POLITICS-COMORES:
Island Leaders Try to Iron Out Differences
Jean-Jacques Cornish
After two years of trying unsuccessfully to make their power-sharing constitution work, Comorians know they are running out of options.
MORONI, Dec 19 (IPS) - Presidential spokesman Kaambi Roubani says that at best, the
international community might lose patience with this Indian Ocean
archipelago of 650,000 people.
"At worst," he says, "we could even face civil war."
The precarious state of Comorian politics will come under the spotlight
this Saturday, during a summit convened by South African President Thabo
Mbeki.
Representatives from other countries in the region - Madagascar,
Mauritius, Mozambique, Kenya, Tanzania, the Seychelles and Zambia - will
also be present.
The meeting is aimed at committing President Azali Assoumani and
representatives of the country's three autonomous islands to implement a
memorandum they agreed on in South Africa four months ago.
The islands form
a union which has its seat in Moroni, on the island of Grande Comore.
Representatives of the United Nations, the African Union (AU), the Arab
League, the European Union and the Indian Ocean Commission will also witness
the signing.
One of the key issues addressed by the memorandum is how government
revenues can be fairly distributed between the three islands, which also
include Anjouan and Moheli.
Anjouan has been collecting taxes without depositing them in union
coffers, while Assoumani is accused of holding on to the country's purse
strings too tightly, in a bid to retain power.
"Distribution of finances should be the responsibility of the union
parliament and the island legislatures," says Roubani.
"But we have not yet had legislative elections. In the absence of
parliamentarians, the presidents (of the three islands) do not have the
competence to take certain steps," he adds. "This is why we want legislative
elections to take place as soon as possible."
According to Roubani, the polls should have been held this year, but were
postponed.
It is expected that inter-island talks which are taking place
ahead of the summit will name a date next year for the elections.
The talks are also focusing on the thorny issue of revenue sharing -
particularly of funds derived from customs duties - and control of the
country's army and police service.
Under the memorandum, the union would control the army - while command of
the police force would devolve to the islands. Leadership of the security
forces is a sensitive issue on the archipelago, which has experienced 19
coups or attempted coups since gaining independence from France in 1975.
However, the talks began in an angry mood on Thursday, with Anjouan
President Mohamed Bacar claiming that delegates were going over matters that
had already been covered.
"We have already agreed everything on this agenda and signed a memorandum
to this effect in Pretoria in August," Bacar said.
"If we keep signing documents and then expressing reservations
afterwards, we will never get to implement any agreement," he added.
"Everything was thrashed out in Pretoria. All of us signed. Were some of us
pressurised afterwards?"
AU Special Envoy Jose Madeira noted that "some concerns (had) been
expressed", without giving further details. "Nevertheless," he added, "all
that is needed is for (the) memorandum to be implemented. So we are here to
address those concerns."
Assoumani has been accused of trying to sabotage the talks by arresting
the Minister of Finance for Grande Comore, Younoussa Assoumani, on
corruption charges just days before the meeting started.
But, "The finance minister's arrest was part of the president's war on
corruption," insists Roubani. "He is waging this without fear or favour. The
law is the law."
He adds, "Victims of this war include the Director-General of Customs and
Excise, Mohamed Djounaid - a close friend and supporter of the president,
who is currently in jail."
Roubani dismissed the Comorian opposition's concern about the arrest as
an attempt by aged politicians to make a last grab at power, though
unseating the president: "The important thing to understand about (the)
opposition is (that) their time is running out. Their key figures are all in
their late sixties or early seventies."
"In terms of the constitution, the union presidency will rotate among the
other islands when President Assoumani's term expires in two years," says
Roubani. "This means that it will be 11 years before it comes to Grande
Comore again."
Even without these difficulties, putting the Comores' power-sharing
institutions in place presents a considerable challenge.
"In a poor country with only 650 000 people you have to say that four
parliaments, four cabinets, four flags and four of everything is possibly
too much," observes Roubani.
President Assoumani seized power in 1999 - after Anjouan and Moheli had
attempted to secede from the Comores two years earlier. A new constitution
was adopted in 2001, and presidential elections held on all of the islands a
year later. Assoumani became president of the union in 2002.
(END/IPS/AF/EA/IP/JC/JH/03)
(END/2003)
