Ill-fated attacks

Issa Tchiroma warns French agents to leave President Biya alone
- Says Paul Biya will remain the president and head of state of Cameroon, so long as Cameroonians want it to be so; no country whatsoever can undermine the sovereignty of Cameroon
By Essan-Ekoninyam in Yaounde

Issa Tchiroma

Amid a barrage of critical remarks on Cameroon and its president, Paul Biya, by some French agents, Cameroon’s minister of communication and government spokesman, Issa Tchiroma Bakary has fired a warning at these foreign “denigrators” to stop distracting Cameroonians and their illustrious head of state Paul Biya.
    Issa Tchiroma described the remarks by a group of French parliamentarians and other agents of France as ill-fated, ungrounded and only intended to distract Cameroonians and turn them against their president.
    Speaking at a press conference in Yaounde on Friday, Issa Tchiroma warned the French agents to stop their manoeuvers and leave Biya alone.    The press confab dwelled on the recent diplomatic victories scored by Cameroon. It also touched on recent events that affect the life of the nation.
    Sounding rather firm and hard, Issa Tchiroma debunked claims by the French MPs that President Biya has no legitimacy as leader of Cameroon and that the president selectively develops some areas of the country, willfully depriving other regions of needed development.

    “Allow me to strongly condemn such nonsense and clearly affirm that these allegations are ungrounded and ill-fated”, the MINCOM said, noting that all through his long years as president of Cameroon, Paul Biya has maintained a policy of balanced development; he also does not marginalize any portion of the population.
    Issa Tchiroma seized the occasion of the press conference to also debunk claims by French Radio-RFI that Cameroonian-born French woman, Lawyer Yen Eyoum Lydienne, who was recently convicted for embezzlement and sentenced to 25 years imprisonment, was not given a fair trial. Tchiroma expressed surprise that a radio of international repute like RFI should be so biased and unprofessional in its reporting.
    He explained that lawyer Yen Eyoum was contracted by the Cameroon government to recover its debts to the tune of over FCFA 2 billion. But after recovering the money she first transferred it into her private account (which constitutes embezzlement) and later deposited only half of the total amount into the state treasury. Lawyer Eyoum refused vehemently to hand the rest of the money to government despite pressure from the latter.
    Issa Tchiroma pointed out that lawyer Eyoum Lydienne confiscated half of the total money she recovered even though her legal fees amounting to over FCFA 300 million had been paid her.
    It was on account of this that Issa Tchiroma also rubbished the contents of a letter addressed to the Cameroon government by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
    The Working Group had claimed that lawyer Eyoum Lydienne was arbitrarily arrested on 8 January 2010, and has been kept in detention since then, whereas the legal deadline for custody had expires since three years ago. The group decried the “illegal detention of lawyer Eyoum and the violation of her right to a fair trial.”
    Calling the working group to order, Issa Tchiroma pointed out that the group hasn’t any jurisdiction above Cameroonian courts; it is supposed to only issue opinions and not court orders.
    Tchiroma called on Cameroonians to be vigilant to all these diverse forms of distraction and maneuvers which are only aimed to distract them and pit them against their  president and head of state.
    He regretted that the French denigrators have decided to go to work only at this time when Cameroon is scoring diplomatic victories on the international scene.
    Issa Tchiroma used the press conference to also hail Hon. Roger Nkodo Dang on his brilliant election as president of the Pan African Parliament, and Mr. Martin Chungong for becoming the first coloured person ever to head the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He also lauded the election of another compatriot, Parfait Abena Etoung as the SG of the CEMAC parliament.