Apparently French President, Francois Hollande, is set to make African leaders sweat at a gathering of French-speaking nations in Democratic Republic of Congo this week, when he attempts to cut murky ties with France’s former colonies.
At the 14th Annual Francophonie summit October 12-14, Hollande has vowed to promote democracy in a continent known for flawed elections and ‘sit-tight’ leaders addressing with Congo’s eastern rebellion and the Islamist takeover of Mali’s north purported to be at top the agenda.
In a sign he means business, he’ll be putting pressure on the summit’s host by saying democracy in Congo, a former Belgian colony, and its rights record is “totally unacceptable”, an apparent swipe at 2011 polls that won President Joseph Kabila a second term.
“I will address those within French-speaking countries to tell them that this is their language, but there is also the language of values and principles. Among those values and these principles is democracy, good governance and the fight against corruption,” Hollande said in Paris late on Tuesday.
All this from a man who shared” his mistress Valerie Trierweiler with a minister from Nicolas Sarkozy’s government in a Jules et Jim-style relationship, a new biography on France’s first lady claims. La Frondeuse (The Troublemaker), says Ms Trierweiler, 47, had an affair with Patrick Devedjian, 68, a former economics minister, in the early 2000s, but that the Socialist Mr Hollande, 58, muscled in when the right-winger failed to commit himself further to the relationship. All three had other partners at the time.
Seriously, Africans are sick and tired of sick and tired Europeans and Westerners preaching purity from a muddied pulpit.
Messy love life … Francois Hollande with his companion, Valerie Trierweiler.
Methinks France has a world of problems to deal with that he needs to get swiftly au fait with – from race/xenophobia issues, to terrorism scares and country wide economic woes, to keep Monsieur Hollande busy for his entire presidency.
The pontificating is hypocritical, if not arrogant and full of crap, and no matter Africa’s sins, we should be left well alone to unlearn our problems, instead of being lectured to like small children from men with dubious values themselves.
The revelations about Mr Hollande’s cause celebre romantic life came a day after a former minister mocked the president, who is about to legalise homosexual unions in France, for wanting “marriage for everyone, except himself”.
“It’s a little contradiction, I have to smile about it,” said Gerard Longuet, a former defence minister. The French government plans to legalise same-sex marriage by the middle of next year.
It was unlikely to help Mr Hollande’s popularity, which has sunk to its lowest level since his May election, partly down to annoyance at his inability to keep his complex love life in check.
Mr Hollande has four children from a previous relationship with his Socialist colleague Segolene Royal, with whom he also lived without marrying.
Monsieur Hollande, c’est faux pas to be the French pot calling African kettles black … so please keep your nose in your own business!
C’est tout!
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Sources:
Reuters.com
Sydney Morning Herald online. http://www.smh.com.au/world
