Paul Gondjout

Infobox Politician
name = Paul Marie Indjendjet Gondjout


imagesize=150px
birth_date = birth date|1912|06|04|df=yes
birth_place = Gabon
death_date = deaths by age|1990|07|01|1912|06|04|df=yes
death_place = Libreville, Gabon
office = Member of the National Assembly of France
term_start = 24 July 1949
term_end = 7 June 1958
predecessor =
successor =
office2 = President of the National Assembly
term_start2 = 11 August 1960
term_end2 = 1961
predecessor2 =Post establised
successor2 =Louis Bigmann
office3 = President of the Economic Council
term_start3 = 1962
term_end3 = 1964
predecessor3 =
successor3 =
nationality =Gabonese
party = Gabonese Democratic Bloc

Paul Marie Indjendjet Gondjout (4 June 1912 – 1 July 1990) was a Gabonese politician and civil servant, and the father of Laure Gondjout, another prominent Gabonese politician. Gondjout was a member of the Mpongwe ethnic group, and served in the French colonial administration from 1928, and founded the "Cercle amical et mutualiste des évolués de Port-Gentil" in 1943. He was a delegate to the National Assembly of France from 1949 to 1958, and founded the Gabonese Democratic Bloc (BDG). In 1954, Léon M'ba joined the party and eventually overthrew Gondjout as leader.

In 1960, the then President M'ba reshuffled goverment cabinet without consulting Parliament. When Gondjout filed a motion of censure he was charged with the attemption of a coup d'état and sentenced to two years in prison. Following his release, M'ba appointed him to the largely symbolic post of President of the Economic Council, in part to silence the threat he represented.

Gondjout served as Minister of State during the abortive 1964 Gabon coup d'état but was acquitted of all charges during the trial of its government. He lived outside public view from his 1966 acquittal to his death on 1 July 1990 and there is little record of his life during this period.

Early life and political career

Gondjout was born on 4 June 1912, to a Mpongwe family.Harvnb|Appiah|Gates|1999|p=799] citation|url=http://www.senat.fr/sen4Rfic/gondjout_paul0204r4.html |title=Anciens sénateurs IVème République : Paul GONDJOUT|date=10 August 2008|newspaper=National Assembly of France|language=French|accessdate=23 September 2008.] He had a younger brother named Edouard.Harvnb|Darlington|Darlington|1968|p=46] The elder Gondjout served in the French colonial administration from 1928 and in 1943 founded the "Cercle amical et mutualiste des évolués de Port-Gentil"; an organization that enchouraged and utilised the talents of educated Gabonese. [Harvnb|Reed|1987|p=292.] Harvnb|Bernault|1996|p=225.] With the assistance of Mpongwe businesspeople, [Harvnb|Yates|1996|p=99.] Gondjout was elected to the National Assembly of France on 24 July 1949, and re-elected on 18 May 1952-both times as an independent candidate- and served until his term ended on 7 June 1958. On 18 December 1953, he became the father of Laure Gondjout, who would later become a prominent politician. [citation|url=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/jeune_afrique/article_jeune_afrique.asp?art_cle=LIN05013lauretnedis0|title=Laure Gondjout Secrétaire particulière du président|date=5 January 2003|newspaper=Jeune Afrique|language=French|accessdate=23 September 2008.] Paul Gondjout's son, Vincent de Paul Gondjout, and nephew, Georges Rawiri, also became politicians. [citation|url=http://www.jeuneafrique.com/jeune_afrique/article_jeune_afrique.asp?art_cle=LIN16046georgecneul0|first=Jean-Dominique|last=Geslin|title=Georges Rawiri, un homme d’influence|date=16 April 2006|newspaper=Jeune Afrique|language=French|accessdate=18 September 2008.]

In April 1954, Gondjout and the French forester Roland Bru formed the Gabonese Democratic Bloc (BDG). [Harvnb|Gardinier|1994|p=xvii.] Over the course of the following seven years, the party published a newspaper [Harvnb|Reed|1987|p=294.] which caught the eye of the aspiring politician Léon M'ba, whom Gondjout had earlier helped to elect to the Gabonese council of government.citation|url=http://www.acdis.uiuc.edu/research/OPs/Pederson/html/contents/sect5.html|title=French Involvement in Gabon|last=Pederson|first=Nicholas|date=May 2000|publisher=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |accessdate=23 September 2008.] The two formed an alliance supported by the Mpongwe business community, the wealthy coastal Fangs (like M'ba), and the French, which managed to overpower Jean-Hilaire Aubame and fellow members of the Union Démocratique et Sociale Gabonaise. Gondjout, the self-appointed secretary of the BDG, decreed M'ba to be the secretary-general. [Harvnb|Reed|1987|p=295.] He and M'ba both believed that Gabon should not have full political independence, stating shortly before it was obtained:

M'ba overthrew Gondjout as head of the BDG, although Goundjout aligned with Aubame on several issues including opposing M'ba's strong regime. [Harvnb|Yates|1996|p=98.] Nonetheless, when Gabon gained its independence on 17 August 1960 Gondjout was named President of the National Assembly by the new President of Gabon, Leon M'ba. In November 1960Harvnb|Keese|2004|p=162] or 1961, called for a constitutional amendment to allow him more executive power. When M'ba reshuffled his cabinet without consulting Parliament, Gondjout filed a motion of censure.Harvnb|Bernault|1996|p=300.] He supposedly hoped to benefit from a balance of power modified to his own advantage, and to model Gabon after the Western democracies. M'ba, who did not share these ideas, reacted repressively.

On 16 November, under the pretext of a conspiracy, he declared a state of emergency, ordering the internment of eight BDG opponents and the dissolution of the National Assembly the day after. Electors were asked to vote again on 12 February 1961.Harvnb|Biteghe|1990|p=41.] Gondjout himself was sentenced to two years in prison.Harvnb|Yates|1996|p=105.] He was imprisoned in a remote village under house arrest, where he was supplied, according to U.S. ambassador to Gabon, Charles Darlington, "with all the whisky and beer he [could] drink and all the girls he want [ed] ". [Harvnb|Darlington|Darlington|1968|p=47.] Unable to fulfill his position, it was given to Louis Bigmann. [Harvnb|Carther|Sklar|1966|p=258] Upon Gondjout's release, M'ba appointed Gondjout to the mostly symbolic post of President of the Economic Council, in part to silence any threat to M'ba's power. [Harvnb|Yates|1996|p=106.]

1964 Gabon coup d'état

During the night of 17 February and the early morning of 18 February 1964, 150 members of the Gabonese military, gendarmerie, and police, headed by Lieutenant Jacques Mombo and Valére Essone, seized the presidential palace. They arrested President of the National Assembly Louis Bigmann, [citation|url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40815F73E5415738DDDA90A94DA405B848AF1D3|title=Gabon Insurgents Yield as France Rushes in Troops|last=Giniger|first=Henry|date=20 February 1964|newspaper=The New York Times |accessdate=17 September 2008.] French commanders Claude Haulin and Major Royer, several ministers,Harvnb|Biteghe|1990|p=62] and President M'ba, who was dragged from his bed at gunpoint.citation|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,873821,00.html|title=De Gaulle to the Rescue|date=28 February 1964|magazine=Time|accessdate=7 September 2008.] On Radio Libreville, the military announced to the Gabonese people that a coup d'état had taken place, asked for technical assistance, and told the French not to interfere in this matter. M'ba was forced to broadcast a speech acknowledging his defeat, in which he said, "The D-Day is here, the injustices are beyond measure, these people are patient, but their patience has limits. It came to a boil." ["Le jour J est arrivé, les injustices ont dépassé la mesure, ce peuple est patient, mais sa patience a des limites... il est arrivé à bout."]

No blood was shed during the event, and when the Gabonese people did not respond violently the military interpreted this as a sign of approval. [Harvnb|Biteghe|1990|p=63.] Aubame was offered the presidency of the newly formed provisional government.Harvnb|Biteghe|1990|p=64.] The government was composed of civilian politicians from both the UDSG and BDG, such as Gondjout. During the coup, he served as Minister of State.citation|title=Gabon President Resumes Office|last=Garrison|first=Lloyd|page=p. 1|date=21 February 1964|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=8 August 2008.] The coup's leaders were content at restoring security for the civilians. The small Gabonese army did not intervene; comprised mostly of French officers, they remained in their barracks.fr Pesnot, Patrick (producer) & Billoud, Michel (director) (10 March 2007), [http://www.radiofrance.fr/franceinter/em/rendezvousavecx/index.php?id=52892 1964, le putsch raté contre Léon M'Ba président du Gabon] [radio] , "France Inter". Retrieved on 22 August 2008.]

The provisional government gave instructions to transfer M'ba to Aubame's electoral stronghold, Njolé.Harvnb|Biteghe|1990|p=21.] Due to heavy rain, the deposed president was sent to Lambaréné, convert|250|km|mi north of Libreville. The new head of government contacted French ambassador Paul Cousseran, to assure him that the property of foreign nationals would be protected and to request against French military intervention.Harvnb|Biteghe|1990|p=19.] In Paris, President Charles de Gaulle decided against the plea.

M'ba was one of France's most loyal African allies, and during a visit to France in 1961, declared, "all Gabonese have two fatherlands: France and Gabon." ["Tout Gabonais a deux patries : la France et le Gabon."] Harvnb|Biteghe|1990|p=23.] Moreover, under his regime, Europeans were particularly well treated. The French authorities therefore decided, in accordance with signed Franco-Gabon agreements, to restore the legitimate government. Intervention could not commence without a formal request to the Head of State of Gabon. Since M'ba was imprisoned, the French contacted the Vice President of Gabon, Paul-Marie Yembit, who had not been arrested. However, he remained unaccounted for; therefore, they decided to compose a predated letter confirming their intervention, that Yembit would later sign. Less than 24 hours later, French troops stationed in Dakar and Brazzaville landed in Libreville and restored M'ba to power.Harvnb|Bernault|1996|p=19.] [citation|last=Grundy|first=Kenneth W.|title=On Machiavelli and the Mercenaries|url=http://www.jstor.org/pss/159300|year=1968|date=October 1968|journal=The Journal of Modern African Studies|volume=6|number=3|pages=295–310|issn=0022-278X|oclc=.] During the operation, a French soldier and 15 to 25 Gabonese died.

Post coup d'état

Aubame and Gondjout fled Libreville, but were captured sometime before February 20.citation|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost_historical/access/164580052.html?dids=164580052:164580052&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=FEB+21%2C+1964&author=By+Waverley+Root+The+Washington+Post+Foreign+Service&pub=The+Washington+Post&desc='No+Pity%2C+No+Pardon%2C'+Gabon+Rebels+Warned&pqatl=google|title="No Pity, No Pardon," Gabon Rebels Warned|first=Waverley|last=Root|date=21 February 1964|newspaper=The Washington Post|page=p. A34|accessdate=8 September 2008.] In August a trial of the rebels and provisional government was opened in Lambarene.Harvnb|Reed|1987|p=298.] A "state of precations" was imposed, which decreed that local government keep surveillance on suspected troublemakers and, if necessary, order curfew, and special permits were required to travel through the town. The trial was held in a school building overlooking the Ogooue River,Harvnb|Matthews|1966|p=127] which was near Albert Schweitzer's hospital. Space at the hearing was limited, so members of the public were disallowed from attending. Permits were required to attend the trial, and family members were restricted to one permit each. Press coverage was limited, and journalists were allowed only if they represented a high-profile news agency. In addition, there were restrictions on the defence of the accused.Harvnb|Matthews|1966|p=128.]

During a trial which carried the death sentence as a maximum, the prosecution called 64 separate witnesses. Aubame claimed he had formed his provisional government in a constitutional manner; at the request of members of the "putschists". He argued that the French intervention was effectively an illegal act of interference; a belief shared by both Gondjout and the former education minister, Jean Mare Ekoh. On 9 September, without consulting M'ba, Leon Auge handed down a verdict acquitting both Ekoh and Gondjout of all charges.Harvnb|Matthews|1966|p=129.]

Little is known of Goundjout's life between his 1966 acquittal and death on 1 July 1990, in Libreville. [citation|url=http://fr.allafrica.com/stories/200707110025.html |title=Hommage au premier président de l'Assemblée nationale du Gabon indépendant|date=11 July 2007|publisher=AllAfrica.com|language=French|accessdate=18 September 2008 subscription.] He is buried in Libreville near his wife Odette (d. 2006), a former fashion model. [citation|url=http://gaboneco.com/show_article.php?IDActu=90|title=Odette Gondjout inhumée ce samedi, un témoin de l'histoire du Gabon s'en est allé|date=27 August 2006|newspaper=Gabonnews|language=French|accessdate=18 September 2008.] A secondary school has been established in his name.citation|url=http://gaboneco.com/show_article.php?IDActu=7342|title=Polémique autour de la bourse du 1er trimestre au Lycée Paul Indjendjet Gondjout|date=5 January 2008|newspaper=Gaboneco.com|language=French|accessdate=18 September 2008.]

Notes

ources

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*fr citation|last=Biteghe|first=Moïse N’Solé|title=Echec aux militaires au Gabon en 1964|year=1990|publisher=Chaka|location=Paris|isbn=2907768069|oclc=29518659.
*citation|last1=Darlington|first1=Charles Francis|last2=Darlington|first2=Alice B.|title=African Betrayal|publisher=D. McKay Co.|location=New York, New York|year=1968|oclc=172139.
*citation|last1=Carter|first1=Gwendolen Margaret|last2=Sklar|first2=Richard L.|title=National Unity and Regionalism in Eight African States: Nigeria, Niger, the Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Chad, Uganda, Ethiopia|publisher=Cornell University Press|location=Ithaca, New York|date=1966|oclc=413211.
*citation|last=Gardinier|first=David E.|title=Historical Dictionary of Gabon|publisher=Scarecrow Press|location=Metuchen, New Jersey|date=1994|edition=2nd|isbn=0810814358|oclc=7462387.
*fr citation|last=Keese|first=Alexander|title=L'évolution du leader indigène aux yeux des administrateurs français: Léon M'Ba et le changement des modalités de participation au pouvoir local au Gabon, 1922-1967|year=2004|journal=Afrique & Histoire|volume=2|issue=1|issn=1764-1977|url=http://www.cairn.info/article.php?ID_REVUE=AFHI&ID_NUMPUBLIE=AFHI_002&ID_ARTICLE=AFHI_002_0141|pages=141–170.
*.
*.
*citation|last=Yates|first=Douglas A.|title=The rentier state in Africa: oil rent dependency and neocolonialism in the Republic of Gabon|year=1996|publisher=Africa World Press|location=Trenton, New Jersey|isbn=0-86543-521-9|oclc=34543635.