AtangaNji preaches morals to Marafa, Mebara
and Olanguena
 |
| AtangaNji Paul |
Below is the full text of Minister
AtangaNji’s message to the jailed former senior state officials. The Median
Newspaper translated the message for your reading pleasure
For quite some time now, former ministers
who have been tried and sentenced for the embezzlement of public funds have
developed talents in writing. Amongst the publications of these prisoners,
three books have attracted the attention of the national and international
political class: “Le Choix de l’action” by MarafaHamidouYaya, “Le
Secrétairegénéral de la Présidence de la République: entre mythes, texts
etréalité” by Jean Marie AtanganaMebara, and “Mensonges d’état” by
UrbainOlanguenaAwono. These writers suited to the occasion have decided to give
the public their own versions of facts on the unfolding of their trials and of
their arguments with Cameroon law.
Even
if the three prisoners have known different fortunes for not being tried and
sentenced for the same crimes, it is surprising to realize that these former
high state personalities are claiming to be imprisoned for political reasons
and not for crimes of common law. And as if by magic, each of them is claiming
to be a senior political figure who has spent his life at the service of the
nation.
Claiming
to have a national destiny because one occupied a ministerial position is total
absurdity. Such a confusion should be avoided for it is not said anywhere that
one should be a member of government to serve one’s country. It is absolute
nonsense. The Head of State has never counted only on ministers to win a
presidential election or to improve our common wellbeing. In 1983, President
Paul Biya declared: “National construction is a vast construction site open to
all. No one is left out and no one should leave himself out.”
Cameroon
is a state of law. Only the President of the Republic, H. E. Paul Biya, has a
popular mandate coming from the sovereign Cameroonian people. It is for this
reason that discretionally, he appoints people to civil and military functions,
and can revoke them at any time. The three former members of government
sentenced for the embezzlement of public funds turned writers make diatribes
with an aim to discredit the government. They should recall that at the time
the Head of State decided to appoint them, they had not carried out any service
to show that they loved their fatherland.
MarafaHaidouYaya
was appointed secretary of state for Finance and member of the Political Bureau
of the CPDM at the age of 40. He became Special Adviser to the Head of State
before he was 44 and at 48 he was Minister of State, Secretary General at the
Presidency of the Republic. At less than 50, he was minister of state in charge
of Territorial Administration and Decentralization for 10 years. As for Jean
Marie AtanganaMebara, he was appointed Minister of Higher Education before he
turned 44, and Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency of the
Republic before he was 48. For his part, UrbainOlanguenaAwono was Secretary of
State at the Ministry of Finance at 35. Shortly after, he was dropped from that
position. In 1996, the Head of State renewed his confidence in him by
appointing him Secretary General at the Ministry of Finance before propelling
him to the post of Minister of Public Health in 2001.
…If
it is not because of ungratefulness and bad blood, how on earth can
personalities who have served in such sensitive position choose to voice out
discussions that they had with the Head of State in the public place? The
function of minister imposes an obligation of reserve! No right-thinking man
can go against this rule. Each minister works following orientations of the
policy defined by the Head of State who remains the only judge of the
opportunity. When a disgraced minister claims that he said this or that to the
Head of State and that he was not followed up, he is fooling himself. The Head
of State is the most informed personality, and for this reason, he has in a
given situation he has parameters which no member of government can claim to
master.
From
1990 to 1992, Cameroon went through a delicate period sequel to the
introduction of multi party politics and its mistakes. The country went through
an era of irresponsible watchwords such as “ghost towns”, “sovereign national
conference”, etc. During these difficult years, we saw a young Douala-based
economic operator, a senior official in a bank, solemnly offer 100 taxis to
Jean Fochivé who was Delegate General for National Security at the time, to
neutralize the ghost town operation. We saw Françoise Foning, now of blessed
memory, mobilize men and women to reserve a warm welcome for President Biya
during his memorable visit to Douala in 1991 during which he declared “Me
voicidonc à Douala!” (Here am I in Douala!) We saw businessmen,
AlhadjiAbboMohamadou, Fotso Victor, KadjiDeffosso and others invest billions of
FCFA for the opening of factories in 1992 whereas the social climate was tense.
That is what we call patriotism and love for fatherland. And God knows that the
Head of State has always recognized the efforts of those Cameroonians who have
distinguished themselves through acts of bravura to support the state and
republican institutions.
Between
1990 and 1992, the national daily Cameroon Tribune had a column titled “Tribune
libre” (Free Tribune). A whole page was dedicated to the political debate of
the time. At the time, the Head of State, knowing the country better than
anybody else, rightly indicated that, “The national conference is of no use”.
True patriotic Cameroonians published texts to support the position of the Head
of State against the holding of a national conference, which had no legal basis
and which aimed essentially at putting to question the authority of the State.
It
was during this period (1990 – 1992) that absolute political engagement to the
Head of State, to his political party, the CPDM, and love for the fatherland
should be portrayed. Unfortunately, national opinion had registered no
reflection of MarafaHamidouYaya, of Jean Mare AtanganaMebara and to a lesser
extent of UrbainOlanguenaAwono. It is an unacceptable insult to the
intelligence of Cameroonians to affirm today that the three former ministers
sentenced for the embezzlement of public funds are patriots and victims of
political purging because they have made public their ambitions to rise to the
supreme magistracy.
In
Cameroon, the judicial system is independent and credible. For the cases of
MarafaHamidouYaya and Jean Marie AtanganaMebara, funds were disbursed for the
acquisition of a presidential plane. Today, there is neither the money nor the
plane; 30 million dollars (55 billion FCFA) has disappeared! What does politics
come to do in a matter of common law?
UrbainOlanguenaAwono
is accused of crimes which cannot be contested. The Cameroonian justice system
gives an opportunity to all accused persons to defend themselves. For these
three, all the judicial procedures were respected. First, there were
preliminary investigations by the police or gendarmerie. On the basis of this,
the magistrate in charge opened judicial information to verify and control the
veracity of the preliminary investigations and study again the reports of the
Supreme State Control.
At
the end of the judicial information, if the charges retained against the
suspect are not established, he is discharged immediately. The formula is well
known; the accused always has the benefit of the doubt. Conversely, if the
concordant indices of guilt are established, the magistrate in charge sends the
accused to court (the criminal police) for judgment. At this level, the debate
is public and contradictory. If a suspect is sentenced after a transparent and
free procedure, it is clear that the charges retained are beyond reasonable
doubt.
National
and international opinion must know that President Paul Biya does not need to
imprison whosoever to win a presidential election or to stay in power. Garga
Haman Adji resigned his functions as Minister of Public Service during the
presidential election of 1992. He created his political party and has always
called the government all sorts of names. No one has ever disturbed him.
Maurice Kamto who resigned from the government during the 2011 presidential
election created his political party and has never been disturbed despite the
virulence of his criticisms of the government.
It
is clear that MarafaHamidouYaya, Jean Marie AtanganaMebara and
UrbainOlanguenaAwono are far from being political prisoners as they are
desperately trying to make believe. Besides, in Cameroon, there are no
political prisoners. Very sincerely, in Cameroon, there is no justice of
variable geometry, talk less of political purging. This does not correspond to
the society of freedom that the Head of State wants.
Those
who thought that being a member of government gave them the privilege to commit
crimes that the law and morals reject have suffered the consequences and will
continue doing so. Since 1982, President Paul Biya has been constant in his
defence of republican values. In all points of view, His Excellency Paul Biya
is a model for the Cameroonian youth and he has known how to impose this
discipline and this discretion on his own family. Only those who are dishonest
will say the contrary.
Cameroonians
are not dupes and will not allow themselves to be manipulated by liars and
impostors. Addressing members of his own political party, His Excellency Paul
Biya had clearly warned: “Those who have enriched themselves at the expense of
the state will pay for it.” The good example must always come from those who
exercise official functions. There is no selective justice in Cameroon. It is a
meaningless dream.
The
dishonourablebehaviour of these former ministers-cum-writers shows that
ingratitude pushes man to unveil his animalistic instincts. But, “We should not
play with Cameroon,” as His Excellency Paul Biya himself said. Those who have
ears, let them hear!
AtangaNji Paul
Member of the CPDM Central Committee
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