Gilbert Ondongo MP:
he is the minister of Economy, Finance, Planning and Integration of Congo. He
is one of the most influential ministers within the regime of Denis Sassou
Nguesso. It is claimed that, along with Jean Jacques Bouya, Aime Emmanuel Yoka
and Jean Bruno Richard Itoua, they have created or formed a band of four around
the President of the Republic and thus, influencing all decisions that, the
president may want to take, especially when it comes to the allocation of
budgets to other ministers or ministries. Theirs seems to be their answer to a similar band
of four created around former President Pascal Lissouba and that, it is claimed
was to be the architect of the misrule of the only post independent
democratically elected President of Congo. Those who constituted the band of four
and who are claimed to have misled Pascal Lissouba were: Moukoueke,
Tamba-Tamba, Kombo and Mberi. History being something that repeats itself
regularly, perhaps the current band of four of President Denis Sassou Nguesso
might replicate what the former band of four did to Pascal Lissouba.
Arrogant and pretentious
Whether claims that
Gilbert Ondongo and the others above mentioned are ganging up around the
President are correct or wrong, those spreading such rumors have forgotten to
mention that, there is also Jean Dominique Okemba, Claudia Sassou Nguesso and
Firmin Ayessa who have influence around or on the president of the Republic. This simply means that, around the president
are a band of seven and not four. Or perhaps, there is a band within a band
around the president of the Republic. The detractors of Gilbert Ondongo claim
that, he is arrogant and pretentious, but hard working. However, in spite the influence of Gilbert
Ondongo on the president and also in the city of Brazzaville and also in Pointe
Noire, he is not appreciated in his home town of Owando. Owando is the capital
of the Cuvette region and it is located in the north of Congo. In 2012, he
carried out one, if not the most expensive legislative campaigns, perhaps in
the history of Congo, just to become Member of Parliament for Owando under the
banner of the ruling Congolese Workers Party abbreviated in French as PCT. His
rival in the 2012 legislative elections was Jean-Jacques Yhomby, the son of
former President Joachim Yhomby Opango. But in spite investing the lump sum of FCFA
3 billion, Gilbert Ondongo lost the legislative elections in Owando.
Electoral cheat
In order for him to be
designated MP for Owando, Gilbert Ondongo needed the muscular intervention of
Jean Dominique Okemba and the massive use of security forces, that were massively
deplored in the northern town in order to transform or overturned electoral results in
his favor. The truth is that, Gilbert Ondongo did not win the legislative
elections in Owando in 2012. The victory of the people was stolen through the
use of brutal force. Mindful that, Gilbert Ondongo lost the legislative
elections in Owando, the government wanted to arrest the Jean-Jacques Yhomby in
a bid to intimidate him and also forestall any popular revolts as it happened in
Gamboma, when the victory of Mathias Dzon was stolen and award to Hugues Ngouelondele,
the son in law of President Denis Sassou Nguesso. If Jean-Jacques Yhomby was
arrested, ad he had wanted, it would have sparked a tribal warfare in the
Cuvette region. But the intervention and mediation of Maurice Nguesso averted a
simmering rivalry between the Kouyous who are natives of Owando and the
minority but governing Mbouchis. The Mbouchis are the ethnic group of President
Sassou Nguesso and they are accused of planting the seed of division in the
home town of Owando.
Hated by his colleagues
Besides stealing the
electoral victory of Jean-Jacques Yhomby, Gilbert Ondongo is not love in Owando,
hence he can’t win anything there and he is also hated by most of his
colleagues.
According to most of
his colleagues, he doesn’t only refuse to grant them their normal budgetary
allocations, he is also very arrogant. Gilbert Ondongo accuses his colleagues
of leading expansive and corrupt lives. By contrast, he claims to be upright,
however, a string of financial scandals have trailed him recently and which has
ruined all his claims of uprightness. According to a Congolese web site, Congo
Liberty an apartment allegedly belonging to him was seized by Portuguese
authorities recently, who are investigating Jose Veiga, a controversial Portuguese
businessman, who is well connected with the Nguesso ruling family.
In Congo, Jose Veiga
was the General Manager of a Company called Asperbras, who were involved in fanciful
projects such as the establishment of a motor assembly plant in Brazzaville along
the Maya-maya international airport or the production of milk and cheese in
Oyo. And the grand of all, was their plans to construct 12 modern hospitals
around the country. The truth is that, in the ruling family, most are jealous
of the success of Jean-Jacques Bouya, hence they too want to enter into the
construction sector of business. He also
accused to have embezzled most of the funds earmarked for victims of the March
4th 2012 disaster. Politically,
he has no future in Congo after President Denis Sassou Nguesso. When challenged
by some members of government or some members of the ruling family, he claims that, he deserved what he has or his
post in the system because he lost one of his parents during the 1997 civil war.
He speaks as though he is the only one who has lost or sacrificed a family
member during the 1997 civil war or for Denis Sassou Nguesso. Unlike some of
his predecessors, Gilbert Ondongo commands little or no respect amongst
ordinary Congolese, hence when he goes out walking or jogging he is accompanied
by a large security details.
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