febrero de 2011.
España remitirá al Gobierno de Guinea Ecuatorial una lista de empresas "con interés en invertir en Guinea Ecuatorial", según informó el Ejecutivo guineano después de la reunión del presidente del Congreso, José Bono, con el presidente Teodoro Obiang. Bono viaja acompañado de una reducida delegación parlamentaria. El presidente de la comisión de Exteriores, Josep Antoni Duran Lleida, que forma parte de la delegación, ha reclamado al Ejecutivo español un censo de españoles residentes en Guinea para compensar a los expoliados tras su independencia.
El motiu principal de Bono i Duran era interessar-se pel benestar del poble guineà. Per això li donaran a Obiang una llista d'empreses espanyoles interessades a invertir al país, amb l'únic objectiu de contribuir al desenvolupament del mateix i que la població pugui
gaudir-ne.
És per tant incomprensible que el poble guineà no agraeixi la visita d'aquests benefactors. L'escriptor Juan Tomás Ávila Laurel, ha Inicia't una vaga de fam en senyal de protesta. Només cal llegir el que pensa per adonar-se del seu error.
http://www.guineanos.org/
A l'inici de la seva vaga de fam li va escriure aquesta carta a José Bono, i entre altres coses li deia:
"Esta, como creerá, no es una exigencia política, sino social y moral. Ya no podemos seguir viviendo bajo una dictadura que nos come el alma. Señor Bono, lo único que deseamos es que consiga que Obiang, su hijo Teodorín, la primera dama Constancia, los hermanos y primos generales y coroneles que sostienen este incalificable poder consigan un asilo en un país seguro. Creemos que con la tercera parte del dinero guardado en el extranjero por uno solo de ellos dará para que vivan hasta el resto de sus días. El resto del dinero tendrá que ser devuelto al país. Pida a los gobiernos de los países implicados en esta masiva evasión de dinero que colaboren y tengan fe en nuestras peticiones, tanto en la asignación de un mínimo para que vivan como en la restitución del resto al país.
Con el dinero recuperado, señor Bono, se construirán escuelas y se formarán maestros y profesores y sacaremos del ejército guineano a estos miles de jóvenes secuestrados por la miseria y les daremos educación y formación. Y daremos educación a los niños guineanos, faltos de atención en un país rico como éste.
Con este dinero y con lo que queda, instituiremos la justicia y lucharemos contra la impunidad. Formaremos a jueces y robusteceremos nuestro sistema judicial.
Con este dinero, señor Bono, cultivaremos nuestras tierras, aseguraremos nuestras despensas y lucharemos contra la degradación ambiental. En definitiva, nos procuraremos lo indispensable para una vida mínimamente digna."
Les paraules de l'escriptor són molt injustes. Els diners que esmenta han estat guanyats per la família Obiang amb molts esforços i àrdues negociacions amb les petrolieres i altres empreses, com les que Duran i Bono representen.
L'honestedat de la família governant es confirma en les opinions recollides en un extens cable de l'ambaixada USA a Malabo (Wikileaks):
Land, operating licenses and import concessions were common forms of "payment" to ministers and other ranking officials during a period when "there was often no money to pay salaries (quite common and legal practice, if theres no money they have to be compensated)
For one example, the single license to import cement into country has become extremely lucrative (NOTE: this license belongs to ABAYAK, a company partially owned by the president and first lady) (It's only a NOTE)
Forced to innovate, the former minister has just opened Malabo's first European-style bakery and associated ice-cream shop on his premises. Competition works (capitalism always works)
(There are only conflicts of interest, not corruption).Moreover, one major flaw remains: EG has no law limiting or even defining conflict of interest: The Minister of Justice has his own private law firm.The Minister of Transportation and Communications is director of the board and owns shares in the parastatal airline, not to mention the national telephone company (no, not to mention).The former Minister of Fishing and Environment lost his job when it was discovered he was occasionally going to Spain to sign over fishing licenses out of view of the rest of the government (how he dared not to inform)
Yet apart from the obvious conflicts of interest, the rumors and accusations, there are some positive signs (very positive)
Teodorin (Obiang's son)continued entrepreneurial activities that often included purchase of foreign real estate. "I've been very lucky in business," he told us."and I like to live well. My house in Malibu is now worth twice what I paid for it."
The first lady identified and built into EG's sizzling real estate boom, where 100% return on investments in western-style construction can come within a single year of completion. Of course, it doesn't hurt with marketing if you are the first lady (no, it doesn't)
All production is currently led by U.S. oil companies extremely sensitive (very extremely) to the requirements of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act
While leaks are likely, a system hemorrhaging money to corruption is unlikely to have amassed reserves (it refers to the country reserves)at such a rapid rate.
A recent visitor from the secretariat of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI -- for which EG is voluntarily a candidate country) was "pleasantly surprised" to find EG's accounts to be in such good order. (The visitor must a be a colleague of Duran).
Recognizing the crippling human capacity challenges in the country and the need for western (particularly U.S.) education
(yes, children below do desperately need U.S.education)
President Obiang is still proud to say he is paymaster for the EG government. He continues to personally maintain control of the checkbook, "because I've learned I can't trust anyone else." Countersigned checks are his way of ensuring money goes where intended (that's for sure)
Another promising sign is EG's determination to become a member of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), an international effort supported by former British PM Tony Blair and Transparency International's Peter Eigen (If it is supported by Blair there's no doubt at all, but I suggest they could also hire Mr. Duran)
Finally, we have been told by the Minister of Finance that EG will pursue a request for USG assistance (specifically Treasury Department official technical assistance) in professionalizing his ministry, and which the government of EG will partially or fully fund (this is a mere anecdote and has nothing to do with he previous opinions)
However, anecdotal evidence suggests the incidence of corruption is declining. Businessmen describe EG as a "good place to work, but a hard place to do business (quite hard, if you do not have intermediaries like Bono and Duran)
and finally, written in another cable:
There are good guys and bad guys here. We need to strengthen the good guys -- for all his faults, President Obiang among them -- and undercut the bad guys. By doing so, we can help the country succeed.
Guess who are the good guys?:
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