DRC- Political Parties or messianic Cults to Leaders?

Our political parties offer messianic cults to leaders. Is it a wrong imitation of the colonization concept or a bad understanding of the idea from day one at the granting of our country’s independence? Who knows?  But One thing is for sure, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the essence and the definition of a political party has nothing to do with the one found in an Oxford dictionary ,and even worse, its implementation within the society’s day-by-day life is bitterly disappointing.

Let’s rewind our time scale till years around 1959-1960, years of our country’s independence. Many political parties were run with tribal and regional coloration such as the ABAKO of Joseph KASA-VUBU or CONAKAT of Moise TSHOMBE. Already then, egocentric thoughts came from certain leaders; BOLIKANGO and NENDAKA decided to separate themselves from the MNC of Patrice Emery LUMUMBA to create their own political parties namely MNC NENDAKA and MNC BOLIKANGO. The avidity of power was already taking over on the commitment and availability to serve the country’s interests.

The creation of the MPR “Mouvement Populaire de la Revolution” or “  Mobutu President of the Republic” in 1967 will be the highest spot reached of these messianic political parties where cults were offered  to Mobutu with such an unconditional commitment . He capitalized the bad mentality of a party confused with the State imposing to all the nation to praise and worship him with celebrations worthy of those given to despots such as Stalin, Adolf Hitler, El Duce Mussolini or even Alexander the Great. The mentality of the “man of the 24^th November” as he was nicknamed was not swept away with him on the 17 th may 1997 because up to nowadays, 14 years after his exit to exile, political parties in DRC praise, worship and divinize their leaders like during SESE SEKO’ s Regime.  32 years, I will correct myself, 37 years of a nightmare; we have not learnt much of a lesson. O tempora O mores! Naïve our fathers were, blind and immature, we are today! 

In France, François Mitterand is long gone but “La Gauche- the Left” remains unchanged; Jacques Chirac is no longer the head if state but “ La Droite- The Right” still exist and it is still going strong.  In the U.S, Ronald Reagan is 6 meters under the ground but the Republicans are still carrying the flag; Bill Clinton is no longer the first citizen in the country but the Democrats are back in power with his wife Hilary and President Barak Obama.

Let’s have together a small time of suggestions; let’s imagine the sudden death of Joseph Kabila Kabange, Etienne Tshisekedi, Vital Kamerhe or even  Honoré Ngbanda. I will put my head on the block confirming that neither PPRD, neither UDPS, neither UNC nor APARECO will survive the lost of their leader as a political entity. Political parties in our country emphasize a lot on the moral person, leader of the group instead of rooting the foundation of the ideology and principles of the organization to be passed from generation to generations for the interest of the Congolese nation.  

In South Africa, where we live, tensions within the ANC political spheres are resolved without any division or departure from members of the leadership taking away with them 40% of the party’s members or voters.  Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Thabo Mbeki, they all had their time; Jacob Zuma is running his right now; they will all pass and the ANC will remain continuing its way to the top. It has been that way since 1908.

For the growth, evolution and maturity of our political standard as a nation, please, let’s avoid creating political parties which will disappear with the death of the leader or those which exist only to enrich the elite increasing the level of poverty of the Congolese people.