Mr. Bemba, the opposition leader in the Democratic--shall we share a laugh?--Republic of the Congo has left to seek medical attention in Portugal for his leg. Of course, this comes on the heels of his defeat in his bid for president last October. It seems he was willing to concede, but about 500 of his armed guards weren’t persuaded by the ballots. They refused to join the national army and opted instead to wage a bitter battle in the capital, leaving something like 600 people dead. Bemba himself was charged with treason, but those charges carry little weight since he is a senator and is thus enjoys immunity.
The fighting has ceased. But without a viable opposition (hitherto lead by Bemba), one has to wonder what will come of the DRC’s fledgling democracy. Democracy demands opposition. Maybe his leg was really in bad shape, but I have a hard time understanding how a man who can fly himself and his family out of the country in their personal Boeing Jet can’t find a doctor to come to him…house calls are out of fashion, I guess, but it’s amazing what checkbooks can do.
So, will he be back within the allotted 60 days to once again champion the little guys? (by little guys, of course, I mean the smaller assemblage of people willing to kill whomever may be about at the moment for their political ends). Or is this his graceful, bullet-free exodus, gone today never to return? No one could blame the guy for a medical cut and run, (well, limp, anyway) but where does this leave democracy in the DRC?
8 comments:
Interesting article, I wonder if he will return or if this is just his way of giving up. I couldnt agree more with the point that his return and opposition could be in the country's best interests, as competition is important for democracies.
But, is this really competition or poor sportsmanship? Did he really win or is he just playing the old African card of even though I didn't win, I'm going to say I did, and get enough guns together to prove that I did....?
I agree with "dr. d". I don't ever recall an african leader of any kind saying "Oh well. I lost, better leave with my tail between my legs." In my opinion, hes getting out before the capital explodes in civil war. Is he letting his guerrillas do his dirty work?
Scott, you stole my article!!! I think he will definitely be back. He has lived in the DRC almost his whole life and has been a huge businessman as well as a politician. It would be a huge surprise to me if he just left all of a sudden; he is attached to his country. It is not uncommon for wealthy people to go to Europe for health care because good health care in Africa is non-existent - most Congolese doctors work in other countries. Although there have been problems with the results of the elections, Mr. Bemba's reaction is not as bad as it could have been. Also, I do believe that President Kabila received the majority of the votes.
Is is possible he fears for his own life? challenging kabila could be dangerous and then running a muck in the capital after loosing...is is possible that Bemba is fleeing Kabila? would Kabila try and prove a point not to challenge him? is he trying to create another state like former Zaire?
someone help me out here...
I don't think Mr. Bemba is fleeing President Kabila... He still has a chance to win the presidential elections in the DRC in the future. He is also a big entrepreneur in the DRC. If President Kabila tried to plot against him (kill him), there would be uprisings and the country would go down the drain; and president Kabila knows this (he might not be the best president, but he's not an idiot).
A lot of the pessimism regarding the true purpose of Mr. Bemba's European visit is surely warranted - after all, the track record for most of the continent's leaders is not pretty: the President-for-life and President-at-all-costs types have utilized a variety of foul means - coup d'etat's, constitutional modification and the like to access/retain the political kingdom.
But this discussion also shows the extent to which these bad nuts have affected the continent. Allie, for instance, doesn't remember any African leader amicably accepting the loss of political power (You might want to look up the stories of Jerry Rawlings (Ghana), Abdou Diouf (Senegal), Mathieu Kerekou (Benin), etc). However the bigger issue is the extent to which past failures should be used to judge a continent/country. Because of the general pessimism regarding Africa, many of us (and remember, we're the ones that make up this abstract "international community" that we always talk about) are unwilling to offer countries the help they need to get up on their feet. The IMF showed a little faith in Ghana, and the resulting economic growth has permeated many aspects of the country's development, and surely helped Ghana transition from a military dictatorship to a fledgling democracy and to what now has the look of an entrenched democratic system.
Over the course of the semester we have learned about a lot of the rot that affects the continent. Yet I hope many realize the multi-faceted nature of these problems. Colonialism, the Cold War, Declining terms of trade, inefficient leadership and many other factors have contributed to the current state of affairs. Also remember how young these countries are - many have existed for less than 50 years, but are assessed on the same level as all other countries.
When you are at the bottom, the only place you can go is up, and I believe that is where Africa is headed. The mistakes were (perhaps necessary) learning experiences, and now the continent is on its way up. While we may not have totally banished the despots, there is a new wave of African leadership that is truly concerned about the developmental needs of their countries. There is also a new generation of Africans who are willing to fight tooth and nail to ensure that the continent realizes its full potential. As this moment though, most countries still need a helping hand, and this is where you come in. When you are in your positions of power in a few years, please do not simply eat up biased media reportage and believe that "its simply those Africans at it again". Do some research in order to understand the true nature of the situation; visit; invest; and convince others to do same. Today we need your help, but remember that the world is never static - tomorrow it might be your children asking for our assistance.
I think it is clear that Bemba is portraying poor sportsmanship, and it seems evident to me that the country would be better off with the second Kabila at the helm. In reference to Scott's original post, EVERYONE, including the most powerful in the DRC must travel abroad for any sort of semi-serious medical attention. This is because all medical facilities that exist in the DRC are simply inadequate.
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