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| -Obits- |
| Gabon's ruler with 45 homes among world's most corrupt |
| 2009-06-22 |
| When longtime dictator Omar Bongo died last week, he left behind at least 66 bank accounts. The first family owned 45 homes in France, including at least 14 in Paris and 11 on the French Riviera. And they boasted of 19 or more luxury cars, including a Bugatti sports model that cost the Republic of Gabon $1.5 million. But most of the country Bongo governed for 41 years is still covered in jungle. A third of its people live in poverty so dire that some dig through the trash dump to feed their children. The contrast makes it all the more striking that hundreds of thousands of those people lined the streets of the capital this week to bid goodbye to the 73-year-old ruler who bled their country dry. Women wept and waved signs that said, "Merci Papa" - thank you, father. Businesses put up billboards with messages of loss, such as: "Gabon weeps." On a continent that has seen more than its share of presidents-turned-dictators, Gabon is perhaps one of the best examples of what analysts call "the chief complex." So long was Bongo in power that his countrymen came to view him as a hereditary chief, a man whose authority is unquestioned. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 Give bambi the rest of his term before you start handing out awards. |
| Posted by: Hellfish 2009-06-22 12:02 |
| #7 Did he load up his U-Haul and take his toys with him? |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-06-22 10:56 |
| #6 I wonder if he meant it the way it sounds: "made protecting GabonÂ’s natural treasures a priority" (by investing them in France...). BBC had another column on Bongo and others: Big men do not die. |
| Posted by: James 2009-06-22 10:12 |
| #5 Death of President Omar Bongo Ondimba THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 8, 2009 Statement by the President on the death of President Bongo of Gabon I am saddened to learn of the death of President El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba of Gabon. President Bongo played a key role in developing and shaping the strong bilateral relationship that exists between Gabon and the United States today. President Bongo consistently emphasized the importance of seeking compromise and striving for peace, and made protecting GabonÂ’s natural treasures a priority. His work in conservation in his country and his commitment to conflict resolution across the continent are an important part of his legacy and will be remembered with respect. On behalf of the United States government, I offer my condolences to his family and to the people of Gabon. Link |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-06-22 07:38 |
| #4 A bit on Bongo: With each passing decade, he consolidated power. He turned his country into a single-party state. Until 1990, he was the only candidate in elections. When opposition parties formed, he allegedly had supporters bussed from town to town to vote multiple times. In 2003, Bongo changed the constitution to get rid of term limits so he could continue running for life. Sound like a familiar theme? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-06-22 07:14 |
| #3 Was he a Harvard affirmative action grad too? |
| Posted by: whatadeal 2009-06-22 01:20 |
| #2 than = "thank" |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2009-06-22 00:10 |
| #1 anytime you've had a bad day, just remember you can than the Almighty for not letting you be born in this sh^t hole of a country. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2009-06-22 00:10 |