Jean-Bedel Bokassa, Self-Crowned Emperor Of the Central African Republic, Dies at 75

Jean-Bedel Bokassa, Self-Crowned Emperor Of the Central African Republic, Dies at 75

By HOWARD W. FRENCH Published: November 05, 1996 New York Times

Jean-Bedel Bokassa, a former colonel who seized power in the Central African Republic and went on to proclaim himself Emperor of his impoverished nation, died on Sunday night, his son Jean Charles announced today in Bangui, the capital. He was 75. (...)

Mr. Bokassa's sometimes brutal 14-year rule, including two years as his country's self-proclaimed Emperor, ended in 1979 when French paratroopers overthrew his Government while Mr. Bokassa was on an official trip to Libya.

France justified its intervention in the Central African Republic by citing stories of Mr. Bokassa's supposed cannibalism of imprisoned schoolchildren. In 1986, Mr. Bokassa, who was living in exile in the Ivory Coast, returned home to face charges against him that included murder and treason.

The allegations of cannibalism were never proven, but the onetime President for Life and Emperor was sentenced to death for assassinations, concealing corpses and embezzlement. He served seven years in prison before he was finally pardoned by a successor, Andre Kolingba, in an attempt at national reconciliation.

(...) As commander of the army and Defense Minister, Mr. Bokassa, then a colonel, was plucked by France to overthrow the Central African Republic's first President, his cousin David Dacko, when Mr. Dacko began establishing close ties with China. Mr. Bokassa's legendary devotion to France and fierce anti-Communism made him the perfect candidate in Paris's view to replace Mr. Dacko.

Within days of taking power, Mr. Bokassa broke off relations with Beijing, expelling a large delegation of Chinese advisers. At the same time, showing the lust for titles and power that would lead him 12 years later to proclaim himself Emperor, Mr. Bokassa took on the titles of President, Prime Minister, Commander in Chief of the army and leader of the sole political party.

(...)Paris congratulated Mr. Bokassa when he decided that his republic should be known as an empire, and the French Government helped finance some of the estimated $30 million cost of Mr. Bokassa's lavish coronation in 1977, which was consciously patterned after Napoleon's coronation.

But eventually, a combination of increasingly frequent bids for independence in foreign affairs by Mr. Bokassa and a growing opposition to the Emperor's extravagance at home led France to conclude that he must go.

(...)The charges of cannibalism got their start in an article published in Paris-Match magazine that included photographs purporting to show a refrigerator in which the Central African leader kept the bodies of schoolchildren who had been arrested and beaten to death. They had protested having to wear uniforms made from a cloth sold by a business run by the Emperor's wife.

Full title as Emperor: His Imperial Majesty Bokassa I, Emperor of Central Africa by the will of the Central African people, united within the national political party, the MESAN.

Jean-Bedel Bokassa From Encyclopaedia Britannica

http://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/80461

Jean-Bédel Bokassa, also called Bokassa I   (born Feb. 22, 1921, Bobangui, Moyen-Congo, French Equatorial Africa [now in the Central African Republic]—died Nov. 3, 1996, Bangui, C.A.R.) African military leader who was president of the Central African Republic (1966–76) and self-styled emperor of the Central African Empire (1976–79).

The son of a village headman, Bokassa attended local mission schools before joining the French army in 1939. He distinguished himself in the French conflict in Indochina, and by 1961 he had achieved the rank of captain. At the request of Pres. David Dacko, Bokassa left the French armed forces to head the army of the newly independent Central African Republic. On Dec. 31, 1965, Bokassa used his position as supreme military commander to overthrow Dacko; he declared himself president of the republic on Jan. 1, 1966.

Bokassa initially spearheaded a number of reforms in an effort to develop the Central African Republic. He sought to promote economic development with Operation Bokassa, a national economic plan that created huge nationalized farms and industries, but the plan was stymied by poor management. He later became known for his autocratic and unpredictable policies, and his government was characterized by periodic reshuffles in which the power of the presidency was gradually increased.

In December 1976 Bokassa assumed the title Emperor Bokassa I and changed the name of his country to the Central African Empire. He was crowned a year later—in emulation of his hero, Napoleon I—in a lavish ceremony that cost more than $20 million. By this time Bokassa’s rule had effectively bankrupted his impoverished country, and his reign as emperor proved to be short-lived. Following the substantiation of international charges that Bokassa had personally participated in a massacre of 100 schoolchildren by his imperial guard, French paratroops carried out a military coup against him that reestablished the republic and reinstated Dacko as president (September 1979). Bokassa went into exile, first traveling to Côte d’Ivoire but later settling in France.

Bokassa was sentenced in absentia to death in 1980, but he inexplicably chose to return to the Central African Republic in 1986. He was arrested and put on trial, and in 1987 he was found guilty of the murders of the schoolchildren and other crimes (although he was acquitted of charges of cannibalism). His death sentence was subsequently commuted, and he was freed in 1993. He was posthumously pardoned in 2010, in conjunction with the country’s 50th anniversary celebration.

Brunei from Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

In 1984, Brunei's Government was restructured into a formal ministerial system with the Sultan as Prime Minister. The Sultan also serves as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He is advised by, and presides over, four policy councils: the Council of Cabinet Ministers, the Legislative Council, the Privy Council and the Religious Council. The Sultan appoints the members of each of these Councils.

After a 20 year hiatus, the Sultan reconvened the Brunei Legislative Council on 25 September 2004, appointing 21 members. His Majesty then appointed a new Council with 29 members in September 2005. A 24 member Legislative Council was appointed for a five year term on 1 June 2011.

(...)Brunei has one legal political party, the Parti Pembangunan Bangsa (National Development Party or NDP); which is small and has limited activity. Brunei's judicial system reflects the strong influence of British common law. (...)

The royal family retains a venerated position within the country and adverse comment regarding royal family matters is forbidden in Brunei.

http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/brunei/brunei_brief.html

Sultan of Brunei from BORNRICH website

There are many rich and famous people in the world, but not everyone knows the art to splurge it. However, Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, better known as the Sultan of Brunei is one such person who is well versed with this art of spending the riches in the most lavish ways. One of the last remaining absolute monarchs in the world, Sultan has earned enough from reserves of oil and natural gas, that he doesn't have to think twice about getting a haircut for a mind-boggling $21,000. His sultanate is one of the world’s most financially affluent and communally sheltered societies, where people even do not have to pay any kind of income tax.

The Sultan's passion for the world's most expensive, beautiful, rarest, fastest and unique cars knows no boundaries. His personal collection of over 7,000 high performance cars, which by some estimates is worth more than $5 billion includes 600 Rolls Royce cars, over 300 Ferraris,134 Koenigeggs, 11 McLaren F1s, 6 Dauer Porsche 962 LMs and a number of luxurious Jaguars. He is famous for having some of the most luxuriously customized private jets like Boeing 747-400 and Airbus 340-200. In late 1980s, for once he was ranked as world’s richest person but later on in 1990s he lost the title to the American businessman Bill Gates. Sultan’s current asset evaluation is about $40 billion and if the income keeps on growing at the current rate his eldest son might soon be the world’s first trillionaire. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah got married in 1965 to one of his cousins Pengiran Anak Saleha and became the new new ruler on October 5, 1967, and was coronated on August 1, 1968. Later on he got separated and got married to Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha.

http://www.bornrich.com/sultan-haji-hassanal-bolkiah.html