Diplomatic World_nummer 56.

FÉLIX ANTOINE TSHILOMBO
TSHISEKEDI FOR DIPLOMATIC WORLD
Congo is a country of contradictions. It calls to
mind words like corruption, poverty and unrest
but at the same time it is rich with resources and
has a vast array of tribal cultures. It has everything
it needs to succeed in becoming a leading force in
lifting the African continent to new heights.
Félix Antoine Tshilombo explains what he believes
needs to be done to make Congo a success story.
CONGO’S PROBLEMS
Congo has many problems that started with Mobutu and
towards the end of Mobutu’s reign, and became even worse
with Kabila. There will be a lot of work to cleanse the system.
Congo has a school system but a fragmented and unravelled
one. People graduate from university but their competence
level is simply not good enough, which is an incredible
shame. French is Congo’s official language but the graduates
hardly know how to speak, write or even align three correct
sentences. In addition, the system is corrupt at every level.
The teachers are not paid or very poorly paid, so they pass
the students according to the principle of “those who pay,
pass”.
put in place, will never work. Our country is messed up
at this point. First, we have to install structures again,
something that has been demolished for over 30 years
now. Today, the country works without structure and is
in a non-state situation. Second, there needs to be a fight
to restore morality and install an honest administration.
That brings me to another big problem: everything goes
wrong when you do not pay people for their services.
Especially in the administration, which is where taxes come
in. When the people working there are not compensated
for their services, they start serving themselves. In the end,
there is nothing left and there is no way to make a decent
budget. In a system like this health, education and security
are the first elements to suffer.
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A major project will be to change the mentality. There are
many anti-values that have become integrated in our society.
People live in corruption and have come to see it as a
normal thing. We are afraid of everyone and we doubt each
other because everyone is in competition and wants to win.
The Congo should not be regarded as a traditional country.
We cannot apply readymade programs, which is why
all the therapies that the IMF and similar organisations
Félix Antoine Tshilombo Tshisekedi