20100419
Africa News

The DR Congo heads to the polls next year to elect a new president. On the quiet campaigning already for the top post is a computer scientist and an administrator Dr Bent Francis Mboyo. Speaking to AfricaNews from his USA base he said the time has come for the DRC to experience rapid transformation.




Excerpts of the full interview below:

AfricaNews: Briefly tell us about yourself?
Dr Mboyo: I am a twin born from a small village called "Bikoro" in the province of Equateur in the DRC. I grew up in a village that had no public transportation, electricity and television. Almost 40 years later, the standard of living for many people in Congo, is still the same. I have stayed in the USA for nearly 11 years and married to Kangaj Ruwew from the Katanga province since 1990. I am a father of five - all living in Seattle, Washington, USA.

I hold three Masters – one in Computer Science from Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA; a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Manchester Business Practitioners, United Kingdom, and in Public Health with a concentration in occupational medicine and health from Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana USA. I also hold a doctorate in education with specialization in educational technology from Argosy University in Seattle, Washington, USA, and currently a doctoral candidate in Leadership and Change from Antioch University, USA.

Since 2005 I have been the program administrator for PATH - a big American organization based in Seattle – until April 2010 when I resigned. I managed a major global health program that benefitted 70 countries worldwide. I am also engaged as a professor in a university based in Washington.

AfricaNews: You are already a successful man. What motivates you to go into politics that has been described as a “dirty game”?
Dr Mboyo: It is the love I have for my people. I want to see a healthy and a wealthy country. The DRC is one of the richest countries in the world when it comes to natural resources but unfortunately our people are among the poorest. This is a shame. There should be equality in the distribution of the national cake but a few lots in society have hijacked it at the detriment of the masses. I’m into politics now because I want to break that silence and fear among Congolese to stand and speak out for their right. I know that history would exonerate me.
On the other hand, politics is described as a dirty game because of the way it is run in Africa. Over the years African leaders have abused their office and engaged in several corrupt practices. True politics is not about insulting each other but diagnosing the problem of a given society and providing solutions. When your term is over you hand over power peacefully and go but that is not the real case in Africa. People want to hang on to power for life and those are some of the things that spark war. I am not going to be that kind of person. I am principled and would play by the rules of the game.

AfricaNews: What is your political message?
Dr Mboyo: This is the time for change. A change that would transform the lives of Congolese. Let each and everyone in Congo do a true assessment of the political administration in Congo and I dare say that the results is more than negative and even disastrous. I am bringing that change in mentality, eradicating poverty that has eaten into over 95% of our people, stamp out corruption to the barest minimum and to promote the general interest of the people. My tenure would see democracy flourishing in DRC.

AfricaNews: What are some of the problems of DR Congo?
Dr Mboyo: There are countless and complex problems facing Congo today due to poor leadership. At the moment my country’s economy, social life and health system are in deep coma due to the following factors: lack of housing policy and housing for all, lack of a true health policy for all, lack of a policy of education (primary, secondary and university), lack of adequate social policy, unemployment, no energy policy, no financial and banking policy, no policy for the reform of parliament, no justice policy, no foreign policy, no policy planning, no policy of national defense of the territory.

AfricaNews: How do you intend solving these problems?
Dr Mboyo: I am going to develop and sign a social contract with Congolese when I assume power. In that contract I propose to achieve the following in a given timeframe: At least every Congolese must own a house or live in a decent house and we are going to build 100,000 social housing per year, with 20, 000 in Kinshasa the administrative city. Then there would be 8,000 housing units in each of the 10 other provinces. In the health sector we would focus on preventive medicine to curative medicine, build hospitals and other infrastructure, with the aim of reducing mortality rates in our country (the infant mortality rate fell from 12.5 per thousand in 1990 to 17.0 per thousand in 2000. We believe we can reduce that to 5% by 2020. The maternal mortality ratio of 800 deaths per 100 000 live births in 1990 to 2000 deaths per 100 000 births today. We also want to reduce that to 500 deaths per 100 000 births in 2020). Job creation would be one of our primary targets. 50% of the jobs we create would come from the agricultural sector. Value would be added to our mineral resources. The youths would be engaged in that sector from the extraction, processing to local marketing of the finished product.
Access to credit facilities would be championed to enable people buy homes, afford to pay their bills among others. The education sector would be reformed with about 20% of the national budget going to that sector instead of the current 2%.
I would urge readers to kindly visit my website: www.cchangeiscoming.org for more.

AfricaNews: What do you hope to achieve in your first 100 days in office?
Dr Mboyo: Great question. I would use that to clean up the system set my agenda in motion. That would be the time to map out effective strategies at the local, regional and national levels. We are going to engage the people more to understand their real problems and with the help of my team we unleash our strategic plans. Dialogue with the locals would be our hallmark to familiarize myself more with the realities on the ground.

AfricaNews: On a scale of one to 10 rate the current administration in Congo?
Dr Mboyo: I will give them one. The government is full of arrogant and corrupt people who are scrambling for national resources for their selfish interest. The economy is in shambles and we have a leadership crisis. In a country where an MP is killed while others are prevented from voicing out their views because they oppose to government decision is in dire crisis.

AfricaNews: Are you not new to Congolese?
Dr Mboyo: It is true that I am a new kid on the block but my vision of change for the people is going to sell me. I employ Kabila and his cronies to allow a level playing field during the campaign period and trust me they would be no where at the end of the election. I call on the international community to protect me and other opposition candidates against brutalities. I hope the international community – Transparency International, French Association for Survival, Human Rights Watch, European Union, and Carter Centre among others - would flock to Congo in their numbers during the elections to observe and to ensure that everything is in order. I still appeal to well meaning people who believe in my ideology for Congo to assist me financially and logistically to realize the true aspiration of my people. Being new does not mean that I’m out touch and out of experience. President Barak Obama started on a humble note and today he is the 44th president of the USA. I will get there and rescue our people from the hands of the wicked ones.

AfricaNews: How different are you from other politicians?
Dr Mboyo: You made a true observation that politicians generally change when they assume power. I have had several academic trainings and worked with top organizations but I have never had a big head. I have stayed humble and I think humility comes before honour. Let me tell you, what follows pride and arrogance is total ruin and failure. If I betray the trust of the people who put me in power then I am sawing the branch on which I sit. I won’t do that. I will respect the views of my opponents and ensure freedom of expression. Trust me, these are not sweet talks but are something that you will live to see one day.

AfricaNews: What do you make of African leaders who try to hang on to power for life?
Dr Mboyo: People given electoral mandates must realize that political positions are not tantamount to a monarchical rule. Kings enjoy lifetime appointments but not elected presidents. Once your two-term or whatever allotted you is over please leave the scene honourably for the next person to continue. It is a shame this is happening in Africa. There is pride in handing over power peacefully. Look at Nelson Mandela of South Africa and John Kufuor of Ghana among others. Today they are able to live in the countries without any fear because they handed over peacefully and left the scene quietly. It does not hurt but rather comes with a lot of reward in future.

AfricaNews: Any comment about the withdrawal of the UN mission in the DRC?
Dr Mboyo: I strongly believe that the government in Kinshasa had ill intentions by supporting the withdrawal of MONUC in Congo. They wanted to cover up incriminating evidence of criminals in the country. MONUC could have helped to stop the current countless abuses especially in North and South Kivu. If I get the mandate of the people I will strive towards an internationally trained army for the DRC.

AfricaNews: How are you going to fight corruption?
Dr Mboyo: I will fight corruption at the administrative, governmental and cooperation level. I intend improving the working conditions of the civil service through wage increase. I am going to kick against kickbacks, bribes in public contracts and at the judiciary.

AfricaNews: How would you love to be remembered one day when you become president?
Dr Mboyo: First I pray for good health and for God’s blessing to attain this post. Then, one day I would be happy if my children and children’s children hear this about their father: “President Mboyo was the man that gave Congo its lost dignity and placed her in the concert of nations.”

AfricaNews: Your final words
Dr Mboyo: Please don’t accept money or gift to vote for someone. That would jeopardize the future of our children and our children’s children. This is the time for change and I have come with that change. The wheels of our nation’s economy are grounded and we need to oil it to move in tandem with our peers on the continent.
I am coming with a positive change. It requires a lot of planning and time. It takes money. I don’t have all and I would need your kind support financially to prepare ahead of the 2011 presidential elections in DR Congo. Please note that each of your donations will be used to assist and educate Congolese to make the right choice at election time. Your financial contribution will enable us to travel to different regions of the DRC. Be part of a worthy cause that would be an ideal springboard for true social justice!
You can give your donations through our website: www.cchangeiscoming.org God bless DR Congo, Africa and the rest of the world.