#Gabon: Ali Bongo is playing with fire

Ali Bongo is playing with fire

We will not stop stating this, obstinacy, we said, does not pay in politics. And Ali Bongo does not want to face the facts, that the plan to legitimize his power failed.

Through the forthcoming parliamentary elections, Ali Bongo and his clan could have, with the participation of the opposition - who would have been rolled - the legitimacy they seek to find since August 30, 2009. The opposition still remained encamped on its position against the Prime Minister on Wednesday, October 12. The opposition grabbed the "No biometrics, no elections" position. But Ali Bongo and the PDG (party in power) persisted, driven by men who know that if it degenerated, it is not they who sink, but Ali Bongo as president, even a nominated one. They showed they were ready to cross the Rubicon. And they are trampling the Constitution, with their the credo "respect for the law" on their lips. Ordinance No. 009/PR/2011 amending, supplementing and repealing certain provisions of Law No. 07/96 of 12 March 1996 laying down provisions common to all political elections, is a clear case.

At a time when we put publish this, how many members of parliament can say that at the opening of Parliament in September this year, the drafts of the ordinance were in their locker for review, as usual? Survey says: no Member of parliament has had it as it is supposed to be done. This is even worse than this ordinance contains provisions in contravention of the Basic Law (Constitution). A clear case, Article 62, paragraph 2 provides that: "Any member joining a legally recognized political party may not, without prior resignation of it, within a period of at least six months before the election, be invested by another political party or as an independent candidate or on a list of independent candidates. " This would clearly say that although the Constitution recognizes freedom of association to each individual, the ordinance of Ali Bongo has repealed it.

This modus operandi shows clearly the actual distance between the president-elect, his little majesty Ali Bongo and his predecessor, Omar Bongo (OBO). In such cases, the latter would have shown a tact and political true sense, which gave him a realistic view of the dimension of power. We are in 1996, and Omar Bongo faces local elections. The municipality of Libreville, no frills, will switch to the opposition led by Father Paul Mba Abessole. Libreville is the capital. And who controls Libreville, has supremacy over Gabon. Undoubtedly. Omar, despite pressure on his side, pushing him to cancel the election, an option against his, resist, will give up and let the reality of the polls speaks. Mba Abessole get the City of Libreville by an overwhelming majority and almost all the senators of the town of Libreville. The gesture was elegant from Omar Bongo. For the set of "consensus" behind the scenes, the National Assembly falls to OBO a month later. Suddenly, his opponents had hardly open to dispute since the bulb was cut in half. It was Omar’s method: hold in one hand and release the other what is possible. And that he gave his word, but for fear of contradicting himself, he was surrounded by every precaution to ensure it was held. Even at minimum. How have the same appreciation of his successor?

Falsely elected, he (Ali Bongo) could not get out with bunch of consensus with its most radical opposition. He pretends to move in this direction with Mamboundou in gutting the most irreducible clan, that of Myboto. But he kills the negotiations, if they had succeeded, would have enabled him to give some nuances on opinions about the illegitimacy of its power. Even better, after giving pledges for the construction of the rule of law and respect for the rights of its citizens to Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations, Barack Obama, President of the United States of America, to Nicolas Sarkozy, president of France, he sits on it. A nice middle finger to the international community. To close the loop, it bogged down in patterns without an end, in which the potential of his army - constantly growing staff and equipment - he believes, will keep him in power. Of the army, let's talk! Let's look at examples from elsewhere.

The case of Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak, Muammar Gaddafi and tomorrow, Bashar Al Assad are there to prove that any army weakens before popular protests. Each of these leaders has created a strong army, to remain in power indefinitely. It was their bulwark and their shield. But also the foundation of their power. More before them, Sadat was convinced of the effectiveness and reliability of its military elite. Without knowing that his end will come through it. Consistency happened in the Arab spring is the last gasp of each of these armies. Each has consistently abandonned strong men for which, in each state, they had sworn loyalty and protection, until death. To become one with popular demand.

All this to say that Ali Bongo, beyond just understanding, must take into consideration that, before people’s will, any army, even one made up of mercenaries, has a single limit: the unarmed people.

His half-majesty, Ali Bongo