KAMERHE DEFIES KABILA; TO PUT QUESTION OF RESIGNATION TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 000245

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL KPKO CG
SUBJECT: KAMERHE DEFIES KABILA; TO PUT QUESTION OF RESIGNATION TO
PARLIAMENTARY LEADERSHIP


1. (SBU) Summary: Amid great speculation he would announce his
resignation, National Assembly President Vital Kamerhe delivered the
keynote speech at the March 16 ceremony opening of the spring
session of the national legislature. Kamerhe said he was unwilling
to step down without referring the question of his resignation to a
vote by parliamentary committee chairmen and caucus leaders in
accordance with the National Assembly's by-laws. He reviewed the
previous session's accomplishments, noted the importance of the role
of women in DRC public life and saluted the recent victory of the
DRC national soccer team at an Africa-wide tournament. He also
called on the government to release human rights and pro-democracy
activists arrested just before the opening of parliament, apparently
in a pre-emptive move to prevent them from organizing pro-Kamerhe
demonstrations. But no major protests were reported in connection
with the opening of the National Assembly, despite persistent rumors
students and labor groups would take to the streets against an
alleged government plan to force Kamerhe to step down. The ceremony
was not covered by the press as the government imposed a media
black-out, apparently to prevent Kamerhe from using the event as a
national platform to make his case against President Joseph Kabila.
The power struggle between the two men over control of the National
Assembly could end later in the week when a no-confidence vote will
likely be held; their rivalry, however, will continue. End Summary.



2. (U) National Assembly President Vital Kamerhe delivered on March
16 a much-anticipated speech at the opening of the national
legislature's spring session. The event was boycotted by most
Assembly members (we estimate 150-200 deputies of a total of 500
were present) pursuant to instructions from the majority coalition
(of which Kamerhe is a member),that they boycott the event to snub
Kamerhe over his unwillingness to resign under pressure from
President Joseph Kabila. (Note: Four of five members of the
Assembly's Executive Bureau resigned under pressure in the past two
weeks. End note.) Also absent were Prime Minister Adolphe Muzito
and the three deputy Prime Ministers. Attendance by members of the
Diplomatic Corps was high.

No resignation without consultation
--------------


3. (U) Approximately halfway through the 45-minute speech, Kamerhe
revealed his immediate plans regarding his status as President of
the Assembly. He said he would submit the question of his
resignation to the next meeting of the "Conference of Chairmen" in
the National Assembly, for discussion and debate in a plenary
session. The Conference of Chairmen ("Conference des Presidents" in
French) is composed of the members of the Executive Bureau of the
National Assembly, the presidents of the seven standing
parliamentary commissions, the president of the Commission of Elders
("Comite des Sages"),and the chairs of the eleven parliamentary
caucuses.


4. (U) Kamerhe began the speech with a review of the September 2008
regular and January 2009 extraordinary sessions. He noted the
passage of the 2009 budget and of a law protecting the rights of
children, as well as the exercise of parliamentary oversight through
the questioning of ministers and recommendations submitted to the
Prime Minister. He said the assembly petition circulated in January
for an extraordinary session to address the joint Rwandan-DRC
anti-FDLR operations was not initiated at his request and was not
addressed to President Kabila but to Prime Minister Muzito. He
asked rhetorically what collective transgressions the other members
of the bureau must have committed to provoke their sequential
resignation. Throughout the speech, Kamerhe referred to his support
for a rapprochement with Rwanda and the primacy of the preservation
of democratic principles and adherence to the Constitution.


5. (SBU) Kamerhe closed his speech, which was interrupted several
times by applause, by noting the important role of the Assembly in
promoting the protection of women's rights and increased female
representation in public office. He also saluted the national
soccer team for its March 8 victory at the Africa Nations
Championship in Abidjan. His final remarks called for the release
of human rights and pro-democracy activists who were recently
detained.

Human rights activists arrested
--------------


6. (SBU) Kamerhe was clearly referring to several arrests over the
previous weekend. According to the National Network of Human Rights
NGOs (RENADHOC),on March 15 police arrested "Voix des Sans Voix"
(VSV) Executive Director Floribert Chebeya Bahizire, VSV Deputy
Executive Director Dolly Inefo Mbunga, and RENADHOC Reception

KINSHASA 00000245 002 OF 002


Director Donat Tshikaya during a press conference. The police
reportedly beat and arrested the activists as they announced plans
for a march on Parliament in support of Kamerhe. According to one
report, the activists were planning to wage an illegal sit-in at the
National Assembly. Following the arrests, the police allegedly
locked the remaining NGO's and journalists in the meeting room as
they ransacked the RENADHOC offices and seized computers, supplies,
and a camera from a private TV station. On March 14 the police
arrested three student leaders for their planned participation in
the protests. The arrests were apparently carried out in a
pre-emptive effort to prevent the activists from leading pro-Kamerhe
demonstrations.


7. (SBU) Georges Kapiamba, President of the local NGO African
Association of Human Rights (ASADHO),told emboff March 16 that he
had given interviews to several international news agencies and that
ASADHO has issued a press release condemning the arrests and
demanding that the activists be released immediately.

Media black-out; no violence reported
--------------


8. (SBU) In a surprise move early in the morning of March 16 the
government decided to prevent live television and radio coverage of
the event. The media blackout was apparently designed to prevent
giving Kamerhe a national stage to deliver what many thought would
be a defiant anti-Kabila speech.


9. (SBU) No incidents of violence were reported in connection with
the opening of parliament. Rumors were rampant in recent days that
mass demonstrations would be held to protest an alleged plan by the
government to force Kamerhe to resign. Some observers predicted the
demonstrations would turn violent. The absence of demonstrations
was due to the pre-emptive detention of would-be agitators and also
to a massive police presence throughout Kinshasa.


10. (SBU) Comment: Today's events were mostly an anti-climax;
little, if any, progress was made in resolving the Kabila-Kamerhe
power struggle. On the bright side, however, both protagonists
demonstrated restraint and violence was avoided, although the
government overreached by arresting activists and imposing a media
black-out. The immediate cause of contention between them could be
resolved this week when a vote of no-confidence is held, with the
likely outcome that Kamerhe loses. But their rivalry will not end
any time soon. One wonders if the next phase will be an intense,
protracted confrontation a la Madagascar, or a softer form of
competition, perhaps with Kamerhe leaving the scene for a sabbatical
abroad. End comment.

GARVELINK