Change 21 writes open letter to Chad’s Transition President

On the 8^th of July, Change 21, a new political coalition who fielded a presidential candidate in the 2021 Elections, wrote an open letter to Mahamat Idriss Deby, president of the Transitional Military Council.

The letter is translated as follows:

Your excellency Mr. President,

Change 21 is a coalition of the democratic opposition which brings together 20 political parties, some of which are represented in the National Assembly and in the municipal councils. It was created on February 10, 2021 and fielded a candidate for the April 2021 presidential election.

Given the exceptional sociopolitical situation across our country, Change 21 has the honor of coming to give you its position.

Indeed, since the tragic death of Marshal Idriss Deby Itno, and the establishment of the Transitional Military Council (CMT), Chad has entered a pre-transition phase. Despite the unconstitutional establishment of this transitional military council, Change 21, in the supreme interest of the nation has accepted this act. From its establishment, the CMT hastened to promulgate a charter that was anything but democratic, and to appoint a transitional prime minister and his non-consensual government.

Notwithstanding this, in order to have a peaceful and inclusive pre-transition leading to a genuine inclusive and sovereign national dialogue, we have sent you a memorandum in which a series of proposals in this direction have been made to you. Unfortunately, not only have these proposals not been taken into account, but the CMT continues to take exclusionary acts which do not promote national cohesion; Especially :

• Clan and clientelist appointments in civil and military administrations;
• The exclusive mode of appointment in the pre-transition bodies;
• The manifest desire to extend the 18-month mandate of the transition with the aim of confiscating power;
• The refusal to accept the arrival of the representative of the African Union, which reflects the unwillingness of the CMT to respect the deadline for the transition;
• The selective outstretched hand policy vis-à-vis opinion leaders from within, the diaspora and politico-military;
• Failure by the government to respect its commitments with the social partners;
• The repeated violations of the judicial power by the executive power in particular the multiple insults to the magistrates;
• The problem of unemployed graduates which does not seem to concern the CMT;
• Discriminatory decrees of elevation to different ranks in the national police and the General Directorate of Security of State Institutions (DGSSIE)

Your excellency Mr. President,

All these abuses and injustices can inevitably only increase the frustration of Chadians and undermine unity. This is why Change 21, which is still enshrined in the republican pact, will continue as usual to make proposals that will allow for a peaceful and inclusive transition for the well-being of Chadians. These proposals are:

• The immediate revision of the Transition Charter which in its current form is undemocratic and does not meet the aspirations of the Chadian people;
• The organization in a short time of the inclusive national dialogue and public reconciliation that will allow Chadians to have an opportunity to speak without taboos and to be truly reconciled. This dialogue will make it possible to set up representative and legitimate transition bodies that will lead to a peaceful and inclusive transition;
• The establishment of the National Transitional Council (CNT), which is a legislative body, must be the result of inclusive national dialogue and reconciliation so that it is independent, representative and has legitimacy;
• Adopt a policy of a non-exclusive outstretched hand towards political opponents from within, without and the politico-military;
• Justice, being the cement of national cohesion, the independence of the Justice Department must be guaranteed and the material and security resources necessary for the exercise of their function must be made available to magistrates in order to enable them to fulfill their functions in complete independence and security ;
• As youth are the backbone of our nation, it is important to guide them and provide them with employment opportunities by promoting excellence with equal opportunity and without discrimination. Hence the imperative to find an immediate solution to the problem of unemployed graduates whose claims are legitimate;

Avoid appointments or promotions based on family or business position. This will give civil and military administrations a truly republican character.

Your excellency Mr. President,

Change 21 pleads for a credible, transparent and peaceful transition according to the will of the people. We dare to believe that justice and equity will be your main working tools in order to guarantee all of Chad a better tomorrow, animated by principles of rights in accordance with our dear motto: Unity-Work-Progress.

The advent of the CMT despite the tragic backdrop has been a source of hope. The current happenings comfort us that hope has been short and long. The future of this country so damaged in its cohesion, its unity and its development must be at the center of the concerns of all the leaders of this country without exception. Chad’s peace of mind will depend on the value you give to any proposals, regardless of the party or the sides from which they come. This is where you could prevent Chad from falling into chaos.

However, Change 21 would like to point out that with this open letter, it has exhausted all possible means of communication to make itself heard. It warns that a series of actions will be taken in the days to come if the CMT persists in its ways.

Here is in a few lines the content of the letter of Change 21 in its logic of a Chad for all and all for Chad, which is a participatory contribution in this pre-transition period.

While wishing you the best of activities and success in this pre-transition period, we once again reiterate our highest considerations.

Related news in French:

https://tchadinfos.com/politique/politique-lalternance-21-adresse-une-lettre-ouverte-au-president-du-conseil-militaire-de-transition/