Bleeding heart liberals didn't squawk about Gabon!
(David P.)
How come?
A. Didn't care.
B. Afraid of Muslim backlash.
C. Secretly long to be like Bongo.
D. Libs are lockstep Francophiles.
E. Too busy squawking about Bushes.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/world/6465599.html
Gabon's president dies after 42 years in power
By Yves Laurent Goma & Rukmini Callimachi
AP Writers
June 8, 2009
[...]
Bongo, who was believed to be one of the world's
wealthiest leaders, became the longest-ruling head
of government — a category that does not include
the monarchs of Britain and Thailand — when Cuba's
Fidel Castro handed power to his brother last year.
Bongo had kept a tight grip on power in the oil-rich
former French colony since he became president in
1967, & his ruling party has dominated the country's
parliament for decades. Opposition parties were only
allowed in 1990, amid a wave of pro-democracy protests.
Elections since then have been marred by allegations
of rigging and unrest. In 2003, parliament — dominated
by his supporters — removed presidential term limits
from the constitution.
While most Gabonese genuinely feared Bongo and there
was little opposition, many accepted his rule because
he had kept his country remarkably peaceful & governed
without the sustained brutality characteristic of many
dictators.
Bongo, meanwhile, amassed a fortune that made him
one of the world's richest men, according to Freedom
House, a private Washington-based democracy watchdog
organization, although nobody really knows how much
he was worth.
Earlier this year, a French judge decided to investi-
gate Bongo & 2 other African leaders over accusations
of money laundering and other alleged crimes linked
to their wealth in France.
The probe followed a complaint by Transparency
International France, an association that tracks
corruption. French media have reported that Bongo's
family owns abundant real estate in France — at one
time owning more properties in Paris than any other
foreign leader.
Born Albert Bernard Bongo on Dec. 30, 1935, the
youngest of 12 children, Bongo served as a lieutenant
in the French Air Force, then climbed quickly through
the civil service, eventually becoming vice president.
He assumed the presidency Dec. 2, 1967, after the
death of Leon M'Ba, the country's only other head of
state since independence from France in 1960.
Bongo set up a one-party state. Six years later, he
converted to Islam and took the name Omar.
His presidential security staff numbered 1,500,
according to the U.S. State Department, while the
entire military numbers just 10,000 troops.
Nicolas Sarkozy expressed his "sadness & emotion"
at Bongo's death on Monday and pledged that France
would remain "loyal to its long relationship of
friendship" with Gabon.
"It is a great and loyal friend of France who has
left us — a grand figure of Africa," Sarkozy said
in a statement.
France has been accused of propping up its old
colonial partners in Africa and looking the other
way as leaders like Bongo siphoned off their
country's resources, leaving a majority of its
people mired in poverty.
"A great figure for Africa? This guy was a scoundrel
on the first order. If there was ever a poster boy
for what you want to avoid in terms of leadership
on the continent, he would have been No. 1," said
former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania Charles Stith,
now the director of Boston University's African
Presidential Archives and Research Center.
The scandals involving Bongo's wealth have long
been fodder for French gossip columns.
In the early 1990s, an Italian fashion designer
testified he had flown call girls to the president
along with his suits.
Three years ago, Bongo's daughter-in-law, married
to his son, the defense minister, appeared on the
American reality show "Really Rich Real Estate,"
shopping for a $25 million Beverly Hills mansion.
In '03, an official of oil giant Elf Aquitaine —
which at one time operated in Gabon — testified he
had opened several Swiss bank accounts for Bongo
into which commissions were paid on multimillion-
dollar oil deals. Bongo has vigorously denied
receiving any money through the accounts.
Gabon is the No. 5 oil exporter in sub-Saharan
Africa, & Bongo built a vast system of patronage,
doling out largesse in part through the salaries
and benefits that came with Cabinet posts.
But oil dependency means the country has more oil
pipeline — 886 miles — than paved roads - 582 miles.
Only 1% of its land is cultivated & Gabon produces
virtually no food.
Instead, basics such as tomatoes are imported from
France, the former colonial master, and neighboring
Cameroon, pushing prices so high that Libreville,
the capital, is the world's eighth most expensive
city, according to Employment Conditions Abroad
International.
[...]
cia.gov -- Factbook on Gabon
Background:
Only two autocratic presidents have ruled Gabon
since independence from France in 1960. The
current president of Gabon, El Hadj Omar BONGO
Ondimba - one of the longest-serving heads of
state in the world - has dominated the country's
political scene for four decades. President BONGO
introduced a nominal multiparty system and a new
constitution in the early '90s. However, allegations
of electoral fraud during local elections in 2002-03
and the presidential elections in 2005 have exposed
the weaknesses of formal political structures in
Gabon. Gabon's political opposition remains weak,
divided, and financially dependent on the current
regime. Despite political conditions, a small
population, abundant natural resources, and
considerable foreign support have helped make Gabon
one of the more prosperous & stable African countries.
Religions:
Christian 55%-75%, animist, Muslim less than 1%
Economy - overview:
Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times that
of most sub-Saharan African nations, but because of
high income inequality, a large proportion of the
population remains poor. Gabon depended on timber
and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in
the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for
more than 50% of GDP. Gabon continues to face
fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, and
manganese exports. Despite the abundance of natural
wealth, poor fiscal management hobbles the economy.
In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized the
government for overspending on off-budget items,
overborrowing from the central bank, and slipping
on its schedule for privatization & administrative
reform. The rebound of oil prices since 1999 have
helped growth, but drops in production have hampered
Gabon from fully realizing potential gains, and will
continue to temper the gains for most of this decade.
In December 2000, Gabon signed a new agreement with
the Paris Club to reschedule its official debt. A
follow-up bilateral repayment agreement with the US
was signed in December 2001. Gabon signed a 14-month
Stand-By Arrangement with the IMF in May 2007, and
received Paris Club debt rescheduling later that year.
.
.
--
Robert Cohen
Post the provocative note at <alt.france> without "liberal" as the
slurring, because "left"
is much more imho appropos,
"the bleeding heart left" might handily offend 'em, though maybe not
for instance, the buttholes allegedly laugh at jokes about zionists in
their
comedy clubs,
so throw the imperialist-gabon at
'em for the absurdity of history, make 'em feel guilt