Welcoming Ceremony of the River Convoy

Remarks by Ambassador Roger A. Meece
Public Port of ONATRA
July 24, 2006: 10:30 am

Mr President of the Independent Election Commission (CEI), Governor of Kinshasa,
Mr Bourgmeister,
Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Mr Director of USAID and the Bureau of Democracy team,
Madame Supervisor of the Special Commission (ICPR/CEI),
Mr Director of the International Commission of the Congo Basin – Oubangi – Sangha,
Mr President of the Committee of River Transporters,
Mr President of the Order of Captains of the Congo River,
Ship-owners,
Port Managers,
Advisors,
Presidents of unions and associations,
Mr Representative of Innovative Resources Management (IRM),
Mme Representative of International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES),
Dear Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Early every morning, I contemplate the Congo River.  My thoughts are drawn to its grandeur and the vast watershed of its tributaries. This river is a source of power for the country which shares its name, promising hydroelectric and commercial enterprise.

Today, I want to talk about another kind of power that this river embodies – the power of trade in ideas. Throughout history, ideas have flowed across the waters as much as goods.

What is so alluring about this river convoy, which we welcome with such pride, is that it uses the vastness of the Congo River to spread ideas.  Quite simply put, these ideas will help the DRC relegate to the past a long and sad history of bad governance, confrontation and conflict. These ideas will help the Congolese people give voice to their common interests through the election of their own leaders.

Starting with riverside populations – with the help of local officials, 87 Anti-Corruption Committees,  and the media – IRM and the Independent Election Commission have used conferences, debates, videos, plays, storyboards, brochures and word–of–mouth to reach some 600,000 people since April.  They have done so in the provinces of Kinshasa, Equateur, Bandundu, Oriental, and Maniema.

The basic idea of “The Queen of the IRM” is to inform citizens about the electoral process in the DRC and get them involved in their own government.  Armed with a better understanding of these elections, and already emboldened by their experiences from the Constitutional referendum, populations along the river will be able actively to participate in the ultimate transition to democracy.

With the help of USAID and its partners such as IRM, IFES, and local NGOs, the government of the United States has brought this kind of civic education to an estimated 1.6 million Congolese in more than 120 territories in the Congo before the July 30 elections. This is a lot, but not enough. We hope that the Congolese, like the river convoy, will continue to communicate with their neighbors about how important these elections are, how polling stations function, and how to go about voting secretly for their preferred presidential and parliamentary candidates.

The task is certainly enormous but, in more than 40 years, the Congo has never been so close to a better future, because of all your efforts. Like the river convoy, you, Congolese, have embarked on a voyage toward historical elections and I am confident you will arrive.

I salute the river convoy, and I salute, with you, a democratic and prosperous future for the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Thank You.