Alain Moka
Encyclopedia
Alain Moka is a Congolese
politician. He was Minister of Health and Population in the government of Congo-Brazzaville from 2002 to 2005 and is currently a Deputy in the National Assembly
.
, located in the Likouala Region
of northern Congo-Brazzaville. He is a medical doctor by profession and was the medical attaché to the Congolese embassy in Paris from 1997 to 1999. He was subsequently a member of the National Transitional Council (which served as the parliament during the transitional period) from 1999 to 2002. In the May–June 2002 parliamentary election
, he was elected to the National Assembly as the candidate of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT) in Impfondo constituency; he won the seat in the first round with 67.20% of the vote. Following that election, he was appointed to the government as Minister of Health and Population on 18 August 2002; accordingly, he succeeded Léon-Alfred Opimbat
at the Ministry of Health on 22 August. Following an outbreak of the Ebola virus
, which claimed 29 lives, Moka announced the end of the outbreak on 20 January 2004.
As Minister of Health, Moka was disliked by foreign donors, who reportedly characterized him as "a cancer". He was criticized for making little progress in improving the poor state of the health sector after years of civil war, and the European Union
demanded repayment of two million euros in aid that Moka was said to have redirected away from its intended use. He remained Minister of Health and Population until he was dismissed from the government on 7 January 2005; subsequently he returned to his seat in the National Assembly.
Radio Moka, a Likouala radio station owned by Moka, was ordered to be closed by the Prefect of Likouala on 1 September 2005. The station was accused of broadcasting partial information, as well as inciting hatred and division. According to Moka, however, the closure was in retaliation for the station's failure to cover an Impfondo rally in support of PCT Secretary-General Ambroise Noumazalaye
in the midst of an intra-party dispute. In that dispute between PCT reformers and conservatives regarding the organization of the party, Moka was associated with the conservatives.
Moka, who was also President of the Jean-Pierre-Moka Foundation, visited Impfondo in early 2006 as part of a health initiative; he distributed mosquito net
s to students and planned to send a supply of condoms to help combat the spread of HIV
.
For the June 2007 parliamentary election
, the PCT chose to nominate Charles Zacharie Bowao rather than Moka as its candidate in Impfondo. Unlike Moka, Bowao—who was Minister at the Presidency in charge of Cooperation, Humanitarian Action, and Solidarity—was considered a representative of the party's reformist wing. Moka stood as an independent candidate for re-election to his parliamentary seat representing Impfondo constituency and was victorious, receiving 75.76% of the vote and defeating Bowao.
At the PCT's Sixth Extraordinary Congress, held in July 2011, Moka was elected to the PCT's 51-member Political Bureau.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
politician. He was Minister of Health and Population in the government of Congo-Brazzaville from 2002 to 2005 and is currently a Deputy in the National Assembly
National Assembly of the Republic of the Congo
The Parliament of the Republic of Congo has two chambers. The lower house is the National Assembly . It has 153 members, for a five year term in single-seat constituencies.-See also:...
.
Political career
Moka was born in ImpfondoImpfondo
Impfondo is a town in the north eastern Republic of the Congo with a population of around 20,000 people, lying on the Oubangui River. It is home to an airport and is linked by river barge to Brazzaville and to Bangui. It is the administrative centre of Impfondo District and the Likouala Region....
, located in the Likouala Region
Likouala Region
Likouala is a department of the Republic of the Congo in the northern part of the country. It borders the departments of Cuvette and Sangha, and internationally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic. The region has an area of 66,044 km² and an estimated...
of northern Congo-Brazzaville. He is a medical doctor by profession and was the medical attaché to the Congolese embassy in Paris from 1997 to 1999. He was subsequently a member of the National Transitional Council (which served as the parliament during the transitional period) from 1999 to 2002. In the May–June 2002 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2002
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo in 2002; the first round was held on 26 May and the second round on 20 June. The Congolese Labour Party and its allies won a majority of seats in the National Assembly....
, he was elected to the National Assembly as the candidate of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT) in Impfondo constituency; he won the seat in the first round with 67.20% of the vote. Following that election, he was appointed to the government as Minister of Health and Population on 18 August 2002; accordingly, he succeeded Léon-Alfred Opimbat
Léon-Alfred Opimbat
Léon-Alfred Opimbat is a Congolese politician who has served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Sports and Physical Education since August 2011. Previously he was Minister of Health from 1992 to 1993 and then Minister of National Solidarity and Humanitarian Action from 1997 to...
at the Ministry of Health on 22 August. Following an outbreak of the Ebola virus
Ebola virus
Ebola virus causes severe disease in humans and in nonhuman primates in the form of viral hemorrhagic fever. EBOV is a Select Agent, World Health Organization Risk Group 4 Pathogen , National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Category A Priority Pathogen,...
, which claimed 29 lives, Moka announced the end of the outbreak on 20 January 2004.
As Minister of Health, Moka was disliked by foreign donors, who reportedly characterized him as "a cancer". He was criticized for making little progress in improving the poor state of the health sector after years of civil war, and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
demanded repayment of two million euros in aid that Moka was said to have redirected away from its intended use. He remained Minister of Health and Population until he was dismissed from the government on 7 January 2005; subsequently he returned to his seat in the National Assembly.
Radio Moka, a Likouala radio station owned by Moka, was ordered to be closed by the Prefect of Likouala on 1 September 2005. The station was accused of broadcasting partial information, as well as inciting hatred and division. According to Moka, however, the closure was in retaliation for the station's failure to cover an Impfondo rally in support of PCT Secretary-General Ambroise Noumazalaye
Ambroise Noumazalaye
Ambroise Édouard Noumazalaye was a Congolese politician who was Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo from 1966 to 1968, under President Alphonse Massamba-Débat. Later in life he served as Secretary-General of the Congolese Labour Party and was a supporter of President Denis Sassou Nguesso...
in the midst of an intra-party dispute. In that dispute between PCT reformers and conservatives regarding the organization of the party, Moka was associated with the conservatives.
Moka, who was also President of the Jean-Pierre-Moka Foundation, visited Impfondo in early 2006 as part of a health initiative; he distributed mosquito net
Mosquito net
A mosquito net offers protection against mosquitos, flies, and other insects, and thus against diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and various forms of encephalitis, including the West Nile virus, if used properly and especially if treated with an insecticide, which can double...
s to students and planned to send a supply of condoms to help combat the spread of HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
.
For the June 2007 parliamentary election
Republic of the Congo parliamentary election, 2007
A parliamentary election was held in the Republic of the Congo on 24 June 2007, with a second round initially planned for 22 July 2007, but then postponed to 5 August 2007. According to the National Commission of the Organization of the Elections , 1,807 candidates stood in the first round for 137...
, the PCT chose to nominate Charles Zacharie Bowao rather than Moka as its candidate in Impfondo. Unlike Moka, Bowao—who was Minister at the Presidency in charge of Cooperation, Humanitarian Action, and Solidarity—was considered a representative of the party's reformist wing. Moka stood as an independent candidate for re-election to his parliamentary seat representing Impfondo constituency and was victorious, receiving 75.76% of the vote and defeating Bowao.
At the PCT's Sixth Extraordinary Congress, held in July 2011, Moka was elected to the PCT's 51-member Political Bureau.