© IRIN
MPLC deputy chairman Hugues Dobozendi
RCA: Interview avec Hugues
Dobozendi, président adjoint de l'ancien parti au pouvoir
Lundi, 25 août 2003, Nations Unies
(IRIN)
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BANGUI, 18 Aug 2003 (IRIN)
- The Central African Republic witnessed on 15 March its fourth coup after the
ones by Jean Bedel Bokassa in 1965, David Dacko with the help of the French army
in 1979 and Andre Kolingba in 1981. Former army chief of staff Francois Bozize
overthrew President Ange-Felix Patasse and his administration dominated by the
Mouvement de liberation du peuple centrafricain (MLPC), in power since 1993.
MLPC chairman since October 1979, Patasse is now living in exile in Togo and has
been excluded from the national reconciliation dialogue that the National
Transitional Council (NTC) has scheduled for September. The MPLC deputy
chairman, Hugues Dobozendi, 65, a former minister, former national assembly
Speaker (1993-1998) and MLPC delegate to the transitional council, gives his
party's response to Patasse’s exclusion and the party’s position after the coup.
Below are excerpts from an interview he granted IRIN on Sunday.
QUESTION: What is MPLC's response to the exclusion of Patasse in the
national talks?
ANSWER: The government asked the National Transitional Council to make
recommendations about the national dialogue. We, in the party, convinced Patasse
to accept the principle of a national dialogue [which he initiated on November
2002] with all the CAR stakeholders. But some observers told us Patasse was not
wholeheartedly for the dialogue. For instance, when the rebels [then loyal to
Bozize] captured some provincial towns, Patasse sent troops to chase them out
before holding the national dialogue. So, I am not astonished that in response
to that, other actors have excluded him from the talks.
Q: How does the NTC justify the exclusion?
A: First of all, the [presidential] decree confirming NTC membership excluded
Patasse from the council while former presidents David Dacko and Andre Kolingba
were appointed as honorary members. We were informed that the FIDH [Federation
Internationale des Droits de l’Homme, a French-based human rights body] filed a
complaint to the International Criminal Tribunal against Patasse, but the latter
has not yet been tried. Within the party, we are going to ask that Patasse be
tried and judged here in absentia. This was the case for Bokassa [who was
overthrown in 1979 and sentenced to death in absentia in 1980] and Kolingba [sentenced
to death in absentia in August 2002 for plotting a coup in May 2001. Bozize
granted Kolingba amnesty in April]. We think that a complaint in an
international court is compatible with the justice to be rendered by our courts.
Q: Would Patasse come if he were invited to the dialogue?
A: We have not yet examined that possibility. Bozize gave guarantees for
Kolingba’s return [from exile in Uganda] but Kolingba said he needed to take
some precautions for his personal security. This should be the same for Patasse.
If the dialogue could take place outside the country there would be no problem.
Q: Will the MLPC attend the dialogue in Patasse’s absence ?
A: The party's national political council has a clear position on that issue. We
currently have two comrades in the transitional government and myself in the NTC.
The MLPC will fully attend the national talks.
Q: You have complained of witch-hunting against MLPC members. How does it
manifest itself?
A: Many senior civil servants have been sacked. Take the example of governors
and deputy-governors; among them there are a few MLPC members. The new
administration should not sack every party member holding a senior position.
Q: Was the freezing of bank accounts for 26 former ministers part of this
witch-hunting?
A: I am not the right person to answer that question. I know that most of the
bank accounts that had been frozen are now open. Is there any charge against
those whose accounts are still frozen? I do not know.
Q: How do you analyse the fall of the MLPC administration?
A: We had been in power for about 10 years. Since 1996, the country suffered
mutinies by soldiers demanding the payment of salaries. Civil servants, students
and those who retired were also claiming their salaries, scholarships and
pensions. We realised that we favoured the payment of the debts to the
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to the detriment of the payment
of salaries, scholarships and pensions. There was also corruption, but I cannot
make a collective analysis on this issue. Each minister, including those of the
former opposition who were associated with the government, should answer
individually.
Q: Bozize seized power on 15 March without encountering any serious
resistance. Was Patasse betrayed?
A: Security issues were never dealt with within the party. Patasse discussed
security and defence matters with the military. We were not a state-party. The
party was not the one giving directives to Patasse as to who should become his
adviser or collaborator.
Q: Is the MLPC now in opposition ?
A: We were invited to the meeting chaired by Bozize on 20 March. At that time,
we took note of the change and supported Bozize’s vision of conducting a
consensual transition. We have two ministers in the government, Denis Kossibella
[livestock] and Lazare Yagao [secretary of state for primary and secondary
education].
Q: How do you assess the five months of Bozize’s administration?
A: We note that Bozize is paving the way for reconciliation and that he is not
responsible for some acts of his collaborators. The government is doing its best
to pay salaries monthly. As for security, there is still much to do. We still
have armed robbery in Bangui [the capital] and rackets by police on provincial
roads.
Q: What are your relations with the Front de liberation du peuple
centrafricain recently founded by Patasse to overthrow Bozize ?
A: We learnt, as everybody else did, on radio and through the newspapers that
Patasse had founded the movement. We know nothing about that movement.
Q: Will the party contest elections in 2004 ?
A: The MLPC has not been banned.
UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs
Monday 25 August 2003