Alexandre Denguet Atticky ( – 30 January 2013) was a Congolese politician. Under the single-party rule of the Congolese Labour Party (PCT), he served in the government of Congo-Brazzaville as Minister of Labour from 1971 to 1975 and was Ambassador to France in the late 1970s. From 2002 to 2012, Denguet Atiki was a Deputy in the National Assembly, and he was also President of the Parliamentary Group of the Presidential Majority from 2007 to 2012.
Political career Denguet Atticky was born at Owando in Cuvette Department. After studying in Brazzaville, he began working at the National Social Security Fund; subsequently he worked with trade unions.Josiane Mambou-Loukoula, "Alexandre Denguet Atiki inhumé au mausolée Marien-Ngouabi" , Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 9 February 2013 . In the late 1960s, he was a member of the Executive Bureau of the Congolese Trade Union Confederation (Confédération Syndicale Congolaise, CSC) and was the CSC's Federal Secretary for Education; in that capacity, he was the workers' delegate representing Congo-Brazzaville at the International Labour Conference.Record of Proceedings – International Labour Conference, volume 52 (1969), page xxii. He was also a member of the Economic and Social Council of Congo-Brazzaville.Les Élites africaines (1972), page 108 . Denguet Atiki was Political Counsellor at the Congolese Embassy to France in the early 1970s,L'Afrique d'expression française et Madagascar, volumes 8–10 (c. 1970) . and subsequently he was appointed to the Congolese government as Minister of Labour on 16 December 1971."Décret N° 71-403 du 16 decembre 1971 fixant la composition des membres du Conseil d'etat de la République Populaire de Congo", Presidency of Congo-Brazzaville, 16 December 1971 .Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique (1997), Karthala Editions, pages 193–194 and 429 .
Denguet Atticky's ministerial responsibilities were expanded when he was appointed as Minister of Labour and JusticeAfrican Recorder, volume 11 (1972), page 3,227."Décret n°72-280, portant nomination du Ministre du Travail, en qualité de Ministre de la Justice, Garde des Sceaux", Presidency of Congo-Brazzaville, 11 August 1972 . in place of Aloïse Moudileno-Massengo 11 August 1972, and he was also elected to the PCT Central Committee in 1972.Bazenguissa-Ganga, Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique, page 429 . Denguet was retained in his post as Minister of Labour and Justice on 30 August 1973.Bazenguissa-Ganga, Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique, pages 210–211 ."Décret N° 73-293 du 30 août 1973 fixant la composition des membres du Conseil des Ministres de la République Populaire de Congo", Presidency of Congo-Brazzaville, 30 August 1973 .
At a CSC congress in May 1974, Denguet Atticky warned managers that they were required to cooperate with labour unions and that they faced dismissal if they did not. However, he tempered his admonishment to management by warning that "anarchic unionists who try to systematically undermine the authority of directors" would be seriously punished.Africa Contemporary Record, volume 6 (1974), page B-589.
Later, on 9 January 1975, Denguet Atticky's portfolios were again modified when he was appointed as Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, in charge of Industry."Décret n°75-21", cited at Ministry of the Civil Service website (accessed 12 May 2010) .Africa Research Bulletin (1975), page 3,489. He was replaced by Pierre Ngaka in December 1975"Décret n°44-EMSR", cited at Ministry of the Civil Service website (accessed 12 May 2010) .Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series, volumes 11–12 (c. 1976), page 3,853. and subsequently was Director-General of the National Office of Commerce.West Africa (1977), page 2,229.Sociétés et fournisseurs d'Afrique noire (1977), page 179 .
Denguet Atticky's political fortunes declined following the assassination of President Marien Ngouabi in March 1977. Ngouabi's successor, Joachim Yhombi-Opango, appointed Denguet Atiki as Ambassador to France later in 1977,"Allocution de M. Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, à l'occasion de la présentation des lettres de créance de S.E. M. Alexandre Denguet Attiki, Ambassadeur de la République populaire de Congo, Palais de l'Elysée, le Jeudi 20 Octobre 1977", French Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information website . and Denguet Atiki presented his credentials to French President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing on 20 October 1977. While posted in Paris, he was additionally accredited as Ambassador to the United KingdomJohn Clements, The United Kingdom, the Commonwealth of Nations: A Directory of Governments, volume 1 (1979), page 75. and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO.UNESCO Chronicle, volumes 23–25 (1977), page 66 . He was dropped from the PCT Central Committee in 1979.Bazenguissa-Ganga, Les voies du politique au Congo: essai de sociologie historique, page 294, note 166 .
Denguet Atticky was Director-General and chairman of the Board of the Congolese Timber Office in the late 1980s.Jeune Afrique, issues 800–816 (1988) . At the PCT's Fourth Ordinary Congress, held on 26–31 July 1989, Denguet Atiki regained a seat on the PCT Central Committee. He was also named as the PCT's Political Commissioner for Kouilou Region at that time.Gabriel Entcha-Ebia, Congo 50 ans d'indépendance: Pour quel avenir ? (2012), L'Harmattan, page 77 .
Activities during the 2002–2007 parliamentary term At the time of the March 2002 presidential election, Denguet Atticky supported President Denis Sassou Nguesso and worked as his local campaign director for the Poto-Poto district of Brazzaville., Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 27 February 2002 . He then stood as the PCT candidate for the third constituency of Poto-Poto in the May 2002 parliamentary election, and he won the seat in the second round of voting, held in June 2002., Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 28 June 2002 .
In the National Assembly, Denguet Atticky was designated as First Vice-president of the Health, Social Affairs, and Environment Commission on 24 August 2002., Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 26 August 2002 . He met with his constituents in Poto-Poto in March 2003 to discuss the work of the National Assembly's first session and the establishment of a parliamentary peace committee that was intended to facilitate peace in the Pool Region., Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 6 March 2003 . Within the ruling party, Denguet Atiki served as President of the PCT's Section 3, based in Poto-Poto., Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 7 June 2003 .
Meeting with constituents on 11 February 2004, Denguet Atticky discussed the work of the National Assembly's seventh and eighth special sessions; in particular, he explained how government funding was being allotted in Brazzaville and he described two new laws intended to maintain and improve the condition of the country's roads."Alexandre Ndénguet Atiki s'adresse à ses électeurs", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 13 February 2004 . On 21 September 2004, he condemned vandalism in Poto-Poto, urging the people to be vigilant and vowing that the vandals would be punished. He also used the occasion to discuss draft laws with his constituents and stressed the government's commitment to maintaining peace."Alexandre Denguet Atiki dénonce les actes de vandalisme constatés dans le 3e arrondissement de Brazzaville", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 22 September 2004 .
Denguet Atticky discussed the work of the National Assembly's seventh ordinary session at a meeting with constituents on 24 February 2005. He also listened to the people's complaints and assured them that the government was working to address their problems. According to Denguet Atiki, the government was trying to improve educational infrastructure and would be assisted in doing so by a grant of 10 million CFA francs from the International Development Association; he said that some of the money would go towards improving schools in Poto-Poto. Regarding youth unemployment, Denguet Atiki noted the severity of the problem; he said that the government was trying to address it but that more needed to be done."Alexandre Ndénguet Atiki rend compte des délibérations de l'Assemblée nationale aux populations de Poto-Poto (Brazzaville)", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 25 February 2005 .
On 31 May 2005, Denguet Atticky met with his constituents in Poto-Poto to discuss the work of the National Assembly's eighth ordinary session; he particularly noted legislation that he believed would promote economic growth. His constituents raised concerns regarding roads, sanitation, youth unemployment, and payment of pensions. Denguet Atiki said that the government intended to address those issues and he vowed to faithfully speak on behalf of his constituents in the National Assembly."Le député Alexandre Denguet Attiki face aux populations de Poto-poto", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 2 June 2005 .
Prior to the PCT's Fifth Extraordinary Congress, Denguet Atticky and several others were specially added to the Directory of the Preparatory Committee for the Congress on 31 October 2006."PCT : le bureau politique réunifié annonce le congrès d'ici le 15 novembre", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 2 November 2006 . The congress was held on 22–29 December 2006."La direction du Parti Congolais du Travail s'ouvre aux jeunes et aux femmes", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 30 December 2006 . Denguet Atiki also served as the Acting President of the Parliamentary Group of the Presidential Majority in the period leading up to the 2007 parliamentary election."2e tour des législatives. Gabriel Oba Apounou lance un appel aux militants du PCT", Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 18 July 2007 . Justin Lekoundzou, the President of the Parliamentary Group,"Législatives 2007. Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya et Lekoundzou Itihi Ossetoumba adressent une lettre au Chef de l'Etat" , Les Dépêches de Brazzaville, 31 March 2007 . was ill and undergoing medical treatment abroad.Rémy Bazenguissa-Ganga, "Congo", in Africa Yearbook: Politics, Economy and Society South of the Sahara in 2007 (2008), eds. Andreas Mehler, Henning Melber, and Klaas van Walraven, Brill, pages 232–233.
Lekoundzou and Jean-Pierre Thystère Tchicaya, the President of the National Assembly, released a letter on 24 March 2007 calling on President Sassou Nguesso to set up a truly independent electoral commission. Coming from two leading members of the Presidential Majority, the letter was a significant gesture of dissent, as it called into question the government's existing efforts to establish an independent electoral commission. In response to the letter, the deputies of the Presidential Majority, led by Denguet Atiki, held a meeting in Mpila on 11 April 2007 to clarify that they did not endorse the letter. They criticized Lekoundzou and Thystère Tchicaya for acting outside of the parliamentary process and for making a statement that could be perceived as reflecting the broader wishes of the deputies of the Presidential Majority, given their leadership roles."Les députés se désolidarisent de la démarche de Thystère Tchicaya et Lékoundzou" , La Semaine Africaine, N° 2686, 13 April 2007, page 3 .
2007 election and subsequent events