The Democratic Republic of Congo’s information minister dismissed accusations President Joseph Kabila’s government has failed the country ahead of Wednesday’s parliamentary vote on the future of the administration.
Lambert Mende said supporters of President Kabila will vote favorably to retain his administration in order to complete his term of office.
“It is a vote against the government as a whole, not only the prime minister. The government was attacked by opposition leaders that there is bad governance…and we think that the majority (parliamentarians) will defend its government. But, we have to wait and see what will happen…and see what parliament will decide,” he said.
Opposition groups are demanding a vote of no-confidence in President Kabila’s government after accusing the administration of failing to keep its promises to solve the country’s problems.
President Joseph Kabila
The opposition cited growing insecurity in several parts of the country that they say have often led to scores of dead Congolese, thousands of internally displaced persons, as well as destroyed properties - - charges information minister Mende sharply denies.
“This is the usual speech of the opposition all over the world. There is no opposition that will say the government they oppose is doing something…to be honest, everybody here can see whatever is going on in this country. We are rebuilding, as it has never been done since (the) 1960’s,” Mende said.
He also said that the government has been able to restore the confidence of the post war Bretton Woods monetary institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, in the country’s ability to repay its debt.
The Congolese government has recently achieved relative peace after years of rebel group insurgencies by signing peace accords with different armed groups aimed at resolving the insecurity problem, especially in the restive north and south Kivu provinces.
But, the former combatants often threaten to begin another round of insurgency after accusing President Kabila’s government of abdicating its responsibilities stipulated in the peace accords.