After weeks of negotiations and speculation, the formation of the Suminwa 2 government was finally unveiled on Thursday 7 August. However, far from putting an end to the debate, the announcement has rekindled questions about the coherence, transparency and true motivations behind the choices made by the current government.

“It’s like robbing Saint Paul to pay Saint Peter. It’s just a swapping of ministers. The Head of State is being stifled by people who are anxious for their positions and don’t want to give way. Take the example of one of the ministers: from ESU to rural development to agriculture”, says Vedder Luebeya, a resident of Kinshasa.

Assistant Arsène Kaputu, who was approached, noted that it was a case of the same animators being assigned, but with different jackets.

“We don’t see enough difference compared to the SUMINWA 1 government. It’s like someone saying that there hasn’t been a reshuffle but rather a permutation because there are certain ministers who were in Ministry A who will be taken to Ministry B. Those who were in Ministry B will be taken to Ministry C and even when you see the total number of portfolios in the SUMINWA 1 government, SUMINWA 2 has 53 portfolios whereas SUMINUA 1 had 54. When you look at the total number of portfolios in the SUMINWA 1 government, SUMINWA 2 has 53 portfolios whereas SUMINUA 1 had 54 portfolios. So there has been no reduction in the lifestyle of the institutions. This means that it’s more or less the same team that has changed jackets”, he analyses.

The timeless features of the Tshisekedi regime:

In the space of six years, almost a hundred men and women have served in government, but several have stood the test of time, becoming “indestructible” members of the national executive. There are five in all who have never left the government since Félix Tshisekedi became head of state. Julien Paluku and Didier Budimbu are the other two of Tshisekedi’s “indestructibles”. Paluku, who was appointed Minister of Industry, retained his post after turning his coat, joining the Sacred Union like the majority of his peers who had abandoned Joseph Kabila’s camp. Didier Budimbu started at the bottom of the ladder, appointed deputy minister of EPST in 2019. After the FCC-CACH divorce, this close friend of Denise Nyakeru, wife of Félix Tshisekedi, gained influence to find himself at the heart of management. Irène Esambo is also on Félix Tshisekedi’s list of “indestructibles”. She is still Minister Delegate in charge of people living with disabilities.

Didier Mazenga, who, incidentally, took over the leadership of the Parti lumumbiste (PALU), has never left the government since 2019 and has been Minister of Transport, Regional Integration and Tourism in turn. But the first of them is undoubtedly Jean-Lucien Bussa. His longevity is even greater than that of the President. Having joined the government in December 2016 when he was appointed Minister of Planning, the former member of the Movement for the Liberation of Congo (MLC) has settled in for the long term.

“President Tshisekedi should know that he will have no more excuses to offer the people when it is he himself who wants to keep the same people who have not been up to the job,” said Désiré Tshimbekoy, a political analyst.

Criticism of certain figures:

While the government has been criticised for not being “tightened and open to the opposition and civil society” as announced, some of its new members have been the subject of criticism since their appointment. This is the case of Grace Emie Kutino, appointed Minister for Youth, who is undoubtedly the most controversial member of this new government team, even before she took office. Many analyses and criticisms are circulating on social networks, questioning her choice by the President of the Republic.

Other ministers such as Noella Ayeganagato, who has left the Ministry of Youth to take up the post of Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Guy Kabombo Mwadimvita, who has been appointed Minister of National Defence and Veterans’ Affairs, are also being questioned.

Written by Akilimali Chomachoma