UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
10 Mar
2009
Press Review of 14 October 2005
Suspension of the teachers' strike is the dominant subject in today's local press. The press also comments on the recent communiqué issued by the International Committee to Support the Transition known as CIAT, urging the DRC government to submit the electoral law to the Parliament.
'The teachers' general assembly held yesterday decided to lift the strike until 31 December 2005,' reports L'Avenir. As a result, 'they appealed to all the teachers to resume work on Monday 17 October,' further says L'Observateur. This implies, 'they have given a three-month grace period to the government to show its good faith,' estimates Le Palmarès. 'Their employer, the DRC government, made a number of promises to fulfil by 20 October, amongst others, a regular payment of teachers' salary on the 20th of every month,' reveals Le Phare. Moreover, 'besides being resolved to participate in the preparation of the 2006 budget, teachers not only refused to play the role of stooge (') but also remained opposed to the resumption of practices such as their being sponsored by parents,' highlights Le Phare, pro-opposition paper. It is therefore 'out of the question to renegotiate the Mbudi agreement that decided [208 dollars salary for a bailiff and 2080] for a secretary-general which they already take for granted,' warns L'Avenir.
Quite obviously, the lifting of the teachers' strike gives the government 'a shot in the arm,' estimates Le Phare since the 'strike was going to rock the entire government (') with a No-School-Year threat looming on the horizon,' writes Le Palmarès [pro opposition paper]. To make the most of the 'grace period given by the teachers,' says [L'Observateur], 'President Joseph Kabila signed 12 decrees yesterday giving permanent status to the Kinshasa-based teachers,' informs Le Palmarès. 'The administrative adjustment, recommended since 1991, would help the teachers to be definitely hired by the public administration and accordingly, avoid arbitrary firing by their superior in the hierarchy,' explains Le Phare. The Head of State has therefore 'confirmed his willingness to sort out the teachers' administrative situation through signing the decrees,' says the independent paper, La Référence Plus.
With respect to the DRC political transition, 'CIAT has denounced government slowness,' in preparing the electoral law, points out Le Potentiel. They are right for 'the National Assembly submitted the preliminary draft electoral law to the government on 25 July,' recalls Le Phare. 'CIAT's laying into the DRC government tooth and nail is therefore quite normal,' estimates Le Palmarès. 'The inexplicable delay is likely to disrupt the electoral calendar,' warns Le Phare. However, 'if the government is giving the impression of dragging feet, it is merely due to protracted wrangling that has picked up again within the hemicycle and that risks undermining proceedings on sensitive issues such as the law on amnesty without which the key belligerents would not feel reassured to go to the elections,' believes Le Phare. All the same, 'CIAT has applauded the registration of nearly 17 million voters across the 11 provinces of the DRC by the Independent Electoral Commission,' underscores Le Potentiel.
Quite obviously, the lifting of the teachers' strike gives the government 'a shot in the arm,' estimates Le Phare since the 'strike was going to rock the entire government (') with a No-School-Year threat looming on the horizon,' writes Le Palmarès [pro opposition paper]. To make the most of the 'grace period given by the teachers,' says [L'Observateur], 'President Joseph Kabila signed 12 decrees yesterday giving permanent status to the Kinshasa-based teachers,' informs Le Palmarès. 'The administrative adjustment, recommended since 1991, would help the teachers to be definitely hired by the public administration and accordingly, avoid arbitrary firing by their superior in the hierarchy,' explains Le Phare. The Head of State has therefore 'confirmed his willingness to sort out the teachers' administrative situation through signing the decrees,' says the independent paper, La Référence Plus.
With respect to the DRC political transition, 'CIAT has denounced government slowness,' in preparing the electoral law, points out Le Potentiel. They are right for 'the National Assembly submitted the preliminary draft electoral law to the government on 25 July,' recalls Le Phare. 'CIAT's laying into the DRC government tooth and nail is therefore quite normal,' estimates Le Palmarès. 'The inexplicable delay is likely to disrupt the electoral calendar,' warns Le Phare. However, 'if the government is giving the impression of dragging feet, it is merely due to protracted wrangling that has picked up again within the hemicycle and that risks undermining proceedings on sensitive issues such as the law on amnesty without which the key belligerents would not feel reassured to go to the elections,' believes Le Phare. All the same, 'CIAT has applauded the registration of nearly 17 million voters across the 11 provinces of the DRC by the Independent Electoral Commission,' underscores Le Potentiel.
