The Association of University Professors of Kinshasa (APUKIN) aims to push for the resignation of its members whose candidacies were invalidated due to corruption and/or cheating during the election of December 20th last.

According to a dispatch from Radio Okapi.net, "the president of the Association of University Professors of Kinshasa (APUKIN) is asking all professors whose names are among those invalidated by the national independent electoral commission (CENI) to resign on their own accord. Otherwise, they will be forced to do so, in order not to pass on those negative values to the students."

Its president, Professor David Lubo insists: "All we can ask of them is to voluntarily resign for having cast shame, damnation, discredit, treachery... upon this elite body."

He has also called for legal proceedings against the concerned professors.

"We must protect the youth against these viruses of cheating or corruption," insisted David Lubo, continues Radio Okapi.net.

What about the anti-values decried in university circles?

According to some observers, the president of APUKIN, who should be supported in this initiative, must also fight against the anti-values that are rife in Congolese university environments. They believe it is the best way for him to sanitize these environments where, moreover, youth are more exposed. Fraud and corruption, present in these environments, would only be a drop of water in the ocean of anti-values there. (Is his alma mater spared? Judging from his approach, one would think not. Ed.)

By doing this, say the observers, he would be doing a valuable service in fighting this battle because the worm that corrodes the inside of the fruit is more dangerous than one that attacks from the outside. The nation could even be grateful to him.

Boni Tsala