The national dialogue announced by Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi is beginning to gain traction on the ground. This weekend, the Head of State received proposals from the political coalition Alliance of Actors Committed to the People (AAAP), led by the Honorable Tony Kanku Tshiku, who has chosen to wholeheartedly embrace the initiative launched by the presidency.
The message was conveyed to the Head of State by Jean-Claude Masangu, former Governor of the Central Bank of Congo and spokesperson for the AAAP.
The coalition expressed its determination to travel throughout the Republic’s 26 provinces to directly convey the message of dialogue to the people, inform them, prepare them, and involve them in a process that, to succeed, must extend beyond the political circles of Kinshasa and reach the heart of the Congo in all its diversity.
The reaction of His Excellency Félix Tshisekedi speaks volumes about the mindset with which he is approaching this endeavor. Pleased with this initiative, the President has shown himself to be even more determined to work toward the success of the dialogue and has expressed his confidence in the victory of the Republic’s side.
This statement serves as a reminder that at stake in the dialogue process is also and perhaps above all the issue of national unity in the face of those who continue to fight the Republic with arms.
The fact that political actors are choosing to do the groundwork rather than waiting for the dialogue to come to them is precisely the sign that this process can transcend the usual squabbles over political positioning to become a truly national endeavor.
The Congo needs voices traveling through its provinces just as much as it needs negotiators occupying its conference rooms.
