Emmanuel Tataw
17 June 2009
President Paul Biya and wife, Chantal Biya attended the official funeral ceremony in Libreville yesterday.
The Presidential Palace in Libreville was the axis around which day five of the funeral ceremony of departed President Omar Bongo Ondimba were centered yesterday. By 9 o'clock all was set for the round of paying respect to the mortal remains of the Gabonese leader. Foreign delegations led, for the most part, by Heads of State took turns to lay wreaths at the casket of the late Statesman. President Paul Biya accompanied by Chantal Biya was among the first to pay last respects to the departed leader, by placing a wreath on the casket. Scores of other Heads of State and leaders of foreign delegations also paid their last respect to the late President with wreaths and the signing of the condolence register.
After the foreign delegations, members of the Gabonese Government, members of the bureau of the national assembly, constitutional court, judiciary and all other national corps followed suit. Phase two of the funeral ceremony at the president palace yesterday was the church service that ended with funeral speeches by the Prime Minister of Gabon, the President of the National Assembly, Ali B. Ondimba representing the family and the interim President Rose Francine Rogombe. Phase three of the day's event began with the departure of invited guests to the official tribune and the transfer of the mortal remains of the President to the ceremonial grounds for a military parade. At the end of the parade, the casket was taken to the Leon Mba Intercontinental Airport for the flight to Franceville. Foreign delegations started leaving Libreville shortly after the casket of late Omar Bongo Ondimba was air lifted to its final resting place. President Paul Biya and First Lady, Chantal Biya left Libreville for Yaounde yesterday evening.
Symbols
Not many can remember any funeral in the annals of African history that ran through the collective vein of a people like the ongoing ceremonies in Gabon. Stretching through eight loaded days, the official funeral programme of departed President Omar Bongo Ondimba emerges as one of those rare events that touch the collective emotions of a nation, necessitating the suspension of all divisive antics in favour of giving a departed father of a nation deserved honours. In Libreville, billboards, the media and all that gave visible symbols of the national mood, were an eloquent testimony of what Omar Bongo Ondimba meant to the nation. From June 11, 2009 when the mortal remains of Omar B. Ondimba arrived in Libreville to his burial tomorrow in Franceville, the collective psyche of the Gabonese nation has been preoccupied with giving their long time leader a more than honourable farewell to the land of no return. In song and dance, in mime and speech, the nation rose like one man to show the world that Omar B. Ondimba in death like in life was an embodiment of their collective aspirations. The fact that he may have died intestate did not rattle the organization which was built on consensus throughout the week. Even when his maternal and paternal families had divergent views on his final resting place and in spite of the matrilineal tradition, consensus prevailed with the decision to bury him in a neutral place - his personal premises in Franceville.
Positive applause
The strict respect of the constitutional provisions of filling a presidential vacancy is another area that Gabon may be emerging as role model. Senate President, Rose Francine Rogombe automatically became the Interim President of the Republic, once the death of Omar B. Ondimba was officially announced. After forty five days, a new President will have to be elected in respect of the laws of the land. The role of Cameroon and its Head of State, Paul Biya in this challenging period for Gabon has been widely acknowledged as positive. The message of condolence sent by President Paul Biya received an exceptionally positive applause from the Gabonese Media for its sincerity and comfort. Barely a few minutes into his residence in Libreville on arrival, President Paul Biya last Monday evening granted audience to Gabonese top dignitaries. The Prime Minister, Jean Eyeghe Ndong, the children of the departed President - Ali B. Ondimba (Minister of defence) and Pascaline B. Ondimba (Director of Cabinet); and the Minister of State, Casimir Oye Mba.
Presidents Idriss Deby and Francois Bozize also paid a courtesy call on Paul Biya same Monday evening. Although nothing filtered from these audiences, it is evident that beyond the expression of sympathy, there is the concern to maintain the values of peace and national cohesion that the departed President held close to his heart. With Cameroon and Gabon sharing not only the sobriquet of "islands of stability" in the continent but a common border, peace and national cohesion remain cherished values on both sides of the international frontier. The role of President Paul Biya, given his international reputation as the harbinger of the oft- quoted "diplomacy of peace" remains evident. The burial of Omar B. Ondimba tomorrow in Franceville may mark the end of an era but with the generous outburst of sympathy and gratitude nationwide, new vistas of opportunities for peace and stability should be in the offing in Gabon.
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