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Congo-Kinshasa: Eric Joyce MP - There's Great Political Capacity
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United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Kinshasa)
INTERVIEW
18 April 2008
Posted to the web 18 April 2008
E. Young & N. Yacoubian
Eric Joyce MP, chairman of the British Parliament's Multiparty Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes, is visiting the DRC with two colleagues from 14-19 April 2008. He gave his impressions on the evolution of the peace process for the Kivu provinces, and explained his delegation's talks with counterparts from the DRC parliament in Kinshasa.
What are your impressions on the progress of the Kivu's peace process?
The democratic dimension is new and I think we can possibly help in small ways
We met CNDP, PARECO and Mai Mai representatives - they were extremely articulate and intelligent in explaining their cause. Whatever one thinks of the different arguments in the past -its history, the fact is that it looks like the whole process is moving in the right direction, and we're beginning to see results, although there's much more to come.
So you're satisfied with the results of the implementation of the process?
Yes, but you should never be satisfied and you should always be pushing for more, and I think there's more to come. Clearly things are always fragile to some degree, but having spoken to some of the main participants I'm very encouraged.
What was the outcome of your talks with the Congolese parliamentarians?
We met with the presidents of the Assembly and the Senate. We met with committees and commissions in areas such as natural resources and social issues, and I think there's a lot we can do to learn from each other, there's a great political capacity in the Congo, but the democratic dimension is new and I think we can possibly help in small ways.
You said that Congolese parliamentarians need to develop their own capacities. How are British parliamentarians going to help them?
We've noticed that it's very difficult in Congo to communicate with your constituency
We've noticed that it's very difficult in Congo to communicate with your constituency. Back in Britain, MP's communicate on the television or by writing letters or emails but this becomes more difficult in the Congo.
We think that there might be a lot more scope for communication with constituents through mobile phone messages, and through creative use of the radio. And that will give people a sense of who their member of parliament is, and then MPs will have a clearer sense of what their constituents want them to do in Kinshasa.
In which field do Congolese MPs need to improve their expertise?
MPs in the Congo have as much expertise as MPs in the UK. The difficult thing for the Congo is the democratic element. They're very skilled in politics, but in the practical areas that we continue to do over the years to be re-elected as MPs, I think in these areas we could usefully explore with the Congolese. But we can also learn things about the Congo and how the political system works here, and both of these things are important.
What are the biggest challenges for the Multiparty Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes?
I chair this group, which is the biggest group in the houses of parliament in London, and it shows how much interest there is in the Great Lakes region. The primary challenge for us is to understand the Congo and communicate that to our constituents, so that out constituents see just how important it is to improve the quality of the lives of the people all over Congo.
It's one world, and the more we visit and the more we receive politicians from the Congo the better life will be for all of us. That is why we are announcing tonight the formation of a Congo-UK parliamentary friendship.
Why was the Group founded?
The primary challenge for us is to understand the Congo and communicate that to our constituents
It was founded in 1998 when one of my colleagues visited the Great Lakes Region in the 1990's, and saw the great difficulties security wise, and the poverty which extends from this. We think that if one can start to deal with security capacity building, then the healthcare, the education and the infrastructure that the Congolese people so desperately need can be put in place.
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But one must begin in many respects by increasing that security capacity to keep people safe. Frankly MONUC have been doing a pretty good job as far as they can, but they can't do everything.
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| Copyright © 2008 United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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