By PAUL ARHEWE
He has an appearance that resembles people from the Asian race, but his not too light complexion, that shows he is a half-caste, indicates that African blood runs in his veins. These attributes reflect the parental bloodline of the current Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, Jean Ping. Ping is the son of a Chinese trader, Cheng Zhiping of Wenzhou descent and his mother is a Gabonese.
He was born in Omboue, Etimbwe Department, Ogooue-Maritime Province in November 24, 1942. Ping began his diplomatic career in 1972 when he was appointed at UNESCO in its Sector for External Relations and Cooperation as an international civil servant. In 1978, he became advisor to the Gabonese embassy in France, and he subsequently became Gabon’s Permanent Delegate to UNESCO, in which position he served until 1984. He became Director of the Civil Cabinet of the President of Gabon, Omar Bongo, in 1984, serving in that position until 1990 He extended his career by taking ministerial portfolio in February 26, 1990 when he was appointed as Minister of Information, Posts and Telecommunications, Tourism and Recreation, and Reform of the Parastatal Sector, in charge of relations with Parliament, as well as Gabonese Government Spokesman. He served in that position for two months before becoming Minister of Mines, Energy, and Hydraulic Resources on April 29, 1990.
He remained in the latter position until June 1991, and then served as Minister of Mines, Energy, and Hydraulic Resources for a second time from August 28, 1992 to March 24, 1994. He was then Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and La Francophonie from March 25, 1994 to October 29, 1994, then Minister Delegate to the Minister of Finance, the Economy, the Budget, and Privatisation from October 30, 1994 until he was appointed as Minister of Planning, the Environment and Tourism on January 28, 1997.
Two years later, he was promoted to the position of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, La Francophonie, and Regional Integration on January 25, 1999. He was previously the Foreign Minister of Gabon from 1999 to 2008 and served as President of the United Nations General Assembly from 2004 to 2005. He was elected to the National Assembly from Omboué in the December 1996 parliamentary election, the December 2001 parliamentary election, and the December 2006 parliamentary election. He was chosen to be President of the fifty-ninth session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2004. Ping was one of President Bongo’s closest and longest-serving ministers and is considered one of the most powerful figures in Gabon. Ping was one of the key figures who helped arrange the visit to Gabon in 2004 of Chinese President Hu Jintao, who used the capital Libreville as the platform for making a land-mark speech promising a new era of engagement with Africa, “without political strings.”
In the government named on January 25, 2007, Ping, previously a Minister of State was promoted to the rank of Deputy Prime Minister while remaining in charge of foreign affairs. On December 7, 2007, Gabon’s Ambassador to Cameroon, Michel Mandougoua, announced that Ping would seek to succeed Alpha Oumar Konaré as chairman of the Commission of the African Union in early 2008. His candidacy was backed by the Economic Community of Central African States. Ping, being the second Chairman of Commission of AU, was elected into this capacity during a summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia organised by the African bloc on February 1, 2008. He had been the frontrunner, enjoying the support of countries in Central, West, and East Africa. North African countries also ultimately backed him; Ali Triki of Libya was prevented from standing due to submitting his candidacy late. Southern African countries opposed Ping, however. In the election, he defeated Osman Abdulai Conteh of Sierra Leone and Inonge Mbikusita Lewanika of Zambia, winning 31 out of 46 votes and obtaining the necessary two-thirds majority in the first round. On February 4, Bongo appointed Laure Olga Gondjout to replace Ping as Foreign Minister. Ping officially succeeded Konaré as chairman of the Commission on April 28, 2008.
Awards and recognitions
Ping’s distinguished 32-year career in government has been marked by diplomatic success, notably his contribution to the many efforts by the President of the Gabonese Republic, El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba, to restore peace and stability in Central Africa, in particular in the Republic of the Congo, Chad, the Central African Republic and Sao Tome and Principe. A recipient of numerous honours in recognition of his outstanding career and service to his country, both at home and abroad, Ping has been awarded Gabon’s medals of Commander of the Equatorial Star, Grand Officer of the Equatorial Star, Commander of the Maritime Merit Order and Commander of the Gabonese National Order of Merit. France has conferred on Ping the distinction of Commander of the Legion of Honour and of Officer of the Order of the Pleiad and the Order of la Francophonie. Ping also has been awarded Portugal’s Grand Cross of the Order of Merit.
Buttressing stabilised and sovereign African states
Recently, Ping has intensifies concern for an unrelenting African Union that would continue to imbibe the original fighting spirit to attain the organisation’s objectives. During a speech last week at the 17th AU Head of States and Government Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea he said the fight of the African countries for its integrity is a long march that started with the Pan African movement. “It is important to remember that all the victories obtained by Africans happened due to Africa coming together and having had a strong conviction about the challenges of the moment”, Ping said. During this meeting he reiterates the strengthening of stability and protection of sovereignty of states which is the main agenda of the African Union.
Accuses ICC of bias
The Libyan five months old civil unrest that has seen the embattled President Muammar Gaddafi fighting to remain in power recently incurred the arrest warrant of International Criminal Court (ICC) on the recalcitrant leader. Reports have it that Jing has accused ICC of bias against African states. He emphasised African support for the ICC, but lambastes the double standards of its chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. “We Africans and the African Union are not against the International Criminal Court. That should be clear,” Ping told a news conference at an African Union summit in Ethiopia. “We are against Ocampo who is rendering justice with double standards,” The ICC’s active cases all target crimes against humanity committed in the African states of Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda and Kenya. “Why not Argentina, why not Myanmar... why not Iraq?” said Ping. This AU commission chief has always negated the issuance of the arrest warrant on Gaddafi saying it complicates efforts to end the conflict in this North African country.
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