Dakar 2014, XVe Sommet de la Francophonie
Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
Michaëlle Jean heading a Francophonie in transition
MONTREAL―She started as a journalist and became a stand-in for the Queen. Now former governor general Michaëlle Jean is packing boxes for her latest move up the diplomatic ladder into lavish digs as the chosen representative of the world’s French-speaking nations.
The jet-set life and sumptuous five-story Parisian offices a stroll from the Eiffel Tower that she will command as secretary general of La Francophonie may be a throwback to her vice-regal digs at Rideau Hall, the GG’s Ottawa residence. But behind the glamour and photo ops, Jean, 57, is stepping into an imposing position that will have her tackling wars, disease and desperate poverty when she officially takes the post in January.
It’s a role that has so far been filled by political and diplomatic giants. When Boutros Boutros-Ghali was named secretary general in 1998, he had already run the United Nations for two terms, served as foreign minister of Egypt and helped broker a peace deal between his country and Israel in 1979. His successor, whom Jean is replacing, was Abdou Diouf, a towering sage of a man whose previous post had been as Senegal’s president. Many feel he will be impossible to replace.
Both were also men from the African continent, whose countries make up a majority of the Francophonie membership. Born in Haiti, raised in Quebec, educated in Europe and having served as the symbol of British legacy in Canada, Jean is many things. But she does not hail from Africa, and that is just one reason for the bristling in some corners of an organization that has traditionally been bankrolled by the rich northern countries (including $38 million in 2013-14 from Canada, the second largest donor after France) and fronted by the poorer south.
The succession blueprint built around Burkina Faso president Blaise Compaoré was scrapped in October when he was run out of his country after trying to change his country’s constitution and extend his mandate past 2015.
African countries couldn’t rally around any of Jean’s four other opponents ― all Africans ― and that allowed Prime Minister Stephen Harper to push Canada’s candidate to victory in the final hours of last week’s Francophonie summit in Dakar.
Guinea’s president, Alpha Condé, was one of the few to speak frankly about the decision, saying it was “embarrassing” the African leaders couldn’t come together, but that he had his hopes about Jean.
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Defeated candidate denounces Michaelle Jean's appointment as Francophonie chief
While former governor general Michaelle Jean's hiring as the secretary-general of the international organization Francophonie was celebrated in Canada, not everyone was a fan.
Jean Claude de L'Estrac, a native of the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean, was another hopeful for the post and ultimately lost out to Jean.
In an article in Jeune Afrique magazine, L'Estrac said Jean was "designated and imposed" by a diplomatic agreement between France and Senegal.
He alleged that the appointment did not follow the organization's charter and that the election was "neither open nor transparent nor democratic. If the elections had been held properly, the result would have been different."
L'Estrac alleged that French President Francois Hollande had engaged in backroom dealing to get Jean appointed.
The Francophonie is an international organization of 77 countries with populations that are at least in part French speaking.
OIF : « La trahison de Dakar »
Préambule : Je tiens à préciser, de prime abord, que les propos que je tiens ici n’engagent que moi, et ne peuvent, en aucune manière, être imputés à l’Etat mauricien.
Mais j’estime qu’il est de mon devoir, pour le bien même de la Francophonie, de dénoncer l’opération qui, au pays de Senghor, a vu l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie être attribuée à l’Amérique du nord. La personnalité et les qualités de Mme Michaelle Jean n’est pas le sujet. Ni la volonté du Canada, grand pays de la Francophonie, à diriger cette organisation dont il est un des deux principaux contributeurs.
Personnellement j’ai de l’admiration pour la francophonie innovante et vivante du Québec que j’ai souvent visité. La question essentielle est que la Charte de l’Organisation n’a pas été respectée et que le nouveau secrétaire général a été désigné et imposé par une entente diplomatique entre la France et le Sénégal. Elle s’est manifestée suite à des tractations dont la plupart des pays membres ignorent les tenants et aboutissants.
Source Madagascar Tribune
A DAKAR : La Grande Trahison!
ARTICLE PARU DANS LE MAURICIEN | | PAR VIJAY MAKHAN
Cinq candidats étaient en lice pour le poste de Secrétaire général de l'OIF. Certes, tous pouvaient se vanter d'avoir des atouts solides, certains évidemment plus que d'autres. Mais celui qui avait émergé du lot, il ne faisait aucun doute, c'était bien Jean Claude de L'Estrac.
Sa vision pour la nouvelle francophonie a impressionné plus d'un. D'ailleurs, cette vision assortie d'un programme pratique, réaliste mais surtout réalisable avait tellement séduit, que certains autres candidats n'ont pas hésité à en faire la leur.
De L'Estrac avait trouvé le bon filon pour élever l'organisation qu'il ambitionnait de diriger à un niveau supérieur tout en consolidant l'héritage de l'illustre Abdou Diouf.
Ce qu'il proposait était une francophonie économique, comme il l'a qualifiée lui-même, avec une emphase particulière sur l'industrialisation de notre continent. Durant toute sa campagne, il avançait des idées très concrètes et des objectifs réalisables dans le court et moyen termes sans perdre de vue le devenir de la jeunesse. Un projet qu'il a vendu avec grand succès auprès des personnalités qu'il a rencontrées durant sa campagne.
«J’estime qu’il est de mon devoir, pour le bien même de la Francophonie, de dénoncer l’opération qui, au pays de Senghor, a vu l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie être attribuée à l’Amérique du Nord.» Jean-Claude de l’Estrac ne cache pas son amertume devant ce fait. A peine-t-il rentré de Dakar, où il s’était rendu en tant que candidat favori à l'élection au secrétariat général de la Francophonie, qu'il a voulu dénoncer la manière dont a été choisie la canadienne Michaëla Jean.
Selon le secrétaire général de la COI, le procédé de cet exercice n’a été «ni ouvert, ni transparent, ni démocratique». Selon lui, ce sont suite à des «tractations entre la France et le Sénégal» que le nouveau secrétaire général a été «imposé et désigné». Il ajoute que «l’île Maurice a toutes les raisons de se sentir trahie», expliquant que c’est suite à l’encouragement du président français, mais aussi de dirigeants de plusieurs pays africains, que l’Etat mauricien avat décidé de se lancer dans la course.
Comment - It is cold, damp typical English Winter weather. The mind and body fighting to cope - we have lived 30 years in exile. How many have read and given deep thought to Mr Jean-Claude de l’Estrac above article. Had this been the reality the argument would have held water - however.
Over the past years have address him as editor and the past two years as Secretary general of the COI a very pertinent subject and his position. When we talk of Mauritius role in the Indian ocean and Africa - we need to take stock of every Mauritian. My person have relatives and wives form Mauritius.
Over the past 10 years have been addressing to him the issues of synergistic and dynamic impact on many aspect of not just Mauritius workings, the regional issues, Africa, Europe and Asia yet for his many years of media and diplomacy reaction and position.
May be in the English speaking sphere they have a different interpretation and approach - in the German speaking within the University faculty/study possibilities there exist special groups who have been studying the many phenomena of society, human behavior particularly events after the fall of the COMECON, USSR - it was not normal for just a small group of individual to impact such giant issues their had to be other mechanism and driving forces - those who have spent many years trying to understand and laying some form of scientific formula how synergy and dynamic impact issues and why they do.
This said - we had been very aware of Mauritius wish to take the post/acquire the post of the Secretary General of the Francophonie.
Time and time we have addressed the many high parties in Mauritius the government for Dr Ramgoolam, the Opposition who we have impacted events and issues in Mauritius given our understanding of high synergy/dynamic management. This over nears 30 years.
We had decided to travel to Strasbourg with other ideas in mind and Sir James Mancham travel to Germany for the Berlin Wall 25 Anniversary and the celebration of the Bicentenary of the 1st world war.
I/we knew that having been away from Strasbourg so long countless issues would be synergized /driven - what about the issue of the new EU Team and their request that we/I land them support - Friends we are talking of the massive EU workings and the thousands of individuals, its massive resources and Institutions the capacity to influence and drive a given agenda or issues - we have been involved in this process for some 33 years form Austria /Vienna.
Whilst we were there we had written one week before the impact on British economy and Europe workings when we travel and what took place/ensued. The British media, French, German, USA and Italian who they reacted and comported. The same the moment we returned to Britain.
We have in the past contributed to highly important issue of African Union office and Policy/decision process, the commonwealth and UN. The Francophone is no different if you understand its parameters. We hold the strong view had we not travel to Strasbourg and the highly important synergy dynamic displacement with took place/involved the outcome of the Francophonie election would have been very different.
{ By the way as an old media hand even if he has not sat at a University campus with special graduate or Undergraduate to dissect and study this phenomena forma media prospective the workings norms. Beside we wrote to the Mauritian media saying had we been in France or Seychelles all that change and issues of the so Call North African spring it would not have happened or been very different.}
He praises Mauritius for is best practice and leading example in the Indian Ocean and Africa - he need to find a formula and way to address of the impacting synergy/dynamic of many of the Indian ocean and Africa issues and yet what the media attribute these - what we have come to term corrupted benchmark and such workings. You dorp ma stone and it make ripple you need to say a stone has been dorped and it is making ripple. Taking note of the weather etc.
Because thees are associated High Interdisciplinary workings we tend to mention only those immediate issues and there have been very many issues our travel to Strasbourg have impacted/synergized influenced.
What about those high parties of Canada - they ought to be ashamed - they know and have know we have the capacity to influence many important issue of Canada from economy to real politic in term of high interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary management - we have addressed and mentioned those in the past too. Yet their media and experts attribution
Strasbourg - Human Rights Court garden two weeks ago
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