UN
United Nations Peacekeeping
10 Mar
2009
Press Review of 18 October 2005
Various subjects make the headlines of today's local papers.
'A large delegation of MPs, led by the speaker of the National Assembly is touring the DRC on a nation-wide campaign to explain the text of the draft Constitution to be submitted shortly for popular referendum,' announces Le Potentiel, adding, 'this precedes a referendum campaign scheduled for 2nd December.' The speaker of the National Assembly has 'called on all the Congolese people to respond massively and vote yes so as to bring the 15-year long transition to an end,' reports Le Potentiel.
Olivier Kamitatu is on a tour at a time when the National Assembly has held 'only 4 plenary meetings in 14 days since the Parliament sessions resumed,' highlights La Tempête des Tropiques. One might as well say, 'Recess continues for MPs,' says the paper. Yet, the speaker of the National Assembly had declared 'MPs must work relentlessly to pave the way for the elections by providing the necessary legal instruments needed by the Independent Electoral Commission to help it attain its ultimate goal,' recalls La Tempête des Tropiques. However, in defence of the MPs: 'over two weeks after the opening of the Parliament's October session, the 2006 budget has not been filed yet,' highlights L'Observateur. 'An IMF technical mission is currently in Kinshasa to provide advice and recommendations to the government towards the drafting of the budget,' highlights L'Observateur. They further recommend, 'The 2006 budget must take into consideration the civil servants and teachers' claim,' the paper further says. One might as well assume, 'IMF makes a contribution for [the drafting] of the 2006 budget in DRC,' argues La Tempête des Tropiques.
'The CEO of DGRAD (Direction Générale des Recettes Administratives et Domaniales/Office in charge of the collection of Administrative and Private Estate Revenues) including four managers are under arrests,' informs L'Avenir, on a different note. The reason for the arrest: 'The senior executives allegedly caused a loss of US$ 7 million from the sales of passports and issued parallel paying slips to diamond dealers and tax payers to the detriment of the Congolese government,' explains L'Avenir. The new arrests are an indication that 'the operation 'clean hands' initiated by President Kabila will go on mercilessly in all the financial administration entities in the country,' warns La Référence Plus, an independent paper. Therefore, 'all those who believed that after [the arrest of the senior executives] of DGRAD, President Kabila was going to stop mid-way his 'clean hands' operation must now be reviewing their strategy,' estimates L'Avenir, a pro-PPRD paper.
In other news, the press refers to the return to the negotiating table by the government and the teachers' unions. The negotiations have indeed started today 'in Kisantu, Bas-Congo province ('). They will basically revolve around the salary claim (') in the wake of the Mbudi agreement [US$ 208 for a bailiff and 2080 for a secretary-general in civil service],' mentions Le Potentiel. However, 'even though the negotiations will focus on the salary claims [one must refrain from] making any fixation,' says La Référence Plus, in an editorial headlined 'The sense of the negotiations.' With the 'the adaptation of the teachers' ranks, one of the major claims has been settled ('), one can therefore no longer brandish Mbudi as the expected fix,' says La Référence Plus.
Olivier Kamitatu is on a tour at a time when the National Assembly has held 'only 4 plenary meetings in 14 days since the Parliament sessions resumed,' highlights La Tempête des Tropiques. One might as well say, 'Recess continues for MPs,' says the paper. Yet, the speaker of the National Assembly had declared 'MPs must work relentlessly to pave the way for the elections by providing the necessary legal instruments needed by the Independent Electoral Commission to help it attain its ultimate goal,' recalls La Tempête des Tropiques. However, in defence of the MPs: 'over two weeks after the opening of the Parliament's October session, the 2006 budget has not been filed yet,' highlights L'Observateur. 'An IMF technical mission is currently in Kinshasa to provide advice and recommendations to the government towards the drafting of the budget,' highlights L'Observateur. They further recommend, 'The 2006 budget must take into consideration the civil servants and teachers' claim,' the paper further says. One might as well assume, 'IMF makes a contribution for [the drafting] of the 2006 budget in DRC,' argues La Tempête des Tropiques.
'The CEO of DGRAD (Direction Générale des Recettes Administratives et Domaniales/Office in charge of the collection of Administrative and Private Estate Revenues) including four managers are under arrests,' informs L'Avenir, on a different note. The reason for the arrest: 'The senior executives allegedly caused a loss of US$ 7 million from the sales of passports and issued parallel paying slips to diamond dealers and tax payers to the detriment of the Congolese government,' explains L'Avenir. The new arrests are an indication that 'the operation 'clean hands' initiated by President Kabila will go on mercilessly in all the financial administration entities in the country,' warns La Référence Plus, an independent paper. Therefore, 'all those who believed that after [the arrest of the senior executives] of DGRAD, President Kabila was going to stop mid-way his 'clean hands' operation must now be reviewing their strategy,' estimates L'Avenir, a pro-PPRD paper.
In other news, the press refers to the return to the negotiating table by the government and the teachers' unions. The negotiations have indeed started today 'in Kisantu, Bas-Congo province ('). They will basically revolve around the salary claim (') in the wake of the Mbudi agreement [US$ 208 for a bailiff and 2080 for a secretary-general in civil service],' mentions Le Potentiel. However, 'even though the negotiations will focus on the salary claims [one must refrain from] making any fixation,' says La Référence Plus, in an editorial headlined 'The sense of the negotiations.' With the 'the adaptation of the teachers' ranks, one of the major claims has been settled ('), one can therefore no longer brandish Mbudi as the expected fix,' says La Référence Plus.
