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| IssaTchiroma |
Being the introductory remarks of the
communication minister and government spokesman, at a press conference to
“denounce ongoing biased reporting on Cameroon by JeuneAfrique Weekly
Magazine”, on Wednesday 19 April 2017, in Yaounde
Distinguished Journalists
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In a recent issue, the JeuneAfrique weekly
newspaper published the interview of Mr MARAFA HAMIDOU YAYA captioned, and I
quote: “I advised Paul BIYA not to vie again for presidency, and I’m paying a
high price for that”, end of quote. In this interview, Mr MARAFA was echoing
his good old song on the status of his condemnation and, subsequently, his
detention conditions.
As
you are all aware, Mr MARAFA HAMIDOU YAYA is currently serving a 20-year jail
term for intellectual complicity in the embezzlement of public funds to the
tune of 29 million US dollars (about 14.5 billion CFA Francs), an amount which
was meant for the purchase of a Boeing Business Jet 2 aircraft to be used for
the Head of State’s travels.
This
notwithstanding, Mr MARAFA HAMIDOU YAYA has kept on proclaiming to whoever
wishes to hear him that he is innocent of the facts for which he was convicted,
and that he is a political prisoner whose detention is merely arbitrary.
His
last press outing goes along to support this same view.
In
previous briefings with the press, I had, on behalf of the Government,
explained the reason why Mr MARAFA is a prisoner under ordinary law, detained
under the conditions that are fully in compliance with the rules and procedures
in force under Cameroonian law.
Allow me to refresh your memory on the
issue:
While
serving as Minister, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Mr
MARAFA HAMIDOU YAYA, was tasked to carry out the procedure for acquiring an
aircraft for the Head of State's travels. To this end, he requested the
services of the General Manager of the then National Air Transport Company,
CAMAIR, in the person of Mr. FOTSO Yves Michel.
To
carry out this mission, instead of directly contacting the BOEING company, the
MARAFA-FOTSO pair, requested the services of a company named GIA International,
which was till then unknown within the civil aviation world.
GIA
International therefore acted as an intermediary with BOEING. As such, it was
GIA that, on the order of Mr MARAFA, received the bank transfer of 31 million
US dollars (about 15.5 billion CFA Francs) disbursed by the Cameroonian
Government.
Alerted
by the National Bank of Paris – which made the said transfer – on the lack of
seriousness or even the insolvency of GIA International, the Government sent a
control mission to the Boeing company. Thanks to this mission, it was found out
that Boeing had received only 2 million dollars from GIA.
The
questions which to date remain unanswered by those concerned and which have led
the different jurisdictions dealing with this case to conclude that Mr MARAFA
HAMIDOU YAYA and his co-convicts are guilty, thereby raising issues as follows:
Where is the plane that was to be purchased and that was never delivered? Or,
better still, where are the 29 million dollars entrusted to Mr. MARAFA HAMIDOU
YAYA for the purchase of the said aircraft?
The
foregoing explanation on Mr MARAFA’s status of prisoner clearly indicates that
he is a prisoner under ordinary law, since the offence of embezzlement of
public funds of which he was duly convicted is an offence under ordinary law
pursuant to Cameroon’s criminal law in any case.
With
regard to the continuous claims of arbitrary detention by Mr MARAFA, it should
be recalled that he had referred the matter to the UN Working Group on
Arbitrary Detention, asking, on this alleged motive, for the rescission of his
trial and his immediate release.
None
of the reasons put forward by the UN Working Group and the requestor, however,
resisted the analysis and responses provided by the Government.
was
therefore found out that Mr MARAFA's detention did not suffer any irregularity,
both in terms of form and substance.
The
facts are therefore clearly established on the MARAFA issue that the
JeuneAfrique weekly magazine decided to bring back to the limelight in one of
its recent issues.
However,
we can now ask ourselves questions on what could be the real motives behind the
recurrent editorial hostility of this media in its processing of any topic
relating to our country.
Allow me to present to you a few
illustrations:
During
the year 2011, on April 24 to be precise, the headline of the JeuneAfrique's
front-page was captioned: “How is Cameroon Doing?” Still in 2011, on October
10, the same newspaper made another attempt with another not less vindictive
title: “Cameroon: Paul BIYA, for How Long?”
Still
in 2011: “Cameroon: MARAFA HAMIDOU YAYA out of the race, Cameroon, a minor
people, a great danger”.
Let's
move on to 2012. It all started with Cameroon’s First Lady under the title:
“Chantal BIYA, an Invisible Woman”, then on November 12 in the same year, the
Head of State was targeted again: “Cameroon: 1982-2012, from BIYA to BIYA”.
The
following year, on 16 July 2013, the Head of State was indicted against the
northern regions under the title: “Cameroon: BIYA against the North”.
Two months later, this time, the magazine
agitated the military scarecrow. The title alone spoke volumes: “Cameroon, a
Worried Army”.
As
of early 2014, Franck BIYA, the eldest son of the Head of State, was in turn
targeted under the title: “Franck Emmanuel BIYA, an Influential Son”.
Then
came the story on GuérandiMbara captioned: “GuérandiMbara: The Ghost of
Etoudi”, then to end the year, a call to an uprising of youth under the title:
“Cameroon: the Danger of the Youth”.
The
year 2015 was the turn of an exclusive interview of Yves Michel FOTSO, Mr
MARAFA HAMIDOU YAYA’s co-convict, under the title: “Everything is Done to
Destroy me”.
Then
came in 2016, the interview of the activist defendant of the rights of
homosexuals, Barrister Alice NKOM, captioned: “In Cameroon, the Courts are
Under Orders.”
Still
in 2016, the crisis in the North-West and South-West regions was gave way to
another caption: “Cameroon: Anglophones are Sick of Francophones”, in addition
to that of “The Intifada of Anglophones”.
The
year 2017 begun with a barrage: first of all, Cameroon was accused of
suspending the Internet network in the North-West and South-West regions
without considering the legitimate reasons that led to this decision.
Subsequently,
they waved the tribalistic sentiment under an incendiary title as headline:
“Cameroon, the Bamiléké and Power”, a genuine call for hatred and social
stigmatization.
And
as I mentioned earlier, during the same period, the inevitable MARAFA issue
resurfaced with an exclusive interview of Mr MARAFA under the headline: “I advised
Paul BIYA not to vie again for presidency, and I’m paying a high price for
that.”
Amid
all this, nothing was said on the success of the Indomitable Lions at the 2017
Africa Cup of Nations, the sixth of its kind, but a polemic headline: “How
could the Indomitable Lions win the AFCON?”
JeuneAfrique
makes no mention of it.
The
foregoing non-exhaustive account of JeuneAfrique’s constant criticism levelled
at our country is sufficient testimony that we are facing a genuine case of
obstinacy, a deliberate will to undermine the stability of our institutions and
our values and to misrepresent our country on the world stage.
What,
therefore, may be the motivations and underlying reasons of such obstinacy?
Obviously,
as it is the case with any criminal deed, the motivations remain covert. And in
this specific case, journalism is a good excuse for such persecution. But then,
are we still dealing with journalism when facts are gruesomely distorted?
If
that is not the case, how then can we understand that at no given time this
newspaper has thought it necessary to present events relating to Cameroon in a
perspective other than apolyptical? Should we therefore understand that
Cameroon is that lone country in the world where nothing positive ever happens?
Yet,
the reality is the opposite, which JeuneAfrique always refrains from seeing and
refuses to relate.
Cameroon
obviously remains – and whether they like it or not – one of the leading
countries in Africa.
In
the CEMAC sub-region, our country always stands as the economic driver. At the
time being, our economy is the most resilient to the crisis facing all CEMAC
countries as a result of the collapse of oil prices and other raw materials.
JeuneAfrique makes no mention of it.
Whereas
several countries – and not the least – are today in recession, Cameroon’s
growth rate stands at 5%, with a perfectly controlled level of inflation.
JeuneAfrique
makes no mention of it.
The
Major Accomplishments policy launched by the Head of State is going on
satisfactorily.
Transport
infrastructure are undergoing a remarkable development, some of the most
notable projects being the construction of the Yaoundé-Nsimalen, Yaoundé-Douala
and Kribi-Edéa motorways, as well as the construction of the second bridge over
the Wouri River in Douala, the East and West access roads to Douala.
JeuneAfrique makes no mention of it.
The
first phase of the Kribi Industrial and port complex has now been completed,
and funding for the second phase is already available. JeuneAfrique makes no
mention of it.
In
the energy sector, the LomPangar, Mekin and Memve’ele dams are all in their
final phase.
To
these, we must add the ambitious Nachtigal Water Supply project, the boom of
sports infrastructure, the technical rehabilitation of the CRTV, just to name a
few. This is of no interest to JeuneAfrique.
To
speed up economic growth in our country, the President of the Republic, His
Excellency PAUL BIYA, has decided to set up a three-year emergency plan funded
to the tune of nearly a trillion CFA Francs. This plan is today being executed,
as well as the northern emergency plan which covers the Adamawa, North and
Far-North regions. This is of no
interest to JeuneAfrique.
On
February 10, the Head of State further announced a special three-year plan for
the youths, worth 102 billion CFA Francs, to promote the insertion of youths in
the production channels and ease their operationalisation as development
actors. The plan is currently in its implementation phase.
With
regard to tourism, a true indicator of Cameroon’s attractiveness on foreign
visitors, official statistics report a steady progress from over 669,000
tourists in 2010, 817,000 in 2012, 910,000 in 2014, to over one million
tourists in 2015. JeuneAfrique remains unmoved.
In
the area of peacekeeping, Cameroon is actively involved in the United Nations
and African Union operations aimed at resolving crises and armed conflicts
throughout the world. This has, in each case, earned our country the
congratulations of the entire international community. JeuneAfrique remains
unmoved.
In
the same vein, our country is home to more than 600,000 refugees, to the
satisfaction of international organizations and many friendly countries. This
is of no importance to JeuneAfrique.
Faced
with the aggression against Cameroon by the Boko Haram terrorist group, our
Defense and Security Forces, after having led a victorious battle against the
enemy, are today at the forefront of the coalition built by the front line
countries to definitively boot out this other embodiment of international
crime. When JeuneAfrique talks about it, it is just to blame the action of our
Defense and Security Forces, to vilify them and cast the shame on them.
In
the concert of nations, Cameroon and its illustrious head, His Excellency Paul
BIYA, enjoy some respectability that no one could challenge, mindful of the
values that they promote and of the respect of the leading principles of
democracy and the rule of law.
It
is clear that the Head of State of Cameroon is one of those leaders who are attracting
the attention of the great nations, as testified by the visits paid by foreign
Heads of State and Government to our country, and those paid by our Head of
State to other countries, with exceptional echoes and substantial economic
spin-offs.
Most
recently, all Heads of State of the CEMAC member countries gathered around the
President of the Republic of Cameroon at his invitation to discuss the economic
uncertainties now facing the subregion.
We
cannot fail to mention the striking success of the recent State visit of the
President of the Republic to Italy at the invitation of his Italian
counterpart. Not a word from JeuneAfrique.
Internally,
and under the leadership of His Excellency the President of the Republic,
Cameroonians have been able to build, around them and among themselves, an
unshakeable culture of peace, unity and solidarity, which is a genuine bedrock
of the stability of our nation.
Of this array of merits and positive points
that we have just mentioned, JeuneAfrique does not care and makes no mention.
Therefore,
we are telling the JeuneAfrique international weekly magazine that Cameroon
stands tall, under the esteemed leadership of a man: President Paul BIYA, who
was freely chosen by his fellow citizens as an embodiment of their sovereignty.
It shall so remain as long as the Cameroonian people will so desire.
JeuneAfrique
and those on behalf of whom it is acting must know that the Cameroonian people
is a mature people. No mermaid of instrumentalisation and destabilization may
make them depart from the ideals of peace, unity and stability of the nation
which they have made their core values.
We
do not pretend that our country is an Eldorado, a long calm river, a world
without hardships. Anyway, is there any such country in the world?
Cameroon
is a young country, which has just reached its sixty years of existence as a
State. It is therefore being built thanks to its dearest assets, namely harmony
and the will to live together of its populations.
No Cameroonian therefore can remain silent
faced with such obstinacy to undermine this aspiration, which is the fruit of a
hard-earned consensus.
On
behalf of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul BIYA, therefore, I
once again call on the Cameroonian people to remain vigilant in the face of all
these maneuvers of manipulation and instrumentalization targeting them.
To
you, Media men and women at the service of our nation, I invite you to respond
to these perfidious and unhappy attempts with an objective commitment in the
way you process information, sticking to the truth of the facts which is a
principle of your noble profession.
In
the present case, this is a duty of social responsibility and citizenship.
That
was, Distinguished Journalists, Ladies and Gentlemen, the substance of the
communication for which I invited you today.
Thank you for your kind attention.
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