It was by deliberation n°112-58 of November 18, 1958 that the former territory of Middle Congo, under the colonization of France, was established as a member state of the Community created by Charles De Gaulle and became the Republic of Congo. But what is the Republic? 66 years after its founding, what has become of the Republic of Congo?
The Republic is “the public thing. It is a State, whatever its form of government, where representatives elected by the people are responsible to the Nation. This is why the Republic has always wanted to convey the message of freedom, peace, harmony and justice. The Republic means making the individual responsible for life, not only for himself, but also for the community. The Republic means putting, at the forefront, respect for the dignity of man, rejecting tribalism, neo-tribalism, regionalism, clanism, nepotism and it is banishing the imprudence of those who claim to know or be right.
The Republic also means teaching responsible citizenship not only in a formalized way, but also through example and surpassing oneself. The Republic is not an opportunity for leaders to exercise power for power's sake, to open the floodgates of enrichment, through State plunder, but to serve the people who have granted them his vote.
The Republic finally means looking after the future of all Congolese. It is up to everyone to imagine and promote this future. Because, as Carrel said, “the future only belongs to those who risk everything for an ideal. And wisdom, he added, is not to live to do nothing, to have stupid fun, but to live heroically. For his part, Nelson Mandela told us: “Through the joint efforts of men, injustice can be overcome and everyone can experience a better life.”
Mgr Michel Bernard, then Archbishop of Brazzaville (from 1954 to 1964), for his part, affirmed, in one of his homilies before the first President of the Republic of Congo, Abbot Fulbert Youlou, the members of the government and the Congolese who came to attend at the Mass of consecration of our country to the Blessed Virgin Mary, on Independence Day, August 15, 1960: “Tomorrow, and I recall here the thoughts of Jean XXIII, tomorrow, to take its place in the world, it is will that the new State will have to demonstrate and no one can dispute that the word implies a decision of discipline, continuous effort and sacrifice.
There is no possible social life, no conceivable national life, if, when the common good demands it, particular interests do not know how to give way, if there is not, for all the members of the Nation, a community of destiny, if those most favored by situation and culture do not know how to generously put themselves at the service of their most deprived brothers.
Only a strong current of enthusiasm and a passionate love of the country can nourish this desire for effort and sacrifice; alone, they can silence sterilizing particularisms; alone, they can ward off the creation of hostile blocs which would violently oppose in the Nation on the one hand the best equipped and on the other those who would be crushed by the feeling of injustice.
It is a magnificent task offered to our leaders, Pope Pius XII, to control, help and regulate the private and individual activities of national life, to make them converge harmoniously towards the common good.
This is what we can remember from the Republic.
66 years later, what has become of our Republic?
Our Republic is now 66 years old. Can we sincerely and proudly affirm that she wanted to convey the message of freedom, peace, harmony and justice? Would our Republic have put respect for human dignity at the forefront? Would she have rejected tribalism, neo-tribalism, clanism, regionalism? Would our Republic have etc, etc, etc? I leave it to each of us to answer, frankly, by looking in the mirror, to all these questions that I allow myself to raise here.
On the other hand, in 66 years of existence, has the spirit of the Republic inspired us to disseminate values everywhere, the promotion of each person, the ability to be dignified in all circumstances, the fight against tribalism , against nepotism, against favoritism, against clanism, against exclusion, against brutality? I don't think so.
This is why I would patriotically request that we please promote the culture of peace, combat hatred and violence and avoid being tacit accomplices and leaving some of our compatriots by the side of the road; to also combat tribalism through knowledge of others. Because it is ignorance that causes fear of others. Let us believe in the integration of difference. This is why we must teach, very early on, the young people who are the nursery of our Republic, to respect the opinion of those who think differently. “We must vigorously pursue the conquest of peace in the hearts and consciences of our compatriots…”, said President Denis Sassou-Nguesso.
What Republic will we leave to future generations? That of black babies and koulounas or that which sinks into poverty, into homelessness, into economic and social chaos or even that where anti-values are and will be legion, or finally that where public school is in the process of disappear in favor of private schools, some of which are of dubious quality and which spring up like mushrooms on every street corner? Or where health care that was once free is no longer accessible to the population? The one where sick people in hospital die from lack of medicine that they cannot afford? Or the one where unfortunately the unbridled desire to possess money and to transform material goods into idols was established?
It is therefore up to our generation to denounce courageously and without complacency, all these evils which thwart the harmonious development of our Republic, our country, our State, the Congo, so that our sad and shameful past does not become for the young people of today today and for the children who will be born tomorrow, their future.
Let us therefore build, from North to South, from East to West, from Liranga to Boko, from Kakamouéka to Épena, our Republic in Unity, Work and Progress, as our motto says so well. What's more, as Martin Luther King Junior said so well, “we must learn to live together like brothers, otherwise we will all die together like idiots.” Because, “more than ever, the State needs each Congolese to mobilize to enable its continuity and emergence. This mobilization should take place at several levels, starting from the top with public authorities, down to the base with civil society… Each citizen and resident must understand that they have a share of responsibility and their contribution to make to the situation. “building that the Republic of Congo represents”, says our compatriot Lydie Patricia Ondziet.
So let's forget what divides us; let us be more united than ever, by giving priority to our Republic, to our State, to our country, the Congo which is a major project; and this, for true peace, so that all Congolese live in happiness, in harmony, in freedom, in equality, in fraternity, in tolerance and in true and even lasting peace. How long will we, the Congolese, wait to have a Republic where we will all live “in peace of hearts and tranquility of minds”? How long will our immensely rich country wait to become “a little Switzerland”, as Presidents Fulbert Youlou and Pascal Lissouba announced? What have we done with the motto, “Unity-Work-Progress”, advocated by President Fulbert Youlou? What have we done with public companies like Ofnacom, Oncpa, Chacona, Atc, Cfco, the Loudima fruit station, Cidolou, the Bétou match factories, the Sotexco, Impreco, Socodi factories? , etc? What have we done, in a word, with the economic heritage bequeathed to us by President Alphonse Massamba-Débat? What have we done with the patriotism instilled in us by President Marien Ngouabi? What have we done with the rigor at work bequeathed by President Jacques Joachim Yhomby-Opango? What have we done with President Pascal Lissouba's exhortation to prioritize Congo and the Congolese people? What have we made of this noble thought of Prime Minister André Milongo: “My conception of power is not that of power for power's sake, to open the floodgates of enrichment for me, through the rapine of the State , but that of serving the people who have granted me their vote”?
What have we made of this noble exhortation from Mgr Ernest Nkombo: “You shall not lie; you shall not steal; thou shalt not kill”? Finally, what do we do with the culture of peace and tranquility that President Denis Sassou-Nguesso continues to advocate? What happened to our agricultural departments: Bouenza, Lékoumou, Plateaux, Pool and Sangha? What happened to our oil, mining and timber revenues?
The Republic of Congo, whose people have experienced and continue to experience the macabre consequences of violence, hatred, wanton death, poverty, exclusion and injustice, remains a large and permanent project to rebuild. . Yes, there are injustices. There are more and more poor people. There are retirees who live or survive on meager pensions paid very late. There are patients who die from lack of care and money. There are young graduates who are unemployed or left unemployed or even abandoned to their own devices.
Pierre Corneille's maxim, “value does not wait for the number of years”, is no longer anything but a simple illusion for Congolese youth. As Pope Francis said, “the great reconstruction project must allow the improvement of infrastructure and respond to material needs, but also – and this is more important – promote human dignity, respect the rights of man and the full integration of all members of society.
I remain convinced that our Republic, with the awareness of its citizens, can regain its greatness, its dignity and its unity, without building walls of hatred, tribalism, exclusion and prejudice between us. . As I also remain convinced that we can instill in ourselves the spirit of the Republic, which spirit is the dissemination of values, the promotion of each person, the ability to be dignified in all circumstances, the fight against the exploitation of the people and against brutality. Finally, let us all just have the very firm patriotic and political will to achieve this. Where there is a will, there is a road. Do we have this will? “That is the question”, as the Anglo-Saxons say!
Long live the Republic of Congo!
Long live our beautiful and rich country!
Long live the 66 years of our Republic!
To Many Years!
Dieudonné
ANTOINE-GANGA
Former Minister
