The urgency of reactivating the Economic, Social and (…) Council – Gabonews

2023-09-24 18:02:43

The urgency of reactivating the Economic, Social and Environmental Council, according to Nicaise Moulombi

September 24, 2023

Nicaise Moulombi, Executive President of the High Council of Non-State Actors of Gabon, while welcoming Paulette Missambo and Jean-François Ndongou, respectively, President of the Senate and the National Assembly, calls on the authorities of the Committee for the transition and restoration of institutions (CTRI) to the restoration of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council. For him, it is the appropriate platform for civil society to make its contribution in order to build a new Gabon that the Gabonese dream of.

“Following the remarks made by Madame Paulette Missambo, President of the Senate and Mr. Jean-François Ndongou, President of the National Assembly of the Transition, at the end of the Audience granted by General Brice Clotaire OLIGUI NGUEMA, President of the CTRI, President of the Transition, Head of State.

The High Council of Non-State Actors of Gabon calls on civil society actors to exercise restraint, respect, humility and advocacy.

Indeed, it is normal for the President of the Senate to express a political vision linked to an institution for which she is responsible for leading, that is to say, a political institution which must be oriented towards local communities. The Senate remains above all a political institution.

The same goes for the National Assembly which is a political institution serving the people. Based on this observation, the remarks made by the Presidents of these two institutions fit well with the very essence of parliament. They were in no way intended to favor one component to the detriment of another or to exclude certain compatriots for the benefit of others.

As we speak of the reconstruction of our dear country Gabon, we must and we have the obligation to cultivate a spirit of appeasement, of dialogue, of listening. The consolidation of achievements must be done with a modest triumph.

It is completely normal for all stakeholders to be involved and represented in all the bodies of the Transition. The Head of State took care to rightly recall that at the CTRI, there is neither majority nor opposition. In other words, the transition must be done with all political actors, CEOs, Majority, Alternation 2023, coalition of President Jean Ping as well as civil society.

Gabon, which is tending towards happiness, must have new political actors, from civil society and old ones. All are Gabonese and not all are bad or corrupt.

I remind you that corruption is found among political supporters and civil society, there is no mistake about it. The President of the Transition, Head of State, will deal with everyone, old and new, with the certainty that things will no longer be as in the past.

That is why, I would like to reiterate the urgency already expressed to the authorities of our country to reactivate the Economic, Social and Environmental Advisor, an appropriate platform for civil society to contribute to the building of the new Gabon that we all dream of. It is the place par excellence where all actors of civil society express themselves.

The commitment of each citizen of our country must allow civil society to have its platform as was the case at the end of the national conference of 1990, with an obligation that the set of texts under examination in parliament (in the Senate and the National Assembly) would pass as a priority to the Economic, Social and Environmental Council for an opinion which will necessarily be examined by the two chambers of Parliament, then annexed to all reports of the work of the two chambers before the adoption of the said texts.

After 54 years of humanization, we no longer have the right to abuse each other, even verbally. The time has come for the reconstruction of our country with the help of all its sons, whether we are from the CEO, the Majority, the Opposition or Civil Society. It is with our strengths and weaknesses that we will continue to exist.

I would like to recall in passing that the Gabonese opposition is largely made up of former Pdgists who had the merit of refusing to have been frustrated by the injustices of their former party. And those who remained are no less deserving and all corrupt, including in civil society as we hear here and elsewhere.”

Nicaise Moulombi, Executive President

of the High Council of Non-State Actors of Gabon.