Melissa Giaimo
Assistant Perspectives Editor
Indifference of Malibu citizens, combined with U.S. oil interests, perpetuate systemic injustice, rather than demanding a new transparency in Equatorial Guinea.
Recent publicity has brought fresh attention to the son of an African dictator. Equatorial Guinea’s Dictator-in-training Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue is under suspicion for corrupt handling of government funds after purchasing a $35 million Malibu mansion February in 2006.
Non-governmental anticorruption watchdog group Global Witness raised a cry for justice when young Obiang— despite his paltry official salary of $5,000 per month— paid cash for the 16-acre oceanfront property, complete with a private golf course. Watchdog groups asked how Obiang, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, could afford what Forbes ranks as the sixth most expensive home sale of 2006.
Almost a year later, the question remains unanswered. And despite a recent anti-corruption initiative from the White House, Obiang retains possession of his 15,000 square foot mansion.
Transparency International, an anticorruption watchdog group, places Equatorial Guinea among the top 10 most corrupt countries. Among the nation’s many human rights grievances are torture, sex trafficking, minority discrimination, as well as restrictions on freedom of the press, religion and speech. Although Equatorial Guinea’s earns $3 billion in annual oil revenues, the country’s riches do not reach the people. Most live in abject poverty, surviving on a mere $1 per day.
Not all of Obiang’s extravagant purchases have been successful. Suspecting fund embezzlement, South Africa seized little Teodoro’s Capetown properties. Nor did he make the cut in New York City. When the glam dictator-in-training tried to buy a Fifth Avenue apartment, the neighbors cried foul and the homeowner’s association kept him out.
But in Malibu, Obiang moves in without a hitch.
“The purchase of the Malibu property supports our contention that the ruling kleptocracy in Equatorial Guinea is happy to continue plundering the national coffers,” said Chris Schoeman, the South African attorney who prosecuted Obiang, according to LA Weekly.
With the exception of the Graphic and Malibu Surfside News, Obiang’s arrival to Serra Retreat’s gated community of luxury property-owners merited hardly a mention in the California press.
Although Dr. Robert Williams, associate professor of Political Science at Pepperdine, had predicted a negative response from Malibu residents, the city has responded with indifference to its new neighbor.
When interviewed by the Malibu Surfside News, some residents seemed more concerned about the bad press that Malibu might receive than with human rights.
Arguably, more influential people reside in Malibu than in any city of its size in the nation. It’s time for Malibu residents to realize their power and speak out against something more significant than animal rights.
By failing to scrutinize Obiang’s purchase, the Bush administration has missed a major test case of its new anti-kleptocracy initiative, which aims to apprehend rulers who exploit national resources and steal. In August, Bush unveiled his new plan to fight high-level corruption, which included seizure of assets and denial of political and financial haven to kleptocrats.
Why then is the United States not “ensuring greater accountability of development assistance,” as stated in the anti-kleptocracy initiative, and demanding transparency in Equatorial Guinea’s funds? Why is the United States playing softball with Obiang? Oil.
As the United States seeks less dependence on oil from the Middle East, Equatorial Guinea, sub-Saharan Africa’s third-largest oil producer, is an increasingly attractive partner. The United States is the largest foreign investor in Equatorial Guinea, having pumped in an estimated $11 billion to date, and the largest importer of petroleum, its main export.
The government is inconsistent in its relations with Equatorial Guinea. In January 2004, Bush issued a proclamation attempting to limit the entry of corrupt foreign officials into the United States. And in March 2004, the State Department released its human rights report on Equatorial Guinea, profiling the nation’s long list of injustices.
But in April 2006, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rolls out the welcome mat for President Obiang on his visit to the United States.
“You are a good friend, and we welcome you,” Rice said before posing for photographs.
How does oppressing innocent citizens make Obiang a good friend, Condi? Oil should not trump human rights.
The day before, Equatorial Guinea signed an agreement with U.S. Agency for International Development.
“[The agreement is] so that our people may enjoy greater economic prosperity and are able to combat poverty,” President Obiang said. Translation: the United States is picking up the tab for combating poverty so that my son’s extravagant lifestyle can continue.
Condoleezza Rice might have welcomed the dictator, but Malibu does not have to follow her poor example. Residents of Malibu can denounce perpetrators of injustice and show the world that neither the U.S. government nor Los Angeles real estate agents should cut deals with dictators. By remaining complacent about this transaction, the U.S. encourages Equatorial Guinea’s tyrannical regime.
It’s time to picket Serra Retreat, speak to the Malibu City Council officials, summon Cher and Barbara, visit Schwarzenegger, call Pelosi and besiege President Bush with mail.
There is much more at stake here than one house in Malibu. According to watchdog groups, $718 million of Equatorial Guinea’s funds are still tucked away in offshore accounts. Obiang’s seaside abode is merely the latest glaring manifestation of continuing injustice in Equatorial Guinea.
02-01-2007
