Fatshimetrie
Within the Congolese political scene, the issue of a possible constitutional revision is arousing heated debates and raising divergences within the ruling majority, the Union sacrée de la nation. Contacted recently by Fatshimetrie, Honorary MP Emery Okundji expressed his view that the current Constitution, although perfectible, does not significantly hinder the governance of the country.
For Emery Okundji, the absolute priority lies in resolving the armed conflict in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo. He highlights the need to combat a fundamentally discriminatory and racist worldview that seems to justify the aggressions, massacres and war crimes perpetrated by the Rwandan government in the East of the country. Thus, the emphasis is on the need to resolve current problems rather than considering constitutional reform.
The former MP also highlights technical obstacles that could hinder any attempt to revise the Constitution. He recalls that the 2011 Constitutional Law provides for a revision procedure in its Article 218, but raises questions about the appropriateness and legality of such an approach at present. Indeed, Article 219 prohibits any constitutional revision in times of war, emergency, siege, in the event of a presidential interim or when the National Assembly and the Senate are unable to meet freely.
In the current context marked by the state of siege declared in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, Emery Okundji considers that a constitutional revision would be a deliberate violation of the fundamental law. Furthermore, he stresses that the Democratic Republic of Congo is facing many deep challenges such as Rwandan aggression, corruption, failure of state authority, bad governance, injustices, nepotism and tribalism, problems that undermine national cohesion.
Thus, he calls for combating these evils before considering any constitutional reform. Emery Okundji warns against a premature revision that risks obscuring the real issues and prolonging the suffering of the Congolese people. He stresses the urgency of resolving the current crises and restoring citizens’ confidence in state institutions before undertaking any changes to the supreme law.