing institutional, economic, and social factors. Our plan carries not only the promises, but also the solutions to restore stability and security, to grow our economy by creating jobs, supporting small business and reducing the cost of living, to improve the quality of public service delivery, including full access to education and healthcare.
We have set specific, realistic, and measurable targets across indicators, ranging from growth and inflation to poverty and maternal mortality rates, by which we can be held accountable in the coming months and years. We have determined and assigned costs to each and every one of our proposals to ensure that they remain grounded in reality.
The positive impacts of a stable, secure, and prosperous DRC will be felt far beyond our borders. Under our plan, the DRC will play a key role in the global green energy transition, creating jobs and generating revenues for our people, as well as protecting and preserving the Congo rainforest – the second largest in the world after the Amazon.
The alternative is a continued deterioration of the security climate. This will further destabilize the region, causing increased levels of violence, uncontrollable spikes of diseases, unbearable poverty, and insurmountable numbers of human rights violations. Armed groups and mercenaries will proliferate, and thousands more, or even millions of citizens will be displaced. Free and fair elections on December 20 are essential if we are to avoid going down this destructive path.
As we prepare for the official start of the electoral campaign, we will continue to push for free and fair elections. We will continue to call for the release of those who were arbitrarily detained, and we will continue to demand justice for the victims of human rights violations. However, we will also focus our energies on making the case for a brighter future for our country. The current state of things must not distract us from the possibilities and the potential available to us. A stable, secure, and prosperous DRC is still within our grasp.
RDC : le processus électoral face à plusieurs défis–Civil Society Participation imperative ensuring Impartial Ethical Professional DRC 2023 Election
Monte McMurchy | Mar 10, 2022
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/rdc-le-processus-%C3%A9lectoral-face-%C3%A0-plusieurs-society-ethical-mcmurchy
“La Céni attend désormais le lancement des discussions sur les réformes électorales à entreprendre pour assurer le bon déroulement de la présidentielle de 2023. L’une des réformes majeures proposées pose pourtant encore problème du côté de l’opposition: il s’agit d’un scrutin uninominal majoritaire à un seul tour. Entre temps, Denis Kadima, le président de la commission électorale congolaise a fait le tour des grandes institutions de l’Etat, notamment la présidence, la primature et les deux chambres du Parlement en vue d’obtenir leur soutien à son plan électoral. … En effet, depuis 2011, après l’amendement de la constitution, l’article sur l’élection présidentielle à deux tours a été supprimé pour être remplacé par celui qui privilégie une élection à un seul tour. Le mode opératoire à suivre, notamment dans les élections provinciales fait aussi polémique. Des voix s’élèvent déjà pour dénoncer les dysfonctionnements des élections de 2018. … Certains cercles de réflexion en RDC doutent déjà de la tenue du scrutin en décembre 2023, notamment à cause de la question du financement. Le pays attend toujours une importante aide étrangère.”
DRCongo located in Central Africa independent since 1960 is a resource rich country blessed with minerals and timber furthered in natural beauty ideal for constructive eco-friendly tourism best known for inspiring Joseph Conrad’s polemic Heart of Darkness.
December 2018, DRCongo witnessed a much delayed Presidential Election resulting with the anointment appointment of Felix Tshisekedi by CENI—DRCongo Election Commission on less than objective electoral poll by poll evidence notwithstanding credible electoral information was reported to CENI with evidence to the contrary by the DRCongo Catholic Church Observer Group indicating Tschisekedi did not receive vote preponderance instead placed at best third in vote polling.
Thus far no poll by poll election vote details have been made available to the DRC public by CENI suggesting the December 2018 election was less than credible in electoral process procedure.
DRCongo is a country riven in social economic strife exacerbated by a leadership cadre in ethos kleptocratic enabled by periodic elections administered via a Potemkin State Executive controlled Election Management Body neither independent impartial professional ethical meaning the vote choice decision of the citizen is not being respected ensuring elite power privilege retention preservation.
2023 should witness in DRCongo a National Election unless the Potemkin DRCongo President Tshisekedi structures an Election delay for reasons obscure analogous to glissement inspired by his predecessor Joseph Kabila who generated numerous specious electoral delays for reasons self-serving in power privilege maintenance allowing time for dealmaking so he would not be subject to criminal proceedings specific to his disregard for constitutional rules inclusive in monetary theft from the State.
An Election in process procedure to excel normative in DRCongo’s febrile political social publics requires significant active participation by DRCongo’s National Civil Society Organizations from the ground up with inclusion of regional tribal Chiefs within CENI administrative election process as DRCongo National civil society organizations embedded within CENI Administration enhances assurance to DRC peoples ethical trust within the electoral institution—an election institution currently not trusted nor respected by the DRCongo peoples as an Institution ethical professional impartial.
Civic civil social electoral process inclusive of procedure must be grounded within a strict ethos of trust.
Trust in the Election Management Body being an institution impartial professional ethical.
Trust in the political actors in encouraging these political actors to reflect in advancing the better angels in DRCongo political economic civics.
Trust in the governance administrative process facilitating indirectly and directly the election process within an ethos impartial.
Trust in the DRCongo legal judicial institutions providing regulatory oversight in conducting the election.
Developing civic social trust means strengthening National Civil Society Organizations.
DRCongo’s Civil Society Organizations in Human Rights, Law, Academe, Health Care, Students, Political Party, Teachers, Public Administrators, Church, and the Creative Expressive Arts would be embedded within the Electoral Management Body—CENI along being legally privileged in attending each polling precinct bearing witness to the civic civil social electoral process in full entirety ensuring mitigation in electoral sharp practice.
DRCongo National Civil Society Organizations need to be sufficiently funded allowing Civil Society capacity to fully exercise prescriptive electoral responsibility inclusive with descriptive responsibility in Election Monitoring without reliance from International Election Observer Groups—Election Tourists.
Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo, wrote in 1960—“The day will come when history will speak… Africa will write its own history”.
DRCongo Civil Society participation within the electoral process I contend would have proven sufficient holding the December 2018 Election accountable in evidence impartial fact based truth.
DRCongo Civil Society Organizations are eminently capable competent in contributing to the electoral process procedure in logistic design concomitant in monitoring the vote inclusive in assuring to the DRC citizen the impartial tabulation of the vote by the Election Commission to an electoral standard normative.
In DRCongo publics, civics is subjected to extreme duress attributed willfully by the DRCongo Gangster Cadre whose desire is to maintain the status quo affording them continuance in theft pillage aided abetted by the enfeebled DRCongo State sadly lacking independent robust Administrative Institutions not entailed in fear.
CENI as an impartial professional ethical Election Management Body in DRCongo is farce manifold as CENI 2018 Leadership was corrupt and incompetent, lacking in conduct professional ethical resulting in perjury to the presidential vote count with Felix Tshisekedi’s appointment election as DRC President—President Potemkin Illegitimate electorally speaking, suggesting the 2023 National Election in DRCongo may prove being combustive in public electoral administrative conduct if National Civil Society Organizations continue to be financially hobbled in lacking sufficient election monitoring resources.
DRCongo is a State febrile vulnerable, being a State not administered in rules based law, instead, DRCongo is a state administered within a mien of exploitative gangsterism in skein corrupt where the law of might being right is paramount.
Required in DRCongo is prescriptive Electoral Process Procedure explicit in an impartial Professional Ethical Election Management Body charged with administrating National Elections an Election Management Body ethical professional impartial.
Ideally, election observation in the field is doing least harm.
National Civil Society Organizations are best equipped in knowing what is going wrong in the field as Nationals know best how to alleviate potential electoral logistic flaws prior to electoral flaws being embedded procedurally by the Election Management Body for reasons not necessarily probative positive to the Citizen Elector.
In regions of civic civil social electoral stress strife must be resource allocation dedicated to civic education concomitant in human rights trainings best conducted by National Civil Society Organizations.
Real democracy empowers the citizen in full unbridled civics inspiring citizen articulation in civic civil social empowerment within an ethos non violent—Even in electoral loss, citizens must feel safe and hopeful for their future.
Democracy is a messy conflictive dialectic process constantly evolving and mutating according to endogenous exigency.
Modern representative elections are governed by a complex body of rules known as an electoral system which may be considered as the social positive ethos reflecting governance institution to a standard of prescriptive probative conduct.
National Civil Society Organizations must be embedded fully within the civic civil social electoral process—a process which must be allowed to continue from one election cycle into the following election cycle as ad hoc International Election Observation Missions cannot trench fully into the nexus of an election in determining electoral civic malfeasance.
Election Tourists—International Election Observers I believe contribute to Election Management Body paralysis.
Specific to DRCongo’s venal social political publics, National Civil Society Publics embedded within the Election Management Body will inspire professional administrative aspirations concluding with an Election in process procedure impartial professional ethical.
Instead of scarce precious resources siphoned to International Electoral Missions, resource preference ought be allocated to National Civil Society Organizations affording professional intellectual tools inclusive with administrative logistics sufficient for complete forensic analytical series of ongoing electoral cycle assessments without fear or favour.
If Civil Society Organization strengthening was implemented in DRCongo in 2016 a debacle such as the DRC December 2018 election imbroglio might very well have been averted as advance signals suggesting electoral impropriety facilitated by the DRCongo EMB/CENI would have been detected and made public with proper appropriate evidence leading to electoral recalibration.
The civic civil social electoral process fails whenever the trust baseline is compromised, however marginal.
The West including the United Nations failed the peoples of DRCongo attributed to direct pusillanimous conduct in non action to CENI in 2018 election result disavowal indicating sadly there exists a double two tier standard in civic civil social electoral probity—one electoral standard for the West and another lesser electoral standard for the peoples in Africa—For me this is unacceptable.
Successful Elections are elections trust embedded.
Monte McMurchy LL.D.