POLITICAL CRISIS IN GABON (PART 4): Gabonese Military Leader Says It is Politicians That Encourage Coup D’Etats

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POLITICAL CRISIS IN GABON (PART 4)

Gabonese Military Leader Says It is Politicians That Encourage Coup D’Etats

Says the controversial official result of the August 26 presidential elections in Gabon, was an ELECTORAL COUP D’ETAT

Says the military refused to support the crime of election rigging by the Ali Bongo regime, which would have led to the killing of citizens protesting against the outrageous electoral fraud.

Quotes J J Rawlings: “When the people are crushed by their leaders, with the complicity of judges, it is up to the army to give them their freedom”

General Brice Nguema visits opposition leader, Prof Albert Ondo Ossa, who boycotted his swearing –in ceremony

Despite the political problems he is facing General Nguema’s popularity is rising

CTRI swiftly adopts some popular measures like free education , liberation of political detainees , amelioration of the indemnities of retired workers, and is working towards amelioration of working condition of teachers.

The President of the Transition says the maximum number of mandates that an elected Gabonese President will henceforth serve, will be two terms

The President of the Transition in Gabon, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, who was the leader of the coup d’etat that took place in the country on August 30, 2023, has argued that some people blame the military for staging coup d’etats, whereas it is politicians, precisely unscrupulous politicians in power, that encourage coup d’etats to happen in their countries.
He said unscrupulous politicians in power do encourage coup d’etats by engaging in scandalous malpractices like election rigging to hang on in power, embezzlement of public funds, bad governance manipulation of the Constitutions of their countries for their selfish interests, and so on. He said these malpractices in a country create an environment that solicits the intervention of a Republican military, for the interest of the country and its people.
General Nguema who was sworn – in on Monday, September 4, 2023 as the President of the Transition in Gabon, was speaking in a number of meetings dubbed consultations, that he held in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, with the living forces of the nation. It is worth recalling that the coup d’etat of August 30 in Gabon ousted President Ali ben Bongo Ondimba from power.

Election Riggers Expect To Be Protected By Security Forces

Talking about election rigging for example, General Nguema said in many African countries like in the Central African Sub –region for example, unscrupulous politicians in power are notorious for deliberately organizing elections that are not free, fair and transparent, because their objective is to win at all cost to remain in power. He said there are also those that manipulate the Constitution to enable them stay on in power. Whereas the Constitution of a country is what he termed, the founding text of the State that has to strictly respected, especially by the leadership of a country that has to teach by example.
The Military leader in Gabon stated that when the politicians in power rig elections, manipulate the Constitution and so on, they count on the security forces to suppress any protest against their illegal or criminal acts. The security forces will come out on the instruction of the politicians in power, and crackdown on protesters, and even kill some citizens who are in fact staging a legitimate protest. He said after that, people would be pointing fingers not at the politicians that ordered the crackdown, but at the security forces as the people that should be dragged to the International Criminal Court

General Brice Nguema Ouotes Jerry Rawlings
Meanwhile in his swearing – in address on September 4, 2023, the President of the Transition, General Brice Cloataire Oligui Nguema, quoted the famous Ghanaian leader, Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings, now of blessed memory who said: “When the people are crushed by their leader, with the complicity of judges, it is up to the army to give them freedom”. The quote was of course meant to justify the August 30 coup d’etat that took place in Gabon.
General Nguema said: “it is with this spirit that on August 30, 2023, like in meteorite in the dark of night, the Defence and Security Forces of our country took their responsibility by refusing the electoral coup d’etat which had just been announced by the Gabonese Elections Center, following an outrageous biased electoral process. It was without any violence, without any clashes, and without any bloodshed, that the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions (CRTI)) changed the regime in place, which had been confiscating power from the institutions of the Republic for several years, in contempt flagrant violation of democratic rules”.
It is worth noting that before the August 26 presidential election, the opposition leader and presidential candidate of the coalition of opposition parties, Alternative – 2023, Prof Albert Ondo Ossa, told the incumbent candidate, President Ali Bongo, that he knew that he was plotting to stage an electoral coup d’etat, and warned him against it.

Military Refused To Support Regime’s Rigged Electoral Process
Meanwhile the President of the Transition said the Republican army in Gabon refused to support a crime which once too often, would cost the lives of many citizens, and asserted that the people simple demand their rights be guaranteed through functional institutions. “The Defence and Security Forces had a double choice either to kill Gabonese people who would have legitimately demonstrated, or put an end to the rigged electoral process, the condition of which did not allow democratic expression. We said, NO, Never again in our beautiful country”, he vowed.
General Nguema argued that by staging the coup d’etat in Gabon on August 30 shortly after the proclamation of the official and highly controversial results of the August 26 presidential election, the soldiers only respected their oath under the flag to save Father –land at the cost of their lives. He quoted the celebrated Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who said: “If you are neutral, faced with a situation of injustice, it is because you have chosen to be on the side of the oppressors”. General Nguema declared that: “We the Defence and Security Forces have chosen to be on the side of the people and freedom”.

Maximum Number of Mandates Will Never Be More Than Two
Meanwhile during his meetings with living forces of the nation, the President of the Transition, General Brice Nguema, gave a hint on what the new Constitution of Gabon will look like, as regard the mandate of the President of the Republic. He said never again in Gabon will there be a situation of no limitation in the mandate of the President of the Republic. He said the mandate of the President of Gabon will only be renewed once, meaning that the maximum number of mandates for the President of the Republic will be two. That is, two terms.
General Nguema said Gabonese who receive the votes or the mandate of the people at presidential elections to be President of the Republic, will have to take turns to serve their country. He said Gabon belongs to all Gabonese, and that never again will the post of President be like somebody’s private chair. He said if at the end of the first mandate, the Gabonese people go the polls for the presidential election, and do refuse to renew the mandate of the incumbent for a second term, the person will have to pack his bag and leave the office. General Nguema said nobody will force himself again on the Gabonese people, to be their President.
President Of Transition Visits Opposition Leader
Meanwhile the very next day after the investiture, that is Tuesday, September 5, 2023, the President of the Transition, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, paid a rather surprised visit to hardline opposition leader and presumed winner of the August 26, 2023 Presidential Election in Gabon, Prof Albert Ondo Ossa, who boycotted the swearing –in ceremony the previous day. Prof Ondo Ossa was the presidential candidate of the Coalition of Opposition Parties in Gabon known as ‘Alternative – 2023’, at the August 26 presidential election. The Coalition declared, a day after the election, that is, on Sunday, August 27, that they were in possession of the authentic results of the election, and that their candidate had won.
After the military takeover on August 30, the Coalition of Opposition Parties repeatedly called on the Committee for the Transition and the Restoration of Institutions, CTRI, headed by the coup leader, General Brice Nguema, to either recognize the real winner of the August 26 presidential elections, or order a recount of the votes.
Prof Ondo Ossa Had Declared That He would Not Recognized CTRI
It is worth noting that in an interview granted TV 5 Monde on August 31, 2023, which was a day after the military takeover in Gabon, the opposition leader, Prof Albert Ondo Ossa, insisted that he was the real winner of the August 26 presidential election, and that even the Gabonese military knew the real result of the election. He further insisted that that General Brice Nguema and his men that staged the coup in Gabon, should recognize the real result of the presidential election, and immediately return the country to Constitutional Order. It should be recalled that Prof Ondo Ossa was the candidate of the coalition of opposition parties, ‘Alternative – 2023’, at the August 26 presidential election.
When asked by TV 5 if he had contacted the coup leader, General Nguema, the hardline opposition leader said it was not for him to contact the General, but that it was instead the General that was supposed to come to him as the real winner of the August 26 presidential election. Prof Ondo Ossa in respond to a question minced no words that he would not recognize the CTRI, saying that as a democratic he does not support the military takeover of Government. He said even if the CTRI forcefully went ahead to install themselves in power, the fact will remain that he is the Legitimate President of Gabon.

A Big Challenge For General Nguema And His CTRI
There is no doubt that the position of the hardline opposition leader, Prof Ondo Ossa, as well as the Coalition of Opposition Parties, ‘Alternative – 2023’, that was comprised of the major opposition parties in Gabon, complicated things for General Brice Nguema and his CTRI. The coup leader, General Nguema, and his CTRI, were trying to show the world that the August 30 coup d’etat was massively welcomed by the people of Gabon, with the exception of course of the “Parti Democratic Gabonese’, PDG of the Bongos, that had finally been removed from power after forcefully and scandalously hanging on to power as the ruling party, for over 55 years.
Then in keeping to his words not to recognize CTRI, the presumed winner of the August 26 presidential election, boycotted the swearing –in of the President of the Transition, General Brice Nguema, on Monday, September 4. Later on that same day, the leaders of the other five member countries of CEMAC designated the current President of the organization, Prof Faustin Archange Touadera, to mediate in the political process in Gabon. This was another embarrassment to the President of the Transition, who had in an address earlier that day at his swearing – in ceremony, declared that “politics and administration in a country, are areas of national sovereignty “.
Smart, Brave, Humble And Salutary Decision By President Of Transition
Then in the evening of Tuesday, September 5, 2023, General Brice Oligui Nguema put out an interesting tweet: “Aujoud’hui, je me suis rendu au domicile du Pr Ondo Ossa, avec lequel j’ai pu echanger en toute convivialite, dans un esprit de franchise et de constructivite” (“Today. I went to the home of Prof Ondo Ossa, with whom I was able to discuss in all conviviality, in a spirit of frankness and constructiveness”. In the social media post, was a picture of General Nguema and Prof Ondo Ossa, sitting on a sofa in the latter’s home.
Many Political observers and analysts would definitely salute the decision by General Nguema to visit the hardline opposition leader and presumed winner of the August 26 presidential election. It was definitely a smart, brave and humble move by the military leader, to try to calm down tension in the country. This, especially as the Coalition of Opposition Parties, ‘Alternative – 2023’, have been accusing France of having allegedly used General Nguema to stage to coup, so as to block Prof Albert Ondo Ossa, whom they said won the August 26 elections, from becoming President of Gabon because he is a Panafricanist.

The Visit Was Also Seemingly A Message To CEMAC Leaders

The visit of the President of the Transition to the opposition leader, Ondo Ossa, was seemingly also a message that General Nguema was sending to the leaders of the other five member States of CEMAC, that the Gabonese people can handle their political problems without foreign intervention. This, in line with his insistence that “politics and administration in a country are areas of national sovereignty”
The visit also showed the humility in General Nguema. Another military leader would not have gone to the opposition leader, and dammed the consequences, considering especially that Prof Ondo Ossa declared over TV Monde that it was the leader of the coup, Genera Nguema, that was supposed to come to him. He said he was the winner of the August 26 presidential election, and that he was the legitimate President of Gabon.

7.2 Billion FCFA, Confiscated From Ali Bongo’s Men

Meanwhile contrary to some figures circulating on the social media that a total of 500 Billion francs CFA was found in the homes of Ali Bongo’s close collaborators and friends, the President of the Transition, General Brice Clotaire Oligui Ossa, disclosed at a meeting with religious authorities in Libreville, Gabon, that the total sum they have found is 7.2 billion francs CFA (Seven billion, two hundred million francs CFA). He said: “Nous avon avec nous la somme de 7.2 milliard de francs”, (“We have with us the sum of 7.2 billion francs”.
A bulk of that money was found in the keeping or possession of Ian Ghislain Ngoulou, who was President Ali Bongo’s Director of Cabinet, and a South Korean popularly known in Gabon as Maitre Park, who is has been based in country for decades, and is well known to be a very close friend of Ali Bongo. It is not clear whether he money in their possession was theirs, or money they were keeping for President Ali Bongo.. It is common practice for Directors of Cabinet at the Presidencies in many Africa countries, to keep money for the Presidents. It is State funds that are used for different things. The Director of cabinet is of course the President’s right hand man, and thus somebody that he trusts. As for Maitre Park, it would appear he was the one running President Bongo’s private deals or rackets.

Detained Trade Union Leader, Political Prisoners, Released

Meanwhile Jean –Remy Yana, the President of the powerful central syndicate of State employees in Gabon known as ‘Dynamique Unitaire”, DU, who was incarcerated one and year ago by the regime of Ali Bongo, has been released. His released was ordered by the President of the Transition, General Brice Nguema. The decision by the military leader of Gabon to release the jailed trade union leader has been greatly saluted across the country.
A popular political decision taken by the President of the Transition in Gabon, has been the release of all those identified as political prisoners, that the Ali Bongo regime threw into prison. It is a decision that has been greatly saluted by the opposition parties in Gabon. This decision will probably helped to soften the position of the hardline opposition parties towards the President of the Transition. It is likely that Prof Ondo Ossa discussed this issue with General Nguema, whey they mat on September 5.
Free Education, Scholarships, Amelioration Of The Indemnities Of Retirees, etc
Apparently also due the political problems that he been facing in Gabon by being seen as another Bongo, and also an alleged French agent, the President of the Transition, General Nguema, and his CTRI, have taken some very rapid, laudable and popular measures that are wining for him many supporters and admirers.. Many Gabonese, especially those that are beneficiaries of these measures, are beginning to think that this Bongo looks different.
The Committee for the Transition and for the Restoration of Institutions, CRTI, headed by General Brice Nguema, has for example announced free education for pupils and students in public schools in Gabon. The payment of registration fees by pupils and students has been abolished. The CRTI has also announced the return of scholarships for Gabonese students. The CTRI has also taken measures to ameliorate the indemnities of retired workers. These are all very popular measures with Gabonese.
One measure that can bring the leader of any African country much support in his country is definitely the amelioration of the working condition of teachers. This is considering the high number of teachers and their influence in the society. The President of the Transition in Gabon has announced a special measure that is already been worked out, to ameliorate the working conditions of teaches in Gabon, This will include increasing their monthly pay packages, allowance and other advantages for teachers.
Still To Find A Balance
Political observers say the one major problem that the President of the Transition, General Brice Nguema, is facing, is to find a good balance between the laudable decisions and measures he is taking to try to ameliorate the living conditions of the population, and some rather controversial decisions he is taking that reminds Gabonese that he is a member of the Bongo Clan, and might have a secret agenda to protect the Bongo Clan and their interests. while criticizing others.
For example last week, the CTRI took some laudable and popular measures cited above, like that of declaring free education. Bu at the same time the President of the Transition signed a decision to liberate the ousted President, Ali Bongo, whom many Gabonese wanted to see stand trial, and thus sparked strong criticisms against him