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Côte d’Ivoire |
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President Gbagbo is leading the country towards an uncertain future
In interviews given to our colleagues from the French newspapers: Le Monde and Libération, Côte d’Ivoire’s President Laurent Gbagbo uttered some strong statements. Without hiding anything or being in any way diplomatic, he attacked his opponents within the country, while at the same time complaining about France’s attitude towards its former colony. Remarks that could not only jeopardise our country’s diplomatic relationships, but also sign away our national economy.
Does Côte d’Ivoire, like Libya, Iraq and many other countries that have decided to do battle with the Western powers, have the political and economic resources to stand by its claims? Probably not, and it must be admitted that our country’s economy may feel the effects of President Gbagbo’s statements. The country’s whole restructuring programme is threatened.
While President Gbagbo’s retort may seem rather like a tit-for-tat answer to criticisms against his country, it could be that the West’s dissatisfaction with Côte d’Ivoire, is the result of our country’s refusal to accept any outside mediation in what’s taking place within Côte d’Ivoire. Ridiculous and paradoxical as it may seem, Côte d’Ivoire’s powers-that-be are claiming that there is nothing the matter with our country! And yet the people are killing each other! Already in 1995, when the presidential elections took place, the two main opposition parties had imposed a boycott, and the elections were marked by considerable ethnic violence resulting in a number of deaths. The same thing happened on 24 and 26 October 2000, as well as during the parliamentary elections.
Questions may be asked about the relevance of the West’s interference in Côte d’Ivoire’s crisis — a crisis that some are refusing to recognise. Let’s be clear about it: This interference is not only relevant but legitimate. It is absurd that, when Africans want to tear each other apart, they try to do it behind closed doors, and then ask for financial help from the West to dress their wounds. Moreover, our country has also been involved in preventing the democratic process, through its involvement in the Sierra Leonean crisis. What’s wrong with pointing out to a country that the path it has chosen to follow is dangerous? It’s incomprehensible that our country’s political leaders, from Bédié to Gbagbo via Gueï, persist in their absolute refusal. This nationalism looks set to become a fearsome nightmare for the people, whose purchasing power is becoming almost non-existent.
Gueï, Ado, Bédié...delicate questions
The frenzy that seized the people of Côte d’Ivoire, when, after ten years of peaceful struggle, Laurent Gbagbo became President, was seriously undermined when he decided to turn the international community and the bordering nations against him. The economic situation, already poor, is likely to increase the people’s misery and seriously damage President Gbagbo’s planned restructuring programme.
The first question that comes to mind is: How and where can we find the 80 billion CFA francs Côte d’Ivoire needs to pay back loans advanced by the world’s major financial institutions? Because if we don’t pay back what we’ve borrowed, then negotiations with institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are out of the question. This is all the more acute, in that France, our guarantor, has pulled out, and President Gbagbo admitted in his interview that it is difficult for us to manage without the IMF and the World Bank. This year’s budget to be brought before Parliament, must be funded in the first place by Côte d’Ivoire’s own resources. One may ask whether Côte d’Ivoire’s private sector is strong enough to support the wages’ bill and the social reforms, as well as undertaking public investments. Nothing is less certain. In fact, the first victim of Mr Gbagbo’s schemes is likely to be the people, followed by Mr Gbagbo’s presidential mandate itself, from which too much is perhaps expected. Knowing this, Mr Gbagbo claims to be unable to put forward a short-term programme of economic reform.
Regarding internal policies — the new government would like to solve a thousand problems at once, some of which are military ones. If the Gueï, Ado, and Bédié situations are not settled tactfully, they are likely to cause the new government to shoot itself in the foot. Warnings in this direction have been going the rounds for a long time.
On the other hand, President Gbagbo, who presumes to order the police to keep the peace by any means, is, de facto, endorsing the killings which have recently taken place in the north. In this context, it may be asked: «When will reconciliation between the central authorities and the north take place? Tomorrow?» President Gbagbo who believes he has told «nothing but the truth», is resolutely leading the country to an uncertain future in every respect.
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