Portfolio Assessment on African Politics

PORTFOLIO ASSESSMENT ON AFRICA POLITICS
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Portfolio Assessment on Africa Politics
Part 1
The sustainable growth and development of nations worldwide is dependent on the peaceful coexistence of individuals and groups amidst the diverse social, political, and economic ideologies. In essence, the overall stability of a nation depends on the ability of the individuals and groups within the country to accommodate the existing differences in ideologies, principles, ideas, and perspectives across the social, political, and economic domains. However, intolerance to such diversities across the outlined domains may lead to equally diverse manifestations of instabilities such as civil unrests witnessed across different countries around the world. The perceived endless political instability in Congo, for instance, makes for an excellent display of such intolerance to the different ideologies and principles characterizing the country’s social, political, and economic domains. At the center of the protracted political instability in the country are the civil society organizations, trying to ensure accountability among the nation’s political elite and uphold the democratic principles enshrined in the country’s constitutionCITATION Kio16 \p 130 \l 1033 (Kioko, 2016, p. 130). The Democratic Republic of Congo features a centralized constitutional form of governance, with the Presidency and National Assembly or the lower house of parliament making up the executive arm of government. The president is elected through a popular majority vote, with members of the lower house of parliament also being voted in by their constituents. However, the country continues to experience political instability stemming from the greed for power and abuse of the same witnessed among the country’s former presidents and the current political leaders. Such occurrences prompt widespread participation of the non-government organizations (NGOs) or the civil society in Congo’s political scenery, with the objective of safeguarding the people’s democratic rights and holding political leaders accountable to the constitutional provisions. Provided herein is an evaluation of the impact of NGOs in Congo’s political domain toward determining whether or not they advance the country’s political development.
Civil society organizations or Congolese NGOs have been active participants in the country’s political domain, championing the democratic rights of the citizens who fall victim to the abuse of power, greed, and corruption among the country’s political elite. Non-government organizations such as the Catholic Church-affiliated movements have played a significant role in advocating for the social, political, and economic wellbeing of the Congolese people amidst the protracted political instability in the country. The faith-based non-government organizations were instrumental in providing essential social services to the Congolese people during the dictatorial reign of Mobutu Sese Seko, who banned civic movements and political parties CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). During the authoritarian rule, the non-government organizations provided organized neighborhood security, sanitation, and health services to the Congolese peopleCITATION Hai15 \p 9 \l 1033 (Haider, 2015, p. 9). The outlined functions served to protect the rights of the Congolese people to better health and security and reinforced their resilience and self-reliance in the face of oppressive regimes CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). It suffices to claim that the resilience nurtured by the non-government organizations fuels the Congolese people’s quest for democracy and accountability among the political elite amidst the country’s protracted political instability.
Non-government organizations laid the foundation for Congo’s political development by providing an effective framework for initiating the country’s multiparty democracy. The oppressive regime of Mobutu Sese Seko led to the development of an underground system of operations and collaborations among civil society groups to prepare the country’s political domain for a transition to multiparty democracy CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). The ban on all civil society movements and political organizations during the authoritarian rule of Mobutu Sese Seko incentivized the former’s underground operations toward developing effective structures for bringing about a much needed political transition CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). The non-governmental organizations (NGOs) played an integral role in providing key infrastructures for the articulation and organization of political interests for the political movements operating in the shadows during the oppressive regime of Mobutu Sese Seko CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). During the authoritarian regime, the articulation and organization of political interests gave birth to the different political movements that emerged during the country’s transition to multiparty democracy.
Non-government organizations further play a crucial role in fostering political alliances across the Congolese society toward advocating for adherence to constitutional provisions on governance, including the two-term presidential term limit enshrined in the country’s constitution. For instance, Kabila’s bid to extend his stay in power against the constitutional provision was met with strong opposition led by the mobilization of political parties by the non-government organization to form the G7 alliance CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). The G7 alliance comprises four Congolese opposition parties whose political influence led to the end of Kabila’s disregard for the constitutional provision on presidential term limits to allow for the 2018 elections CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). Kabila’s bid thrived on the tendency for the incumbent presidents in Congo to create a form of hybrid governance consisting of an authoritarian presidential system that restricts the essence of democracy in the country CITATION Hai15 \l 1033 (Haider, 2015).
Non-government organizations have also spearheaded efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to the Congolese people, thus bridging the existing gaps in governance resulting from the protracted political instability and armed conflicts in different parts of the country. Congo’s unstable political environment accounts for the country’s prolonged armed conflicts as it allows for the emergence of different rebel groups against the perceived illegitimacies of ruling governmentsCITATION Ini12 \p 76 \l 1033 (Iniguez de Heredia, 2012, p. 76). Frequent cases of contested power due to election irregularities or disregard for the country’s constitution by the country’s past political elite often render the existing government illegitimate and thus fueling armed uprisings in some areasCITATION Ini12 \p 76 \l 1033 (Iniguez de Heredia, 2012, p. 76). Such occurrences expose the government’s inadequacies in providing essential services to citizens living within the affected regions. Non-government organizations have embraced collaborative efforts to form effective networks for delivering essential services to the Congolese people living in the conflict zones. Non-government organizations also participate in peace-building initiatives, such as the 2016 African Union-mediated talks against the killing of protesters by the Kabila regime CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016).
The close working relationship between non-government organizations and opposition political entities makes for one of the challenges facing the sustainable growth and development of the country’s political domain. Attempts to realize a peaceful resolution to the protracted political instability in the country are often curtailed by the differences in ideologies, principles, and perspectives held by such organizations during political negotiations. Negotiations for setting the election date for the provincial, parliamentary, and presidential polls had stalled from 2016 to 2018 due to frequent withdrawals representative of the non-government organizations CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). These non-government organizations enjoy widespread support among political parties and often command great respect for their ideological perspectives across the country’s social, political, and economic domains. Hence, their withdrawal from such crucial political negotiations led to prolonged political instability. The consensus for the 2018 poll dates was reached under limited representation of the non-government organizations in the African-Union-led negotiations CITATION The161 \l 1033 (The Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 2016). Hence, the widespread support for non-government organizations in the country’s political scene through their increasing demands pose a challenge to its political development.
Non-government organizations have played a significant role in advancing the political development of Congo. It is these organizations that laid the foundation for the country’s transition to multiparty democracy. NGOs have also been instrumental in bridging the existing gaps in governance and thus promoting the electorate’s resilience in holding the political elite accountable for their actions during the elections. However, their widespread support and respect from the opposition parties is a key challenge to the country’s political development. Nevertheless, such shortcomings may be overcome by enacting effective interventional measures toward fostering common grounds during political negotiations. It suffices, therefore, that Non-government organizations do not hold back political development in Congo but promote its advancement.
Part 2: Country Analysis
Current Political, Economic, and Demographic Position
Currently, Congo’s future hangs in the balance as there exists uncertainty as to whether President Felix Tshisekedi will enhance the efforts ...