Wednesday, October 17, 2012

THE FUTURE OF EASTERN CONGO IS NOT IN DRC


THE FUTURE OF EASTERN CONGO IS NOT IN DRC

Everybody knows that Congolese have turned playing the ‘victim’ into an art form. And it has worked for them. While any other people in any given country the size of DRCongo would never dare play victim of a much smaller country wrongfully accused, the Congolese authorities have no shame portraying their weakness and dishonesty.
Thankfully, the international community is starting to wake up and realize that the issue of governance is at the heart of the Congolese issue.

Whenever Congolese leaders talk about Congolese issues, they always make it seem like the Rwanda’s purported involvement in Eastern Congo was the cause of each and every malaise that Congolese citizens suffer. This is one of the hints on their irresponsibility and lack of integrity when it comes to real leadership.
Rwanda isn’t the reason there was presidential electoral fraud in DRC. It isn’t the reason that the Kinshasa administration is unable to deliver the most rudimentary services to the Congolese population. It isn’t the reason that there aren’t any roads of note cross-crossing the country.
During the Kinshasa Francophonie Summit, French President Francois Hollande described the political and human rights situation in DR Congo as “totally unacceptable in terms of human rights, democracy and the recognition of the opposition”. Canada’s Prime Minister’s view on DRC was that it is a “complete unacceptability of failures in the electoral process and the abuse of human rights that are taking place in this country.” speaking of DRC government.
Needless to say that Eastern part of Congo is the most affected part of the country with an astronomical number of victimized population.
The question now in the minds of Eastern Congolese is this: Is it worth living under the ineffective, irresponsible unitary system under a corrupt regime? Is there any hope for the people of Kivus in terms of security, peace, development and human rights? Can DRC as a state secedes?

There are three levels on which this last question can be answered:

1. The inalienable right of secession,

2. The international law of secession, and

3. The DRC law of secession.
All three say yes.

Eastern Congolese people are proned to be a seceding people who do not necessarily claim that the DRC government has violated its trust (even if it so often has ). And even if the claim is made, there is no attempt to overthrow the current government and replace it with a better one. Indeed, as a seceding people some Eastern Congolese may even think that the government is not especially unjust.(even if it is). What they seek, however, is to be left alone to govern themselves as they see fit.    
 
Finally, the Eastern Congo secession is the only hope and solution left for Congolese people if they are to be lifted out poverty, have their human rights respected, their areas developped, and have access to basic infrastructures and government servives. 
Indeed, the International Community must encourage and support Eastern Congo secession through peaceful means such as referendum instead of waiting for violent actions in the search for change of the social order through withdrawal and self-government.