Isn’t it time that we (sons and daughters of the Democratic Republic of Congo) join other world’s citizens who are committed to finding durable and lasting solutions to the known problems in our country?

Dear valued compatriots,

The struggle for justice and peace in our country (the Democratic Republic of Congo) has cost many human lives, caused horrendous suffering and destruction. What is needed now is for all actors to set aside their differences and hold a national dialogue or whatever shall be the best way; focus on putting the interest of all of us (the Democratic Republic of Congo’s people) first and without discrimination.

Whether we decide to be good people or to be bad people, we will always have some people on our side and we will have others against us. I fail to understand if this is natural or a man-made tradition.

However, I have been blessed, in the past nearly two years, to meet with many of my compatriots, based in different parts of the world, including those in our mother land (the Democratic Republic of Congo); some of them members of the current governing body, some of them members of the formal opposition, some of them members of the informal opposition and others neutral. Some of them are moderate, some of them are extremists, others do not know what they really want but in the end most of us seem to share a vision that is to see our country becoming a socially and economically better country. Therefore, I have a feeling that the time to move our country forward as a united nation has come but I believe that it will be important that we follow wise footprints, among others, to name a few:

·       Lyndon B. Johnson: “Yesterday is not ours to recover but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose”

·        Martin Luther King, Jr: I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.

·       Nelson Mandela: During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people. I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to see realised. But if needs be, my lord, it is an ideal for which I am ready to die. 

·       Abraham Lincoln: “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

·       Bill Clinton: “We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our common humanity matters more.” 

·       Bill Clinton: “I learned a lot from the stories my uncle, aunts and grandparents told me: that no one is perfect but most people are good; that people can’t be judged by their worst or weakest moments; that harsh judgements can make hypocrites of us all; that a lot of life is just showing up and hanging on; that laughter is often the best, and sometimes the only response to pain. Perhaps most important, I learned that everyone has a story – of dreams and nightmares, hope and heartache, love and loss, courage and fear, sacrifice and selfishness. All my life I’ve been interested in other people’s stories. I wanted to know them, understand them, feel them. When I grew up into politics, I always felt the main point of my work was to people a chance to have better stories.

·       Nelson Mandela:  "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner."

·       B. Obama: "Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek."

·       Barack Obama: "If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress."

·   Desmond Tutu: The ones that are held in high regard are not militarily powerful, nor even economically prosperous. They have a commitment to try and make the world a better place."  

What I am trying to say is that if “peace, stability and prosperity” and “good governance” are truly included in our vision for our country and its people based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Democracy’s principles in particular, then we will have the courage to conquer fear and to resist all bad influences which cause us, blindly join individuals or group of people who promote diversity intolerance.

Like Nelson Mandela said: We can’t expect ourselves to become saints but rather sinners who keep on trying.

On my point of view, this time should be a special time for us Democratic Republic of Congo people to think again and I hope that we will understand that one vital truth is that we cannot all think alike or always agree on everything. I am trying to say that our diversity will continue whether we like it or not but we have important things we willingly or unwillingly share and which we should protect at all cost, among others, our unconditionally shared Democratic Republic of Congo’s nationality that we need in order to successfully contribute on building a very needed peaceful, stable and prosperous Democratic Republic of Congo, in a potential better Africa and an effective Interdependent World.

It is important that we energetically contribute on changing our country from a human slaughtering land and other inhuman activities to a land where to we shall live in harmony, a land to fearlessly visit, where the hard worker and the honest shall invest and prosper.

Sincerely,

On behalf of the Revolution Congolaise.rc team,

Pacifique Sukisa-Makasi, president.