KAMITATU DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM MLC/GOVERNMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L KINSHASA 001956

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2015
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KCOR CG
SUBJECT: KAMITATU DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM MLC/GOVERNMENT

REF: A. KINSHASA 01893


B. KINSHASA 01926

Classified By: PolOff TJNaber, reasons 1.4 b/d.


1. (SBU) Olivier Kamitatu, President of the National Assembly
and Secretary General of the MLC party, along with 45 MLC
senators and deputies from all provinces, delivered a letter
on November 26 asking MLC founder and DRC Vice President
Jean-Pierre Bemba for a more democratic party. In it, the
MLC parliamentarians denounced current politicians and called
for a new group of leaders sincerely interested in the
development of the country and well-being of the population.
According to some press accounts, Bemba and those MLC members
not signing the document view Kamitatu as a traitor to Bemba
and the party for trying to gain the Prime Ministership under
an alliance with Pierre Pay Pay and former MLC minister Jose
Endundo. (Reftel A)


2. (C) Only last week, Kamitatu distanced himself from the
government with his public criticism of the cabinet
re-shuffle of November 18. (Reftel B) He pointed out that
not one of the nine ministers called before the Parliament in
the last month to answer to charges of mismanagement lost
their jobs in the re-shuffle. He accused the Transition
Government of ignoring the "objective conclusions" of the
Parliament about these ministers and of continuing to operate
on a quota system in the face of bad governance and reported
overspending by ministries.


3. (C) Comment: Kamitatu's criticism about the cabinet
re-shuffle was disingenuous since the transitional framework
sets out that the various factions choose who will head the
ministries they have been allotted. Kamitatu of course knows
this, and President Kabila made the point publicly after
being widely criticized after the re-shuffle. Kamitatu is
clearly trying to burnish his anti-corruption credentials,
while distancing himself from other transition leaders,
before elections. In that respect, his public calls for good
governance and new leadership make political sense. End
comment.
DOUGHERTY