US embassy cable - 04KINSHASA2055

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KINSHASA 002055 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/31/2014 
TAGS: KDEM, PGOV, CG 
SUBJECT: MLC OFFICIAL DESCRIBES INTERNAL TENSIONS, 
ELECTIONS STRATEGY 
 
 
Classified By: Poloff Edward Bestic for Reasons 1.5 B and D 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  A top official from vice-president 
Jean-Pierre Bemba's MLC movement reported tensions between 
Bemba and his number two, Olivier Kamitatu, and described MLC 
efforts to court potential voters in eastern Congo.  Rumors 
of strained relations between Bemba and Kamitatu are nothing 
new.  Kamitatu may be thinking about a Presidency run, but we 
think it unlikely Kamitatu will jump ship now, but if and 
when he ever does, it would be a serious blow to the MLC. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
 
Grumbles in the MLC 
------------------- 
2. (C) Thomas Luhaka, spokesman for Jean-Pierre Bemba's Congo 
Liberation Movement's (MLC) and leader of its parliamentary 
group, told poloff November 2 that relations between Bemba 
and Olivier Kamitatu are strained.  (Note:  The latter, MLC 
secretary-general since 1999 and National Assembly president 
 
SIPDIS 
since 2003, is one of the more widely-respected public 
figures in the DRC.  End Note.)  Kamitatu skipped a meeting 
of top MLC leaders on November 1, and told Luhaka he thinks 
Bemba is upset with Kamitatu over the "Ghonda affair." 
(Note:  Antoine Ghonda, a long-time friend of Kamitatu, was 
the DRC's foreign minister until July 2004, when Bemba fired 
him for being more loyal to President Kabila than to Bemba. 
Ghonda took a job as one of Kabila's ambassadors-at-large a 
few weeks later.  End Note.)  Kamitatu also believes Bemba is 
targeting Kamitatu allies within the MLC such as former 
agriculture minister Justin Kangundu, who heads the party's 
structure in Bandundu province.  Bemba and Kamitatu are 
likewise at odds over who should head the party's structure 
in Kinshasa province.  Luhaka speculated that Kamitatu's 
father Cleophas Kamitatu is discouraging his son from 
breaking with Bemba by explaining that for now it makes 
better sense to remain "in the game" than outside it.  (Note: 
 The elder Kamitatu, a well-known politician in his own 
right, is a member of the unarmed political opposition but is 
generally regarded as aligned with the MLC.  End Note.) 
 
3. (C) Continuing in the same vein, Luhaka said that he 
himself is frustrated with Bemba because the MLC leader only 
respects those who are independently wealthy, such as public 
works minister Jose Endundo and planning minister Alexis 
Thambwe.  Traditionally, there have been no real political 
parties in the DRC, only "fan clubs."  Many within the MLC 
regard the party as little more than a Bemba fan club Luhaka 
said, and Bemba himself treats less well-off MLC members as 
if they are merely hired help.  Bemba works very closely with 
Endundo on the electoral campaign, for example, but keeps 
Luhaka in the dark.  One sore point within MLC ranks lately 
has been the issue of MLC politicians printing T-shirts with 
their own faces on them.  Bemba recently ordered 40,000 bolts 
of cloth with his own face--and tolerated shirts with 
Endundo's face, but was angered when he heard Kamitatu and 
Luhaka wanted to do the same, and refused to listen to 
Luhaka's argument that others in the MLC needed to build 
their own base of support in order to be electable.  Former 
president Mobutu deliberately sought to keep his lieutenants 
dependent on him personally, Luhaka commented, and Bemba 
appears to want to do the same. 
 
4. (C) On a more personal level, although Bemba makes 
$200,000 a month and has a small fleet of cars, he failed to 
honor his promise to help Luhaka buy a used vehicle for 
transport around town.  Luhaka bought an $8000 truck on 
credit, and after several months waiting for Bemba to come 
through, raided party funds to pay for it.  Similarly, Luhaka 
is annoyed at having to vacate his centrally-located 
apartment by November 9, because Bemba will not pay to renew 
the lease.  Instead, Luhaka may have to move to one of the 
outer neighborhoods such as Binza, which is "less secure." 
In short, Luhaka said, Bemba does not "take care of his 
troops." 
 
 
Bemba's Elections Strategy 
-------------------------- 
5. (C) Commenting on elections strategy, Luhaka said that in 
rural areas where the population is less educated and 
informed, ethnicity will be a key factor and candidates will 
need to sway local "decision-influencers" such as traditional 
chiefs.  In urban areas, candidates can make a more direct 
appeal to voters, who are willing to judge candidates more on 
the issues.  This is the case in Bukavu, for example, where 
Gen. Mbuza Mabe (from Equateur) has managed to become 
popular, and whose citizens already appreciate the fact that 
Bemba sent MLC troops to the region.  Another part of MLC 
strategy in the east is to court potential supporters by 
addressing specific complaints (e.g. lifting the state 
monopoly on insurance providers to allow "SCAR," an 
eastern-based company, to compete) and promising to repair 
basic infrastructure in the area.  While some in the 
Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) were upset at Bemba's 
politicking in the Kivus, "many" in the RCD have given up on 
the idea of winning anything through elections and are 
telling their colleagues to support the MLC.  Luhaka 
confirmed that Bemba met with North Kivu governor Eugene 
Serufuli who, in contrast to RCD leader Azarias Ruberwa, has 
made a serious effort to connect with the local population 
there.  As for opposition figure Etienne Tshisekedi, leader 
of the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) party, 
he is popular in Kinshasa and in the Kasais but, noted 
Luhaka, but is less well-known among younger Congolese, has 
only a weak party machine these days, lacks finances, and is 
in questionable health. 
 
 
Drafting a Constitution 
----------------------- 
6. (C) Asked about Senate efforts to draft a constitution, 
Luhaka said the current draft calls for a president who is 
directly elected but weak, coupled with an indirectly-elected 
prime minister.  Bemba wants a strong, directly-elected 
president, whereas Kamitatu favors an indirectly-elected 
president.  As for the merits of a federal versus unitary 
system of government, Luhaka said there has been no real 
debate yet, but added that people in the east, especially 
businessmen, want to maintain the autonomy they gained under 
the RCD.  Under that regime, forty percent of all revenues 
collected by the authorities was "remitted" to the provinces. 
 No one in the area wants to return to war, but easterners 
see the central government as nothing more than a predator, 
and will want to maintain their autonomy. 
 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
7. (C) The MLC has long stood out in Congolese politics for 
its relative cohesion and the acumen of its leaders, 
especially Kamitatu.  Rumors of Bemba-Kamitatu tensions 
(stemming from Bemba's jealousy of Kamitatu's talent and 
prestige) are nothing new, but it is unusual for a highly 
visible Bemba loyalist such as Luhaka to speak of them and 
express his own frustrations.  Luhaka may simply have been 
"fishing" in an attempt to gauge USG support or lack thereof 
for Bemba.  Kamitatu may well be weighing the prospects for 
his own at the Presidency.  Not coincidentally, his expressed 
preference for "indirect" election of the President could 
play well for him, given his current role as National 
Assembly President. We think it unlikely Kamitatu will jump 
ship however, but if and when he ever does, it would be a 
serious blow to the MLC. END COMMENT. 
MEECE