UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
4 Mar
2009
Press Review DRC
Today's Kinshasa press focuses on the extraordinary session of Parliament and Senate that opened Wednesday to examine and adopt several bills of law.
The current extraordinary session of the Congolese Parliament and Senate opened Wednesday 7 January 2004, after President Joseph Kabila on Tuesday 6 January 2004 issued a decree convening the session and setting its agenda.
L'OBSERVATEUR says the lawmakers will examine the draft laws authorising temporary credit lines, the proposed organic laws on the organization, role and functioning of political parties, the draft laws regarding the budget for 2004, the proposed laws on national defence and the army, as well as the draft laws on centralization and amnesty.
'Joseph Kabila is deeply concerned over the slow paced work within the National Assembly and Senate. Indeed, for lack of time, the MPs and senators on 5 January 2004 concluded their October 2003 ordinary session without completing examination of several proposed laws', reports LE POTENTIEL, explaining that ' Instead of working out political and technical strategies, the lawmakers wasted their time on political games'.
As well as inviting the MPs to show 'more commitment', the Chairman of Parliament, Olivier Kamitatu, quoted in LE PALMARES, 'urges the government to submit to Parliament without delay the various draft laws'. The paper also says, 'The Senate regrets that the decree convening this session did not include an agenda for the drafting of the Constitution, an exclusive task of the Senate'. The MPs will resume the session on Friday to begin examining the different items on agenda, LE PALMARES says.
The MPs should demonstrate 'a sense of urgency', LE POTENTIEL's editorial recommends, 'especially because President Kabila, in his New Year's nationwide address, committed to holding elections at all levels within the timeframe prescribed by the Global and Inclusive Agreement'
According to LA REFERENCE PLUS, Mr. Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma, Vice President of the Transitional Government in charge of Social and Cultural Affairs, held on Tuesday a long meeting with the senators, MPs and ministers from the political opposition in order to examine 'the advances and uncertainties in the transitional process'.
He was quoted as saying, 'Like the year 2003, this year 2004 begins with the promise of hope, tempered by uncertainty, regarding the ongoing transitional process'. Looking back, he goes on saying, 'As a component group (of the Inter Congolese Dialogue), the political opposition, fought a tough battle for human rights, good governance, democracy, transparency and for a rule of law'. However, he added, 'the ongoing political transition is hampered by a poor economy in a country in need of reconstruction, a country challenged by misery, ignorance and fear of the future. Meeting the challenge of this transition requires paying attention to the needs of the people, massively investing in social programmes and restoring the dignity of the people'
According to FORUM DES AS, 'the actors of the transition are increasing coming under pressure'. In order to prevent a prolonged transitional period, the paper says, 'The civil society (meaning civil groups and NGOs) already is mobilising its forces toward exerting pressure on the leaders of the transition'
L'OBSERVATEUR says the lawmakers will examine the draft laws authorising temporary credit lines, the proposed organic laws on the organization, role and functioning of political parties, the draft laws regarding the budget for 2004, the proposed laws on national defence and the army, as well as the draft laws on centralization and amnesty.
'Joseph Kabila is deeply concerned over the slow paced work within the National Assembly and Senate. Indeed, for lack of time, the MPs and senators on 5 January 2004 concluded their October 2003 ordinary session without completing examination of several proposed laws', reports LE POTENTIEL, explaining that ' Instead of working out political and technical strategies, the lawmakers wasted their time on political games'.
As well as inviting the MPs to show 'more commitment', the Chairman of Parliament, Olivier Kamitatu, quoted in LE PALMARES, 'urges the government to submit to Parliament without delay the various draft laws'. The paper also says, 'The Senate regrets that the decree convening this session did not include an agenda for the drafting of the Constitution, an exclusive task of the Senate'. The MPs will resume the session on Friday to begin examining the different items on agenda, LE PALMARES says.
The MPs should demonstrate 'a sense of urgency', LE POTENTIEL's editorial recommends, 'especially because President Kabila, in his New Year's nationwide address, committed to holding elections at all levels within the timeframe prescribed by the Global and Inclusive Agreement'
According to LA REFERENCE PLUS, Mr. Arthur Z'ahidi Ngoma, Vice President of the Transitional Government in charge of Social and Cultural Affairs, held on Tuesday a long meeting with the senators, MPs and ministers from the political opposition in order to examine 'the advances and uncertainties in the transitional process'.
He was quoted as saying, 'Like the year 2003, this year 2004 begins with the promise of hope, tempered by uncertainty, regarding the ongoing transitional process'. Looking back, he goes on saying, 'As a component group (of the Inter Congolese Dialogue), the political opposition, fought a tough battle for human rights, good governance, democracy, transparency and for a rule of law'. However, he added, 'the ongoing political transition is hampered by a poor economy in a country in need of reconstruction, a country challenged by misery, ignorance and fear of the future. Meeting the challenge of this transition requires paying attention to the needs of the people, massively investing in social programmes and restoring the dignity of the people'
According to FORUM DES AS, 'the actors of the transition are increasing coming under pressure'. In order to prevent a prolonged transitional period, the paper says, 'The civil society (meaning civil groups and NGOs) already is mobilising its forces toward exerting pressure on the leaders of the transition'
