On
Gabon, ICP
Asks If UN's
Ban Favors
Recount, Seems
Not, Nepotism
Everywhere
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
September 7 --
As in Gabon
Jean Ping
accuses Ali
Bongo of
stealing the
election, in
front of the
UN on
September 6
there was an
anti Ali Bongo
protest, Vine
here, longer YouTube video here. Signs
included 50
years is
enough, a
reference to
Omar Bongo
handing over
the country to
his son, Ali.
More than one
person noted
that the UN
has become
that way: on
August 26, the
day after
Inner City
Press first
asked about
it, Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon gave
the top UN job
in Kenya to
his own son in
law Siddharth
Chatterjee,
without
recusing
himself.
Now
Ban's
spokesman
won't say who
was on the
panel that
supposedly
picked Sid
Chatterjee;
Inner City
Press is
confined to
minders when
it seeks to
cover the UN's
second floor.
This is
censorship in
the UN; in
Gabon, the
Internet is
off (but Inner
City Press' photos
and Vine are
getting hits,
presumably
from the
diaspora or
others
concerned with
democracy and
human rights,
lacking in
Ban's UN
itself).
On
September 7,
Inner City
Press asked
Ban Ki-moon's
spokesman
Stephane
Dujarric if
Ban favors a
recount. Beyond
the Vine video
here. From the UN
transcript:
Inner
City Press: I
wanted to ask
you, there was
a protest in
front of the
UN yesterday,
of Gabonese
very much
calling for a
recount,
etc. So
I wanted to
know, on the
question of
now… now Ali
Bongo has said
everything's
up to the
Constitutional
Court.
Seems like
there are
definitely
some
international
bodies saying
that there
should be a
recount in the
home province
of Ali
Bongo.
What does the
Secretary-General
believe?
Spokesman:
Just to update
you on Mr.… on
our position,
what Mr.
[Abdoulaye]
Bathily is
doing, first,
that he will
be part of the
African Union
mission that
will be going
to
Libreville.
Obviously,
he's already
there, but he
will be
joining the
mission,
starting 9
September.
He is
continuing to
encourage the
opposition to
file an appeal
with the
Constitutional
Court.
The deadline
to submit is
now set for 8
September at 4
p.m. local
time. In
this regard,
Mr. Bathily
met with John
Ping on 6
September to
encourage him
once again to
use the
existing legal
means to
channel his
dispute.
Mr. Bathily
will remain in
direct contact
with President
Ali Bongo
Ondimba as
well.
Minute later,
Ban's
spokesman when
asked about
Ban and
nepotism by
Inner City
Press called
it a
“ridiculous
accuations”
and walked
out. Beyond
the Vine video
here.
Nepotism
everywhere. In
front of the
UN on
September 7,
as in DC, a
Gabonese
encampment
remained.
On
Gabon on
September 1 in
front of the
UN Security
Council French
Ambassador
Francois
Delattre told
the press that
his country
“has
pronounced
itself” and
wants the
Security
Council to
condemn
looting and
call to
guarantee the
transparency
of the
election.
Inner City
Press put the
audio
on Soundcloud,
here.
But
what does that
mean? Is it a
code word for
more Bongo?
The US,
meanwhile,
said “we call
on the
Gabonese
Government to
release
results for
each
individual
polling
station.
This will help
give the
people of
Gabon, as well
as the
international
community,
confidence the
announced vote
tallies are
accurate.”
UN Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, on a
two week
junket through
Asia, soon
through his
spokesman
echoed the US:
“The UN
supports the
call of
regional and
international
observers for
a transparent
verification
of election
results.”
Given the long
relationship
of France with
Omar Bongo and
now his son
Ali Bongo, who
“holds the
pen” for the
Security
Council on
this? Watch
this site.
, 
