Bonaventure Mbaya: he is a former minister, whose only feather on his political
cap is the fact that, he is member of the international socialists. He enjoys
talking about it or on how; he met so and so French minister or so and so,
French-speaking African minister or president, during an international
socialist gathering in Africa or in France. Besides those, Bonaventure
Mbaya has nothing to show. He is not a major political force in the forest of old
and young individuals who have made politics their profession. Congo is also one
of the rare countries in the region, besides Cameroon, Gabon and Equatorial
Guinea, where, when you ask the profession of someone, he/she could easily,
respond: politics. And to show that, politics is an important economic sector,
besides alcoholic industries and leisure investments or businesses, many
students in Congo are aspiring to become politicians. Bonaventure Mbaya is a prototype
of a real Congolese politician. He is a realist or a survivalist, who is
neither member of the two or three wings of the Congolese divided and weak
opposition. The Republic of Congo has two brands of opposition political
parties. The first are called the radicals, while the second are referred to,
as the Republicans and sometimes they are called moderates.
The first is led
by Mathias Dzon and assisted or seconded by Clement Mierassa, whereas the
second doesn’t have a clear cut leadership. Sometimes, the leader is either
Nicephore Antoine Fylla de Saint Eudes or Jean Michel Bokamba Yagouma, the
former trade unionists. Mr Yagouma is the trade union leader from northern
Congo, who brought down Denis Sassou Nguesso in 90s with his crippling strikes.
Denis Sassou Nguesso not only hated him, he took him for a traitor
because, Mr Yagouma is not only a native of the north, and more, they
are from the same administrative region, the Cuvette. Furthermore, they
speak the same language, the Mbouchi. Because of the trade union activities of
Mr Yagouma, he earned an infamous character in Denis Sassou Nguesso’s June 1997
book called The Mango Tree, The River and the Mouse. The mouse character in
question is Mr Bokamba Yagouma. Sadly or should I say, like a typical Congolese
politician would behave, Bokamba Yagouma has today crossed the carpet and is
firing full throttle for Denis Sassou Nguesso, his erstwhile enemy. Why? It was simply because, Bokamba doesn’t want
his daughter, to go to jail. The daughter of Bokamba is alleged to have
embezzled a lump sum in a local bank called LCB. And President Denis Sassou
Nguesso is reported to be the majority share, which stands at 64% and he is represented
on the board of the bank by a certain Hubert Pandino. Between the two
leading opposition forces latter mentioned, there is a third force also, but
that is allied to the ruling party. But Bonaventure Mbaya belongs strangely to
none, but he is reported to have flirted with them all.
His only hope
now is to become a government minister by all means. Hence, he doesn’t have a
clear cut ideology or position on major national political or social issues,
for fear of wrecking his promised and aspired ministerial post. I noticed that,
when I had him as guest on the 11th of July 2014 in
my programme La Grande Interview. Before he could come, it was Mr. Sylvetre
Ossiala MP, who first called to inform me that, Mbaya wanted to be invited in
my programme. What stroke me was that, Mr Ossiala invited me first to his house
and tried to condition me on what and how he wanted me to conduct the interview
with Bonaventure Mbaya. I accepted but told him that, I will conduct my
interview as I have always done and it will be left to Mr Mbaya to defend your project.
From there on, I concluded that, Bonaventure Mbaya was not operating alone. He
was a straw man of a presidential manipulative scheme. Since the ruling party
was determined to change the constitution, they hand many pliers in the fire to
use. And Mr Mbaya was one of them. On the constitution, Bonaventure Mbaya,
wants it to be changed in order to create the posts of 1st and 2ndvice
presidents and also a post of prime minister. Then, I asked him, this would be
added to the already existing posts of speakers of the upper and lower chambers
of parliaments?
He responded:
Yes. But where will the state get money from to finance all these institutions?
I asked back. He answered: this changes and propositions are needed and
necessary, for it was made or designed in a bid to satisfy all sections
and regions of the country that are currently marginalized by the minority
ethnic Mbouchis who are governing the country . And he added: Congo has a lot
of money. I concluded inwardly that, since he was a Socialist in his
political orientation, he was inclined to the tax and spending syndrome of his
western friends and in chief, the French socialists who have no thoughts
of saving for rainy days. Bonaventure Mbaya might be eloquent and intelligent,
but he is like most politicians in Congo that I have come across: corrupt or
corruptible. That is partly why Denis Sassou Nguesso has stayed longer in power,
because he knows how to buy over politicians. In my humble opinion, Mr
Mbaya has no character or personality. He gyrates whenever he senses a
ministerial post or money is dangled over to him and thus, he could be bought
over anytime. One good thing with him, because no one man can be all round bad,
he at least, has a political ideology: socialism. It is a luxury that most
Congolese or African politicians that I have met, seldom have. Most don’t even
know whether they are left or right, what they best know is how to plan
corruption and corrupt practices.
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