DRC CABINET RESHUFFLE: DOING THE SAME WITH LESS?

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 001328 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV KDEM PHUM PREL CG SUBJECT: DRC CABINET RESHUFFLE: DOING THE SAME WITH LESS? REF: Kinshasa 1307 SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PROTECT ACCORDINGLY ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The GDRC's long-awaited cabinet reshuffle was announced November 25 (reftel). The new cabinet gives President Kabila provincial/ethnic balance without weakening his ruling AMP alliance. The biggest change is a reduction in the number of ministers from 60 to 45, as a number of previously autonomous ministries have been merged. Although reducing ministries was the hallmark of the reshuffle, one new Ministry, Parliamentary Relations, was also created. Two Cabinet "Commissions" have been established: one for Political, Social and Cultural Affairs, and another for Economic and Infrastructure Affairs. Each is to be chaired by a Minister of State. The selection of the new cabinet reaffirms once again President Kabila's primacy over Prime Minister Gizenga, and sends a message that merely cooperating with the AMP is not enough to hold on to a cabinet portfolio. Stricter control over ministers by Kabila and reduced expenditures would seem to flow from the reshuffle. Although the cabinet's size has already been reduced, even further reductions are likely. Also likely is the prospect that trimming fat alone will have little impact on the Kabila government's lack of efficiency, due in large part to poor internal coordination. END SUMMARY The reshuffle: a long time a'coming -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Rumors of a cabinet reshuffle have persisted since the President's statement, during an interview in June of this year, "Do we need 60 ministers in a cabinet? We are going to see, by September." Indeed, the President's first cabinet, which took office in February, was criticized as an elephant-like body funded through a budget dependent on international aid in the region of 50% of total revenue. Reducing the size of the cabinet, however, was not a simple exercise as all members of the alliance and its coalitions had to be satisfied to ensure national unity. The new cabinet is the result of delicate negotiations whereby the President achieved provincial balance without damaging his "Alliance for the Presidential Majority" bloc (AMP in French) with a number of regional or personality-based parties including the Social Movement for Renewal (MSR) led by Pierre Lumbi, from the province of Maniema; the Coalition of Congolese Democrats (CODECO),led by Jean-Claude 
Muyambo of Katanga; the Union of Mobutiste Democrats (UDEMO),led by Francois Nzanga Mobutu from Equateur; and the Christian Democratic Party (PDC),led by Jose Endundo,from Equater. Kabila also safeguarded his coalition with the Lumumbist Unified Pary (PALU) led by Antoine Gizenga from Bandundu. ¶3. (SBU),In fact, the reduction in size is clearly the most significant change in the new government: the former Ministries of Human Rights, Trade, Research, Small and Medium Enterprises, Tourism, and Social Affairs lost their autonomy and were folded into, respectively, the Ministries of Economy, Justice, Higher Education, Industry, Environment, and Humanitarian Affairs. Five women, specifically four Ministers and one Vice-Minister, are in the new cabinet. (Note: There were nine females in the previous cabinet. End note.) ¶4. (SBU) A new portfolio, the Ministry for Parliamentary Relations, has been introduced to serve as a bridge between the executive and legislative branches. The intent is to ensure cohesion and to avoid discord between the President and the Parliament as occurred, for example, during the August 2007 investigations into the alleged occupation of Kahemba by Angolan troops. Another innovation is the creation of two Cabinet "Commissions." The first, to handle Political, Social and Cultural Affairs," will be chaired by the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Denis Kalume. The second, to deal with Economic and Infrastructure Affairs, will be headed by the Minister of State for Agriculture Nzanga Mobutu (son of the late dictator). It is anticipated that the commission chairs will serve as coordinators between the 15 or ministries in each commission. (Note: In the DRC, a Minister of State is more powerful that a simple minister. End note.) Kabila Prevails yet again -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The selection of the November 25 cabinet reaffirms (although few doubted otherwise) that Joseph Kabila has prevailed in his ongoing tug or war with Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga. Due in large measure to his advanced age (he is 83) and diminished energy levels, Gizenga has proven ineffective in persuading the younger and more politically powerful Kabila to accept the Prime Minister's choices for ministries. State Minister Nzanga Mobutu also suffered KINSHASA 00001328 002 OF 002 greatly as two of his party's members were adversely affected by the reshuffle. Sylvain Ngabu was downgraded from Minister of State to Minister, and Alain Lubamba, deputy foreign minister, was removed from the government altogether. Ngabu made the costly mistake of having his security guards beat up some pesky journalists, while Lubamba took clumsy initiatives and issued official statements at odds with Kabila's policies while serving as acting minister. ¶6. (SBU) Another important loser in the reshuffle was Foreign Minister Antipas Mbusa, who was demoted from "Minister of State" to "minister." His cousin and protege Nelson Paluku was also removed as Vice-Minister of Defense. There are no readily apparent explanations for Mbusa's (minor) fall from grace and rumors are rife. Mbusa, who is from North Kivu, has longstanding personal ties to insurgent general Laurent Nkunda and his Tutsi guerillas, as well as to Nkunda's nemesis, the Hutu-led FDLR insurgency. Finally, Mbusa may be a scapegoat for the November 9 Nairobi communique, which is generally viewed in Kinshasa as favorable to Rwanda at the expense of the DRC. Although Kabila himself approved Mbusa's recommendation to sign the agreement, Mbusa is clearly disliked by many of Kabila's hawkish, anti-Rwanda, confidants and advisors. Striking regional, ethnic balance -------------- ¶7. (SBU) One of Kabila's greatest goals in selecting a new cabinet was to maintain regional and ethnic balance. This appears to be the reason for the departure of Environment Minister Didace Pembe, who was given high marks for his performance, and Justice Minister Georges Minsay (a newcomer in politics),who are from Bandundu, having given their jobs to natives of Equateur and Kasai-Occidental, Jose Endundo and Mutombo Bakafwa respectively. Endundo and Bakafwa are not newcomers; both are former cronies of Joseph-Desire Mobutu. Other well-known figures have reemerged as Ministers in the new cabinet, four of them from Mobutu's regime, but none from Laurent Kabila's period as president. They are Minister of Environment and Tourism Jose Endundo, Minister of Culture and Arts Esdras Kambale, Minister of Transportation Mwando Nsimba, and Minister of Justice and Human Rights Mutombo Bakafwa Nsenda. The new Vice-Minister of Research is a Tutsi, Zachee Nsengiyumva Rugabisha, a little-known figure prior to the reshuffle. ¶8. (SBU) Comment: Stricter control over the Cabinet by Kabila and reduced budget outlays would seem to flow naturally from the reshuffle and the reduction of portfolios. Even with 45 members, however, the cabinet remains huge and further reductions would seem likely. Also likely is the prospect that trimming fat alone will have little impact on the Kabila government's lack of efficiency, due in large part to poor internal coordination. End comment. GARVELINK