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Real Leadership -- Stability In A Sea Of Change
By Bruce Prokopets
Civil war in Africa. This simple four word phrase seems to sum up
the perception of most outsiders throughout the world when asked
about the state of affairs on the African continent, the birth place of
mankind. In the last 40 years twenty countries, or almost 50 percent
of all nations south of the Sahara, have experienced at least one
period of civil war. This state of affairs has stereotyped Africa as a
doomed continent rife with ethnic and tribal conflict.
Though many attribute the source of these various conflicts to ethnic
and tribal differences, researchers at The World Bank concluded,
after a careful study, that failure at both a political and economic
level are at the root cause of most civil conflicts. Ibrahim Elbadaur
and Nicholas Sambanis wrote that political and economic
development can effectively reduce or eradicate political violence in
Africa.
Enter Gabon, which seems to be at the eye of this tumultuous
African storm. Gabon is one of the few countries in Central Africa
that has never -- since its independence from France -- been
affected by an armed conflict. Gabon, an oil-rich Central African
nation, with a population of 1,300,000 and a geographic area of
26,700 square kilometers, is considered one of the most stable in
the region.
For almost 40 years, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba has served as
President of the West African coastal country of Gabon. Under his
leadership, Gabon has become one of Africa's wealthiest and more
prosperous countries fueled in part by the discovery of oil.
According to the World Fact Book, Gabon enjoys a per capita
income four times that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa.
Critics attribute much of Bongo's success to his strong arming of the
political system and his use of patronage throughout his own
political party. It is hard to argue with his success however in
keeping Gabon out of armed conflict with rival factions within the
country.
Bongo rose quickly within the leadership structure of Gabon. He
entered civil service in 1958, was promoted to Minister of
Information and Tourism in 1966, and was named Vice-President in
1967. He took over the office of President a year later at the age
of 32 after Leon M'ba, the country's first president, became ill and
died suddenly.
Despite the troubles in the headlines of papers throughout the world
concerning Gabon's neighbors like Cameroon, Congo, Equatorial
Guinea, Nigeria, and Zaire, Gabon has been a rock of stability.
Although the country was initially constituted around a one party
system in the early 60's, Bongo prodded the country to a multiparty
democracy by 1990. Although it would have served him to maintain
the single party system, Bongo legalized opposition parties at that
time and Gabon has been a model for the rest of Africa since. Many
have attributed the success story of Gabon's unprecedented peace,
stability and economic status to Bongo's experience and leadership.
In the upcoming elections, in 2005, there has been some
controversy about the nature of the election process itself. The
opposition, headed by a former ally of President Bongo, Zacharie
Myboto, has been critical of the two day election process. He
points out that the military will be voting first, alluding to the fact that
this could somehow sway the general electorate. However, the
mere fact that the opposition can speak out against Bongo, without
fear of recrimination, is a testament to budding democracy that is
forming in Gabon under President Bongo's political leadership.
Bongo is quick to remind his detractors that it has taken the U.S.
over two centuries to develop a legitimate election process. He also
points out that many Americans still have concerns over the fairness
of both statewide and national elections.
President Bongo has not solely focused all his efforts on political
change. He has also been a true early adopter where the rights of
women in his own country are concerned. Due to the actions of
Gabon's President real social reforms have occurred focused on
equal opportunity for women. Bongo institutionalized the
observance of women's rights and parity. He instituted compulsory
schooling of all girls age 6 to 16 years. He created a Ministry for the
Family, child welfare and promotion of the woman, and the
protection of widows and the orphans. "Where the men have failed
the women must succeed", stated Bongo on many occasions.
The President of Gabon has also been credited for his efforts to
restore peace and stability throughout Central Africa, in particular
the Republic of the Congo, Chad, the Central African Republic and
Sao Tome and Principe. In October 2001, the former President of
South Africa, Nelson Mandela, serving as mediator in the political
and ethnic crisis of Burundi, entrusted Bongo with the mission to
pursue negotiations with the armed movements of Burundi. Mr.
Mandela has great respect and appreciation for President Bongo
as
Bongo was one of the few who supported him financially during his
exile.
Recently Bongo, co-chaired the 60th anniversary of the United
Nations, alongside Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, which
was held in September, 2005. Bongo opened the event with an
appeal for worldwide action to prevent conflict and genocide.
Bongo also focused his efforts on the plight of Africa, seeking more
support for the promotion of human rights and conflict resolution.
The 38 year president of Gabon, echoed the sentiment of Sweden's
Prime Minister, calling on the Summit to ¡°act together to give our
future generations a better world.¡±
The leader of Gabon has always had a strong interest in the welfare
of those of African decent who now reside in the United States.
Bongo, though a practicing Muslim, sought the assistance of
Rodney Sampson CEO of The Intellect Group
and founder of the World
Christian Times , to develop
a presence in the US whereby the Gabonese President could effect
change in the lives of many Americans. The Living Legacy
Foundation, a US non-profit organization based out of Atlanta and
chaired by Bongo, has now been launched to train and raise up one
million young leaders in the US, Africa and around the world.
The announcement of the organization has received broad support
from a number of world leaders in politics, faith and business,
including Bishop Mike Jocktane of France and Gabon and Bishop
Carlton Pearson of the US. ¡°After I was approached by President
Bongo's senior advisor Bishop Mike Jocktane, about representing
and advising the President in North America and Gabon, my firm
conducted extensive due diligence on both President Bongo and his
country.¡±, states Sampson. ¡°Simply put, Bongo gets things done
and facilitates real change. This global leader doesn't just talk a
good game, he delivers - locally and abroad. That is refreshing
when talking about any head of state¡±.
Living Legacy will target the pop and hip hop culture within the US.
¡°We will accomplish our goals and objectives through a number of
high profile international events, ¡°train the trainer¡± training
techniques, organizational partnership and strategic outreach,¡± said
Rodney Sampson. ¡°Our first major event, Leadership 2006, will be
held next year in Atlanta.¡±
In direct contrast to how President Bongo's political opposition in
the upcoming election portrays him, Bongo's inaugural event for the
Living Legacy Foundation, LEADERSHIP 2006 is a major highly
progressive global leadership event bringing together prominent
leaders in business, politics, religion and government from all faiths,
creeds and disciplines. Some dignitaries, celebrities and other
prominent figures that have been invited to participate are: Former
South African President Nelson Mandela; former US President Bill
Clinton; Reverend Jessie Jackson; The Honorable Minister Lewis
Farrakhan; Rick Warren; John Maxwell; actor Chris Tucker; Bono;
and Kanye West. This divergent group will converge in Atlanta to
exchange, contribute and plan the execution of real ongoing
activities for cultivating tomorrow's leadership.
Despite criticism from his opponents, it seems that President
Bongo's growing legacy is one of ¡°stable change for the better¡±. It is
not always the loudest in the group that gets the most done.
Sometimes the person who has been around the longest is the one
who can get results in the real world. That about sums up Gabon
and the leader of this Island of Tranquility, Omar Bongo.
Bruce Prokopets
Executive Editor
Press Direct International
About the Author
http://www.worldchristiantimes.com
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/14828.html
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| Some other articles by Bruce Prokopets | |
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