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Frases de Mobutu Sese Seko

Mobutu Sese Seko Nkuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga GColIH foi o presidente do Zaire entre 1965 e 1997. Com uma imagem marcada pelo uso de um barrete de pele de leopardo e uma bengala, fica para a história contemporânea de África como um dos mais poderosos governantes do continente.

Mobutu alistou-se em 1949 no exército, como sargento da Força Pública congolesa. Envolveu-se na luta pela independência, que foi conseguida em 1960, exercendo então o cargo de secretário de Estado da Presidência do Conselho de Ministros.

Afastou-se depois da política, mas não da actividade militar, esfera em que foi consolidando a sua influência até que ela se tornou um incontornável poder de facto no país. Decidiu-se por uma iniciativa militar, em 1965, que afastou o presidente e o primeiro-ministro, declarando-se Mobutu seu herdeiro espiritual. Dissolveu a Assembleia Nacional e assumiu a titularidade de todos os poderes , em regime de partido único, de tal forma que o seu nome se veio a confundir com o próprio Estado.



Perante a comunidade internacional, alegou ser o único a garantir da unidade de um país multiétnico e, apesar da sua política ditatorial, foi apoiado pelos países ocidentais, que não queriam ver instalado um regime comunista em tão importante região africana. Em 1971, Mobutu mudou o nome do país e do importante rio internacional, ambos Congo, para Zaire.

Mobutu governava um dos países mais ricos do continente , mas o seu povo vivia cada vez mais abaixo do limiar da pobreza. A dívida externa chegava a atingir os 12 bilhões de dólares. Em simultâneo, a fortuna pessoal de Mobutu, quase toda no estrangeiro, subia para índices estimados hoje em cerca de 7 bilhões de dólares. O presidente concentrava nas suas mãos uma grande parte do Produto Nacional Bruto do país.

Em 12 de dezembro de 1984 foi agraciado com o Grande-Colar da Ordem do Infante D. Henrique.Em 1997 o regime de Mobutu chegou ao fim. Após 32 anos no poder, o "Grande Leopardo" viu-se obrigado a abandonar o país, deixando o poder a Laurent-Désiré Kabila, que durante muitos anos lhe vinha movendo uma luta de guerrilha. Morreu de câncer de próstata no exílio em Rabat, Marrocos, em Setembro de 1997. Wikipedia  

✵ 14. Outubro 1930 – 7. Setembro 1997
Mobutu Sese Seko photo
Mobutu Sese Seko: 25   citações 0   Curtidas

Mobutu Sese Seko: Frases em inglês

“Treating me as a thief is a grave, unacceptable, intolerable insult which stems from contempt and racist condescension.”

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Mobutu Sésé Seko

Mobutu, in response to claims by the Belgian media that he was taking Belgian aid for himself. Harden, p. 52

“Who taught us corruption? I believe it was you, frankly… It's an import.”

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Mobutu Sésé Seko

In an interview with a French reporter, as featured in "Mobutu: King of Zaire."
Attributed

“Zaire is the country that has been the most heavily exploited in the world. That is why farms, ranches, plantations, concessions, commerce, and real estate agencies will be turned over to sons of the country.”

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November 30, 1973, on the eve of "Zairianization". Zaire: A Country Study, "Zairianization, Radicalization, and Retrocession" http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+zr0044)

“Democracy is not for Africa. There was only one African chief and here in Zaire we must make unity.”

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George B. N. Ayittey, Africa Betrayed, p. 65

“The chief is the chief. He is the eagle who flies high and cannot be touched by the spit of the toad.”

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October 1991. Meredith, p. 391

“We in Zaire spent a lot of time building a strong central state which could resist Soviet aggression quickly and effectively. This enabled us to decisively make the uniform decisions that were necessary to fulfill our national defense obligations and our commitments to the United States.”

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George B. N. Ayittey, Africa in Chaos, p. 113

“When you are a soldier, either you surrender or you are killed. But you don't flee.”

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Mobutu, vowing to resist the Kabila rebellion. Meredith, p. 535

“In a word, everything is for sale, anything can be bought in our country. And in this flow, he who holds the slightest cover of public authority uses it illegally to acquire money, goods, prestige or to avoid obligations. The right to be recognized by a public servant, to have one's children enrolled in school, to obtain medical care, etc. …are all subject to this tax which, though invisible, is known and expected by all.”

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November 25, 1977. D.J. Gould, "Patrons and Clients: The Role of the Military in Zaire Politics," in Isaac Mowoe, ed., The Performance of Soldiers as Governors, p. 485

“If I could do it all again, I'd be a farmer.”

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Mobutu to his national security advisor, Honoré Ngbanda, "the Terminator". Meredith, p. 532

“We are resorting to this authenticity in order to rediscover our soul, which colonization had almost erased from our memories and which we are seeking in the tradition of our ancestors.”

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Lamb, p. 45

“Between a brother and a friend, the choice is clear.”

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Mobutu announcing the break in diplomatic relations between Zaire and Israel at the United Nations Security Council, November 4, 1973. Young and Turner, p. 138

“Why should I feed my prisoners when I don't have enough to feed my peasants?”

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Ayittey, p. 109

“As regards George Bush, I've met him thirteen times. We know each other from way back. He was in charge of the CIA and knew Zaire's problems backwards. He received me at his home in Maine with his mother, wife and children and grandchildren. I met him again recently at the funeral of Emperor Hirohito. He is an intelligent, open and sensitive man, with strong convictions.”

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Mobutu, on his friendship with George H. W. Bush. Meredith, p. 308

“The very existence of the Nation was threatened. Threatened on all sides, from the interior and exterior.
From the interior, by the sterile conflicts of politicians who sacrificed the country and their compatriots to their own interests.
Nothing counted for them but power…and what the exercise of power could bring them. Fill their own pockets, exploit the Congo and the Congolese, this was their trademark.
Given such examples, both national and provincial administrations were mired in inertia, inefficiency, and worse yet, corruption.
At all levels, many of those in our country who held a morsel of public power allowed themselves to be corrupted, served individuals and companies who paid bribes and neglected the others…
…certain politicians, to maintain themselves in power or to regain it, did not hesitate to seek help from foreign powers…
…the social, economic and financial situation of the country is catastrophic.”

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Mobutu explaining the reasons behind his November 1965 coup. Young and Turner, p. 42

“I cannot sleep at all on a plane and I am terribly scared of sleeping pills. To accuse me of wasting money - no, I am sorry. Just think of the time I save.”

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Mobutu, asked by a German journalist to justify the expense of his Concorde while the nation's economy was in crisis. Meredith, p. 532

“I know my people. They like grandeur. They want us to have respect abroad in the eyes of other countries.”

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Ayittey, p. 257

“Clearly, I would be lying if I said I do not have a bank account in Europe; I do. I would be lying if I said I do not have considerable money in my account; I do. Yes, I do have a fair amount of money. However, I would estimate it to total less than 50 million dollars. What is that for twenty-two years as head of state in such a big country?”

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Mobutu to congressman Mervyn Dymally, 1988. Elliot and Dymally, p. 25

“In our African tradition, there are never two chiefs; there is sometimes a natural heir to the chief, but can anyone tell me that he has ever known a village that has two chiefs? That is why we Congolese, in the desire to conform to the traditions of our continent, have resolved to group all the energies of the citizens of our country under the banner of a single national party.”

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Young and Turner, p. 211

“We are seeking our own authenticity, and we will find it because we wish, in the innermost fibers of our being to discover it.”

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Sean Kelly, America's Tyrant: The CIA and Mobutu of Zaire, p. 194

“It takes two to corrupt – the corrupted and the corrupter.”

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Developments.org http://www.developments.org.uk/data/issue30/together-now.htm
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“Positive non-alignment, or indiscriminate openmindedness to the world, is a fundamental feature of Zaire's foreign policy. To this end, we are exerting ourselves in a bid to promote genuine cooperation among all countries that are willing to accept Zaire for what it is…The debacles that Zaire has faced and continues to face in various areas - colonization, alienation, exploitation, secession, rebellion - are due to the imperialist policies of the superpowers who have assumed the right to govern the world. Thus, we do not want to be involved directly or indirectly in any attempt to subjugate a state or group of states.”

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Mobutu explaining his foreign policy. Elliot and Dymally, p. 51

“Zaire's one-party system is the most elaborate form of democracy.”

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Ayittey, p. 210

“If you want to steal, steal a little in a nice way. But if you steal too much to become rich overnight, you'll be caught.”

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D.J. Gould, "Patrons and Clients: The Role of the Military in Zaire Politics," in Isaac Mowoe, ed., The Performance of Soldiers as Governors, p. 485

“It is simply not true.”

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Mobutu Sésé Seko

when asked by the New York Times, "Do American military supplies go through Zaire to Savimbi in Angola?", Kelly, p. 4

“I am the latest victim of the cold war, no longer needed by the US. The lesson is that my support for American policy counts for nothing.”

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Mobutu Sésé Seko

Gbadolite: The Versailles of The Jungle https://www.amusingplanet.com/2020/09/gbadolite-versailles-of-jungle.html