Today, newly-elected Congolese President Joseph Kabila was sworn in. His inaugural speech included several references to rebirth, renewal, even of a revolution in the Congo. And anything short of that would be futile in the great DRC.Joseph Kabila, and all the elected institutions of the country are embarking in a very long, and arduous journey, during which public scrutiny is going to be higher than it has ever been in the history of the country. The need to deliver will very early creep up on them, and they will have to be ready to face those presing demands. Despite his having been at the helm of the country during this painful transition, Kabila still has a lot to prove, in terms of his capacity to "bring back the country to normalcy", as Kinshasa newspaper Le Potentiel puts it, and to be able to lead the country towards an era of ideas, innovation and integrity, rather than one of corruption and destruction.
Kabila also faces the need to appoint a prime minister,nd form a government cabinet that will inspire the trust and confidence of the people. This is rather hard to do, as many politicians in the elite have already been seen at the task, in the various dictatorial administrations, and their capital of credibility is VERY low. How to operate that delicate balance between bringing in new blood, carefully choosing among those that have experience in running the country, and keeping political allies happy, will be one of the hardest tasks Kabila will face, second only to pacifying the country, and reinvingorating the economy.
There is work to be done here, and it's about time we started. Kabila needs to know that the hopes of an entire nation, and an entire continent are upon his shoulders. How he deals with that responsibility will establish his place in the annals of History. Mobutu started-off fairly well, and gave the country a lot of hope,despite his dictatorial tendencies. He then proceeded to squander all of that good will from the people, by plundering the country, along with his Western allies. Kabila has tolearn from History, otherwise, he may end up, like Mobutu, in the "trash can" of History.
Let those who have ears...
There is also another Congolese blogger that analyzes the situation HERE. I may not agree with everything, but it is very insightful, and I recommend it.
Congo kino liwa!
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Have you heard that Bemba is running for senate? He's seeking a Kinshasa seat, so he'll probably win easily, and his short-term goal might be the senate presidency.
Maybe you can answer a question: will the incoming senate have 48 members from 11 provinces, or 108 members from 26 provinces? If the latter, the balance should favor the west even more strongly.
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