Jean-Jacques Bouya MP: - He
is a Member of Parliament for the Tchikapika electoral constituency. Tchikapika
sub district and village, is situated some 23km from Oyo. And Oyo, in itself is a district, with its
district capital having the same name.
Mr Jean-Jacques Bouya is also minister delegate at the Presidency of the
Republic in charge of Major Public Works and in Congo, the major public works
ministry is known as Ministere des Grand Travaux. His appointment to this
strategic post was the handy work of another nephew of the President, Edgard
Nguesso. The idea behind the creation of what is called today in Congo as Grand
Travaux was inspired by a similar institution created in Ivory Coast under late
Ivorian president, Felix Houphouet Boigny. In Ivory Coast, the equivalent of
the Congolese Grand Travaux is known as BNETD or Bureau National d’Etude Techniques
et du Development , which was created by a July 1964 presidential decree[i]. The creation of Grand Travaux, a specialized body, directly
attached to the office of the President shows at least that, in spite violently
making a second come back to power in 1997, Denis Sassou Nguesso wanted to
improve on his calamitous past experience as head of state. That is,
from 1979 to 1992.
Transformed Congo
Hence the appointment
of someone, whom he thought, could help him achieve his goal to leave Congo with
infrastructure that could contribute in making her to become a major social and
economic player within the sub region and also on the continent. Denis Sassou
Nguesso may have veered away from his original plans for his country and the sub
region in term of economic and social angles development, for he had promised
in his 1997 book to make Congo a paradise of Democracy. But he has instead made
Congo a hell of dictatorship with seedy practices of corruption and nepotism. His promises are synonymous to that of his predecessor, Pascal Lissouba. It
should be recalled that, Pascal Lissouba promised to make Congo a little
Switzerland in Africa, but at the end, he left Congo a little Yugoslavia in
Africa. Today, Denis Sassou
Nguesso bans or suspends internet, he does not like free press, arrest his
opponents and has in one word, transformed Congo into a dictatorship but, that
doesn’t remove the fact that, he has carried out major infrastructural projects
that has changed Congo and that will be of benefit to the country long after he
has left power or as it is now evident, when he dies in power.
For all what he has
done in term of infrastructural development, had Denis Sassou Nguesso not opted
to become second Robert Mugabe, Paul Biya or Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, he would
have been feted in Congo and around the continent as a great statesman. But
unfortunately, Denis Sassou Nguesso has disappointed even me who used to be his
fan. He has become a cheap dictator, whose legacy would be trampled upon and
forgotten just like that of his neighbor, late Field Marshal Mobutu. Those said or written, Jean-Jacques Bouya is a
pilot by profession and also a nephew to the President of the Republic. Mr
Bouya is known by his detractors and even by some of his admirers as “Pepe Kale”
because of his imposing height akin to that of the late DRC musician. And
because of the post that he is manning, he has become one of the richest men in
Congo. Whether people like it or not, history will note that, Jean-Jacques
Bouya is the one through whom, President Denis Sassou Nguesso has earned some
degree of respects amongst ordinary Congolese. He is perhaps the best political
appointment that Denis Sassou Nguesso has ever made since he came back to power
in 1997. For Jean-Jacques Bouya is different from other members of the ruling
Nguesso clan. He is hard working and is not the show and tell type of his
cousins.
His successes
His only traits of
show and tell or display of financial and political power is his motorcade,
which has sirens blaring, whenever he
leaves his house located in Nkombo-Matari north of Brazzaville for the office
in heart of the Business District of Brazzaville. The blaring sirens are
noticed whenever he leaves office en-route for his house. Besides that, he is a
very simple and accessible man, who easily answers phone calls. Jean-Jacques Bouya MP , like any other human
being, certainly has his weaknesses, but one thing that can’t be denied about him is that, he deserved to be credited for
laying the groundwork for almost all the major infrastructural constructions, currently taking placing around
the country such as: bridges, roads, hospitals and hydro-electric dams. If
today a 533km macadamized road has been constructed, linking Pointe Noire, the
port city and commercial hub of the country with Brazzaville, the political and
administrative capital, it is thanks to Jean-Jacques Bouya. Since Congo’s
independence from France in 1960, both cities have never been linked with a
macadamized road. The only link was by rail or by air.
It is a major success.
But if the road construction project was handled by any other member of the
ruling Nguesso family or the many corrupt friends of the president of the
Republic, that project won’t have ever seen the light of day. Elsewhere, it is
normal for such projects to be initiated and completed, but in Congo under
Denis Sassou Nguesso, it is almost impossible to see projects starts and gets
finish. Hence, the Pointe Noire –Brazzaville road is a feat to be credited to
Jean-Jacques Bouya and also to President Denis Sassou, for having for once, not
listened to rumors and blackmail directed toward his savior of a nephew. For
one weak point with President Denis Sassou Nguesso is that, he gives or listens
to rumors and slanders. But Jean Jacques Bouya has proven that, projects, no
matter how great and large they might be, when they start, they must be
completed.
Lack of accountability
Jean-Jacques Bouya has
done well, however some might point to the fact that, in the entire massive infrastructural
construction spree in the country, there is no accountability in what he does,
for he reports directly to his uncle. Besides the questions on accountability,
some Congolese and specialists in the areas also questions the viability of
some of the infrastructural projects, which he carries out and which is normal.
As for Jean-Jacques Bouya, he is of the opinion that, all projects launched are
viable because Congo had nothing to show in term of infrastructure. Having raised all those points one can’t deny
that, Congo under the second violent coming of Denis Sassou Nguesso has
changed. It has modern airports, stadia,
hospitals and for the first time in its history, the far north that is forested
is connected to the coast. And the architect of this change is Jean Jacques
Bouya. Hence he is called the redeemer of Denis Sassou Nguesso. It must be said
that, before, Denis Sassou Nguesso had never successfully achieved such major
construction spree, until he appointed his nephew to coordinate the
infrastructural revival of a country that is rich in oil and having a tiny
population, who are paradoxically living in abject poverty. The wealth of the
country is in the hands of a happy few members of the ruling Nguesso family
with their well connected friends. This last
point has not changed, for Congo remains an unequal society where corruption is
rift.
As for Jean-Jacques
Bouya, whatever the short comings or criticisms leveled against him, honesty
requires that, praise should be given to him for having proven that, it is
possible to do things correctly in a country with endemic corruption. And the paradox
is that, the decried corruption and laissez faire attitude are almost always
carried out by the very parents and family members of the President of the
Republic. For Denis Sassou Nguesso has instituted a culture of impunity within
his large family and also amongst his friends and people gravitating around his
children. While Jean-Jacques Bouya might be accused of being corrupt, he is, as
already mentioned, very different from most Congolese, especially some members
of the ruling Nguesso family, who have before him had the same position, but
were unable to achieve what he has done in Congo in a span of a decade. The
founded reproaches being made against him nonetheless are that, most of the
projects embarked upon are not well executed and also that, the feasibility
studies are either opaque with little or
no accountability given to the public on
the real cost of projects. Then there are the social and environmental aspects
of most of the major infrastructural projects that seems to have been largely
neglected.
The Imbolou hydro-electric dam fiasco
Some experts’ claims
that, the Imbolou hydro electric dam is an example of a project carried out
with proper studies of it viability or the social and environmental impact.
Hence those experts claim it has failed in generating sufficient energy to stop
Congo’s reliance on the Inga dam in the DRC and the Imbolou has created
environmental degradation around Imbolou. He may have failed with other
projects, but in my opinion, his greatest fiasco is the Imbolou hydro electric dam,
located north of the capital. It was expected that, upon its completion, it
will end the endemic load shading in the capital. It has been a monumental
flop. Power supply in Brazzaville is still erratic. Furthermore, some
specialists blame him for neglecting the much more viable Sounda dam, which it
is claim has far more greater generating capacity and would have partially or
wholly solve the problem of erratic power supply in the country. These same
specialists are of the opinion that, the Imbolou hydro electric dam was constructed
because of geostrategic reason, since it is located in the north of the
capital. While Sounda dam was abandoned because it is located in the south of
Congo.
Sinophile
Jean-Jacques Bouya is
also accused of being too close to China and some have even gone the extra mile
of accusing him of having mortgaged the country to the Chinese. There are even
some who claim that, he has some secret financial dealings with Chinese in
particular the China Exim Bank. While others adds that, he is the financial
straw man of his uncle of a President, hence their mutual love for China. May I
stress here on that, it was difficult to corroborate any of those floated
claims because nobody was willing to speak. But one thing is certain, he is an
unapologetic Sinophile and without the President of the Republic putting some
breaks, he would have awarded all infrastructural projects in Congo to the
Chinese. The other nationals
that he seems to like when it comes to the award of contracts are the Brazilians.
The reason according to Jean-Jacques
Bouya, is simple, Brazilians and their company in Congo, Andrade Gutierrez,
knows how to work or knows best how to construct roads in Congo because, Congo
seems to have the same topography with Brazil. While the soft spoken Bouya,
variously known as the redeemer of Denis Sassou Nguesso or the builder of
modern Congo, is busy building the infrastructure of the country, he is also
laying the foundation for his political ambitions. He has like is Cousin Jean
Dominique Okemba, been able to influence appointments of people close to him at
strategic posts in the country. It is reported that, it is thanks to his
influence that, Mrs. Catherine Embondzo Lipiti was appointed minister for the integration
in development and promotion of Women. Prior to her appointment as minister, Mrs.
Catherine Embondzo Lipiti was secretary general at the Ministry of Major Public
Works or Grand Travaux. She has been a success.
Appointment of Serge Bouya
However where he has
failed woefully, as he had done with his Imbolou hydro electric dam project, is having made his younger brother, Serge
Bouya to be appointed deputy managing Director of the Pointe Noire Autonomous
Ports. Pointe Noire is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and it is
the largest city and economic capital of Congo. And its deep sea port is
reported by Bollore Africa Logistics, the concessioners or managers of the port
to be one of the best in West Africa. For large vessels with the capacity of
carrying 7 thousand containers can berth there without any difficulties. It was
a scandal of monumental proportion to have Serge Bouya, a pathological failure
to be appointed as deputy director of such as vital port. For Serge Bouya, a former
MP for Ouenze is an embodiment of mediocrity and his appointment was the
manifestation of crass nepotism of the Sassou Nguesso regime. It demonstrated
in broad daylight that, in Congo under Denis Sassou Nguesso incompetent people
are given post that, they don’t deserve, simply because they are connected to
the ruling Nguesso family. The younger brother of Jean-Jacques Bouya by name
Serge Bouya can hardly express himself in French after spending years at the
Marien Ngouabi University. His appointment is exactly what and why Congolese
having hated the ruling Nguesso family.
Potential successor
Jean-Jacques Bouya is
today because of his wealth and also the connections that his wealth has bought
and brought for him become a potential successor to his uncle. For all the
Nguessos, because of wealth and political powers from their father and uncle
wants or are all aspiring to govern Congo. But the racing track to succeed President
Denis Sassou Nguesso is already crowded by his own family members, especially
the son of his uncle, Denis Christel Sassou Nguesso and many other nephews of
his uncle. Mr Bouya’s greatest rival for the succession of their uncle is Jean
Dominique Okemba. Sadly, although the entire family is ganging up against Jean
Dominique Okemba, the President may have already chosen him (Jean Dominique
Okemba) to succeed him. In addition, Jean Dominique Okemba has the civilian and
military network at his service and he is capable of destabilizing Jean-Jacques
Bouya at all times. But between Jean–Jacques Bouya and Jean Dominique Okemba,
the one who can or who has something positive to show to Congolese, is the
first. The second, rightly or wrongly, is more often than not, associated with
everything that is negative with the rule of Denis Sassou Nguesso. Jean Jacques
Bouya may have the credit of having contributed in changing Congo in term of infrastructure
and he also have lot of money, but, he doesn’t have the political and security
apparatus to backup his ambition, if he has one. The banker of President Denis
Sassou Nguesso as a person has no future politically in Congo after Denis
Sassou Nguesso, but with his amassed wealth, he could become a formidable
kingmaker of a sort, should he decides to.
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