Friday, November 1, 2024
Patrick Muyaya Address Constitutional Revision: Focus on Institutional Strength and Public Benefit
Patrick Muayaya, Minister of Communication and Media
The Minister of Communication and Media, Patrick Muyaya, and the Deputy Prime Minister for the Civil Service, Jean-Pierre Lihau, discussed the question of revising the Constitution at a recent press briefing on October 28, 2024.
Minister Muyaya emphasized that any changes to the Constitution would not serve individual interests but primarily benefit the nation’s institutions and the people of Congo.
He stated, " The text of the Constitution belongs to all of us. We are at the end of 4 electoral processes. We have emerged from a process of belligerence to enter into the consolidation of democracy. We have difficulties. And the main concern, as the President of the Republic summed it up, is to arrive at having strong institutions. Therefore, we must consider that if the Constitution must be revised, it will be for the good of our institutions and for the benefit of the Congolese people."
The Minister further criticized certain politicians who, he claimed, had misinterpreted the President’s words, stressing that the President did not consider this matter an urgent priority.
According to Minister Muyaya, the President proposed establishing a commission in 2025 to examine the question of constitutional revision.
He clarified, "We must not make the President of the Republic say things he did not say. Speaking on the subject, the President of the Republic said that it was not an emergency. The President of the Republic also said that next year, we will set up a multidisciplinary commission with Congolese from all sides to reflect. The Constitution we have provides mechanisms for how to revise it."
Deputy Prime Minister Lihau pointed out specific issues in the current 2006 Constitution, revised in 2011, noting an imbalance where a significant portion of the national budget is allocated to institutional expenses over development investments.
This briefing also focused on the importance of social dialogue, which VPM Lihau described as central to the Suminwa government’s agenda.
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