THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary-December 27, 2016- Topic 2
The ongoing political crisis in the
Democratic Republic of Congo is a reminder of the country’s turbulent past.
Since it became independent in 1960, no head of state has left office
peacefully after an election. By refusing to hold an election, which was due in
November, and clinging to power even after his term officially came to an end
on December 19, Joseph Kabila, the President of the DRC, risks repeating the
mistakes of his predecessors. Congo’s Constitution, which Mr. Kabila himself
helped write after his 2006 election, bars the President from seeking a third
term. But Mr. Kabila later changed his mind and sought to amend the rules to
stay on in power. After failing in such attempts, he simply refused to hold
elections, citing “logistical problems”. A court has allowed him to remain
President until the next elections are held, which the ruling party says will
only be in 2018. It is now evident that the President wants to delay the
process for as long as possible. But the going is not easy for Mr. Kabila, who
was seen in his early years in power as a young and energetic leader who could
democratise the polity, offer stability and lift the living standards of
millions of its citizens. Not any longer.
Mr. Kabila’s decision to delay the
elections has triggered massive protests across the country, in particular
turning Kinshasa, the capital, into a battleground between security personnel
and protesters. Dozens of opposition activists have been shot dead and hundreds
arrested since September. The President is so unpopular in the capital that the
ruling party’s headquarters in the city was burned down during Christmas week.
As of now, the army and the police stand behind the President and show no
qualms in shooting down protesters. But the question now is how long Mr. Kabila
can stay on in power by suppressing mass protests. Significantly, the
weeks-long violent repression has not turned the protesters away from the
streets. Besides, the opposition has rejected outright any bid by Mr. Kabila to
stand for another term. If this stalemate continues, Congo will plunge into a
greater crisis, at a time it faces several other economic and security
challenges, including frequent cross-border attacks on civilians by
Uganda-based rebels. Mr. Kabila should draw lessons from the country’s past.
After the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko was ousted in 1997, Congo was plunged into
a deadly civil war, leaving hundreds of thousands of people dead. Mr. Kabila’s
father, Laurent Kabila, who spearheaded the protests against Mobutu, was
assassinated. President Kabila should call early elections and hand over power
peacefully, thereby setting a precedent for his successors.
Vocabulary
Turbulent: characterized by conflict, disorder, or confusion; not controlled or calm.
Example: The country's turbulent 20-year history
Synonyms: tempestuous, stormy, unstable, unsettled, tumultuous, chaotic, violent
Clinging: fitting closely to the body and showing its shape.
Example: She was wearing a clinging black dress
Predecessor: a person who held a job or office before the current holder.
Example: The new president's foreign policy is very similar to that of his
predecessor
Synonyms: forerunner, precursor, antecedent
Evident: plain or obvious; clearly seen or understood.
Example: She ate the cookies with evident enjoyment
Synonyms: obvious, apparent, noticeable, conspicuous, perceptible
Qualms: an uneasy feeling of doubt, worry, or fear, especially about one's own
conduct; a misgiving.
Example: Military regimes generally have no qualms about controlling the press
Synonyms: misgivings, doubts, reservations, worries, concerns
Repression: the action of subduing someone or something by force.
Irish readers will quickly
spot the familiar pattern of failed uprising followed by brutal repression .
Synonyms: suppression, quashing, subduing, crushing, stamping
out
Outright: open and direct; not concealed.
Example: An outright refusal
Synonyms: out-and-out, absolute, complete, downright, utter, sheer
Plunge: an act of jumping or diving into water.
Example: We went straight from the sauna to take a cold plunge
Synonyms: dive, jump, nosedive, fall, pitch, drop, plummet, descent
Ousted: drive out or expel someone from a position or place.
Example: He ousted a long-term incumbent by only 500 votes
Synonyms: drive out, expel, force out, throw out, remove
from office/power
Spearheaded: lead an attack or movement.
Example: He's spearheading a campaign to reduce the number of accidents at work
Synonyms: lead, head, front, lead
the way, be in the van, be in the vanguard