Keynote speech by Judith Suminwa: “The trivialized economic, political and security crisis” (Eugène Diomi Ndongala)
After a "cockfight" between members of the office of the National Assembly, the Congolese were finally entitled to the presentation of the government program and the leaders of the executive carried to the baptismal font by Judith Suminwa, Prime Minister of DR Congo.
For Eugène Diomi Ndongala, who closely followed this event, from a formal point of view, the elephantine nature of the government which has just been invested by the National Assembly fits poorly with the stated desire to reduce the lifestyle of institutions.
The large number of former ministers from the previous Sama Lukonde 1 and 2 government does not allow a new wind to blow through this executive.
“It is not by chance that some observers nicknamed this executive Sama Lukonde 3,” he said.
Regarding the “so-called” pillars of government action, he continues, it is above all the prioritization of objectives which is surprising.
Indeed, rather than finding, at the first place of the "pillars" of this program, the return to peace and the fight against the "destructive predation" of the elites who give themselves an absolute right to "harvest" the money of the Congolese taxpayer, a series of objectives (called pillars) have been listed which can be the result of good economic management, but which are not directly achievable, without a real macro-economic recovery of the DRC.
Indeed, the revival of employment, contrary to what Judith Suminwa said, can never be obtained by the "discovery of niches" in the current socio-economic panorama of an "economy in crisis".
Employment could be increased by a revival of productive investment, in industry (still embryonic, in the DRC), extensive agriculture or a Keynesian public works policy.
In a country like DR Congo, which has fallen, according to the latest data on its GDP (gross domestic product) published by the IMF (International Monetary Fund), to fourth place among the poorest countries in the world, reversing the order of priorities is a serious mistake that the Congolese can no longer afford.
What can we say about the security crisis situation affecting the DRC?
"It is barely touched upon by the Prime Minister, with a certain lightness, whereas without pacification of the DRC, through a broad inclusive political dialogue, the objectives of her government will be a vague inventory of good intentions."
According to Diomi Ndongala, it is still very serious that no serious action is envisaged to help the 7.5 million war-displaced people who have lived, until today, on 150 francs per year, per person. , mobilized by the previous government!
The same analysis is valid for the stated desire to highlight the protection of the purchasing power of the Congolese, as a “pillar” of government action.
More than an objective in itself, "this pillar of government can be seriously achieved only in a context of relaunching internal agricultural production (to achieve food autonomy), but also industrialization which could balance the balance of payments and make the economy less dependent on foreign currency imports and, consequently, the currency more stable against the dollar.
The promotion of sport, culture or the desired "universal" health coverage are noble objectives, although always dependent on the restoration of macro-economic balances and a fight, without sparing, against the "destructive predation" of leaders who appropriate huge portions of the national budget, making it impossible to implement essential reforms in the Army, the Civil Service, Justice and Administration, without which the public service can never be effective.
The general impression given by the excessively light and optimistic tone of the executive's keynote speech, "is that of a leader who does not want to assume the seriousness of the situation which is overwhelming the DRC at the moment", according to this leader Ne Kongo.
The economic, security, political and humanitarian crises have simply been trivialized, certainly so as not to overwhelm the previous Sama-Lukonde government, which has become legendary for its passivity in the face of the serious problems that have shaken the Democratic Congo in recent years, he believes.
“This is not surprising, given that many of the current ministers served in the previous government, including Ms. Suminwa herself.”
This tendency to trivialize the real situation of economic and political crisis in the DRC is not surprising and we find it in the inflated figures of future national budgets.
Planning for an increase in the budget which would be fueled exclusively by the tax base and external budgetary cooperation appears unrealistic, without a pacification of the DRC and a revival, through investment, of internal production, the war having the unfortunate tendency to absorb all the meager resources available.
Without forgetting the average interest rate on the public debt portfolio which was contracted entirely by the previous government and which also weighs heavily on the national budget.
Not highlighting the fight against corruption is a negligence which risks destroying the efforts of governmental praxis, even if the "famous pillars" of its action were placed in the right hierarchical order.
Denying the seriousness of the situation, through a complacent diagnosis of the ills that are gnawing at the country, is never a good attitude.
"This is why I fear that the weaknesses of previous Sama-Lukonde governments 1 and 2 could be repeated in the government of Ms. Suminwa, herself a member of this executive.
This is why I invite Ms. Suminwa to give a chance for peace in the DRC and to add to the "pillars" of the action of its government, the fight against destructive predation which has impoverished the entire nation and which risks seriously hampering the action of its executive, if corruption, embezzlement, over-invoicing as well as budgetary surpluses allocated to institutions are not immediately controlled", concluded Eugène Diomi Ndongala.
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