"LE GABON ENERVANT" OR "ANNOYING GABON"

Image: petite-entreprise.net English version Some days ago, as in a last hurray by a press at the service of a dictatorial regime finding itself in the abyss of failure, the Gabonese government daily "Gabon Matin" had a surreal headline: "The Coffers of The State are Not Empty". But in a dictatorship, even when the dictator is naked and that the people giggle, pointing at his unfortunate family jewels exposed to popular derision, the regime’s minions still have to do their job, which means that they have to continue to scream and cry that the dictator is wearing the most beautiful costume. This is where things are in Gabon, dear readers, because despite the regime's attempts to tell fables to public opinion, all serious observers and the international financial press are unanimous: Gabon is lacking in liquidity. The country is insolvent! But to counter all forms of misinformation from the Bongo regime, we must first define the what a defau...

English version Today, Bloomberg, a world renowned financial company, headquartered in New York city, via its internet site which specializes in business and financial market news, has publish the article we are reproducing below. This article clearly indicates, without any ambiguity that the coffers of the Gabonese State are indeed empty. Gabon Economy Ministry Says Only Paying Salaries This Month By Antoine Lawson Gabon has paid the salaries of government employees this month and will not pay any other bills because of a shortage of funds, the Ministry of the Economy said. “Only salaries are being paid this month,” Michel Meviane, a financial adviser at the ministry, said in an interview in Libreville, the capital, today. “The state did not have enough cash right now.” The Souverainistes, the biggest opposition party, condemned reports this morning that President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s government had run out of cash and was unable to pay its bills. Former African...

Symbol of the Gabonese coffers Symbole des caisses du Gabon (image : igbce.de) English version This French publication informs us of a meeting that took place recently in Paris between Jean Ping who recently illustrated himself by a statement of breaking up with the ruling regime and his resignation from the PDG, and Jacques Adiahenot, a former Minister, and a former Secretary General of the PDG (1991-1994). Should we see this as a precursor to the official departure of Adiahenot from the ruling party just as Ping just did? This would be possible because since 2009, Jacques Adiahenot has had nothing to do with the regime, to paraphrase the formula used by Ping. The near future will certainly instruct us! According to that publication, Veolia (in Gabon SEEG) has welcomed the appointment of Desiré Guédon as Minister of Energy. Apparently, the latter gentleman would be more willing to dialogue with the French company, than his predecessor. It also argues...

English version The largest U.S. newspaper by circulation, the Wall Street Journal, the newspaper of business and the world of finance in the United States, published today an explosive article on an investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, on suspicious money transfers by Ali Bongo and his associates to the USA. We faithfully reproduce below for you, that article of the Wall Street Journal. U.S. Probes Fund Flows From Gabon Investigators Hunt Assets Linked to African Country's President, Family By Joe Palazzolo, Chistopher M. Matthews and Drew Hinshaw U.S. authorities are investigating the flow of funds from Gabon to the U.S. to determine whether any assets are traceable to public corruption in the central African country, according to a law-enforcement document and people familiar with the matter. As part of a broader effort to address possible foreign graft, Homeland Security agents and Justice Department prosecutors have searched ...

Marie Madeleine Mborantsuo (photo: Gabonreview) English version This editorial was published by the free and independent journalist (this precision is important to emphasize in Gabon, the land of pseudo journalism), Jean de Dieu Ndoutoum-Eyi. We print it here in its authentic entirety. Happy reading! Certainly, Madam the President of the Constitutional Court, Marie Madeleine Mborantsuo, does take herself way too seriously. She is a far too important personality who makes and unmakes elected officials. Her honor, therefore, is worth more than the honor of the entire Gabonese People whom she has been crushing beneath her heels since 1993, poll after poll. For not having understood that, our colleague Jonas Moulenda, who reminded her to have a bit of equity through an open letter, has learned this the hard way. The intrepid journalist took six years of ineligibility for the offense of "contempt of court". Frankly, who does that troll think she is? Eh, ...

Photo: Union Nationale English version Version française

Ali Bongo on holidays on the French Riviera Ali Bongo en vacances sur la Côte d’Azur française English version Ali Bongo and his minions are saying that their decision to cancel common funds for some state employees as to do with their desire to be more equitable in the distribution of revenues across the ensemble of the public service. This is good and well, but does this reason hold up to scrutiny? All Gabonese know that the President of the Republic is a money pit, so how much does it actually costs to the Gabonese taxpayer? Certainly more than the payment of common funds amounting to about 150 billion CFA francs for the whole public administration. Indeed, dear readers, think a moment how much the presidential expenses cost to Gabon on an annual basis? How many meals a day? How many plates? How many people work in the kitchen? How many people are employed to take care of Ali Bongo, his family, his advisors and their guests? How much cost Ali Bongo and his f...

A view of Libreville Une image de Libreville (Photo: NA) English version After having shown since 2009 his propensity for reckless and irresponsible spending that is akin to a drunken sailor who is in the last night of his leave; between purchases of luxury properties in the major capitals of the world, and organizing forums, carnivals, boat races, football match etc., whose benefits are non-existent;. Ali Bongo is finding out that in governance, recklessness in the management of public finances is unforgiving. When one spends like there is no tomorrow, they are eventually caught and overtaken by a gigantic bill, when their coffers are empty. It is obvious to those who read the signs of the time that the Gabonese government coffers are empty. As stated by our friends the Souverainistes, in a recent press release, the convergence of actions consisting in the removal of payment to certain state officials of common funds; in a new totally irrational tax affecting s...

Photo: Souverainistes English version Version française

The living condition of the majority of the Gabonese population Les conditions de vie de la majorité de la population Gabonaise (Photo: AGP) English version Ali Bongo is playing with Gabon’s money; this is known and proven. He has again proven this by ordering to the international consulting firm McKinsey & Co., a study on poverty in Gabon. This blog asked whether it had been wise to pay that firm, a lot of money probably as the amount paid by Ali Bongo is kept secret as usual, to rehash things that seemed to us to belong to realm of "déjà vu, already processed and already digested." It took us only 16 seconds on Google to come across a magnificent national survey report on poverty published in 2004 by the UNDP and the Gabonese government. This report could very well have served as a basis for actions against poverty, if this was really Ali Bongo’s goal and it has the advantage of costing nothing, as it is available to anyone with access to the interne...

Jean Ping (photo: Souverainistes) English version Since its thundering entry in the opposition, Jean Ping, we must admit, thus has been faultless. Well, you would tell us that it is not difficult to be faultless in only two outputs! And this blog would agree with you. Indeed, dear readers, for his second outing, Jean Ping announced administratively his resignation from the PDG. Related documents are below in their original French versions. Although we remain cautious vis-à -vis how far is Jean Ping ready to go in the race for power in Gabon, here we would like to encourage him to continue his momentum and offering an alternative to the current regime. We also ask him, two years from the election, to focus on the destruction of the edifice of electoral fraud personified by Marie Madeleine Mborantsuo and to work to establish a body whose international credibility would not suffer from any ambiguity. It is really on this ground that Ping would be able to convince us, b...

Les agents de la Douane en grève Customs agents on strike (photo: Gabonreview) English version After doing his shopping for real estate in Paris, London, Washington, the Bahamas etc., Ali Bongo has just realized two things: that the State coffers are empty; and that the Gabonese people are poor. We would like to laugh, but with the Bongo regime, we no longer have the energy of humor, even slightly. But clever as he is, Ali Bongo has found the solution: he has simply decided to suspend payment of all common funds. All really? This blog cannot confirm this, because this regime functions with parallel financial circuits and there is no doubt that those who have the rights to this monarchy will continue living large because this measure is far from their concern. But the question of common funds should be clarified because it is not well known to the general public. We want to clarify that the funds referred to here are different from the regular “mutual funds” whi...