Biya regime irritated by pro-gov’t Magazine
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| 1982 to 2012: From Biya to Biya, 30 years already, so captioned JeuneAfrique |
Government spokesman, IssaTchiromaBakary,
last week convened the national and international press at his office and
castigated French weekly magazine, JeuneAfrique, over what he described as the
magazine’s repeated and sustained bashing of Cameroon and its head of state,
Paul Biya. Commentators wasted no time to question why the government should
now complain bitterly about a magazine that is widely known to be on its
payroll, and which is also well known to be strongly editorially friendly and
protective to President Biya and his regime. Observers are wondering what might
have caused this turnaround in relations between Yaounde and JeuneAfrique.
By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde
Whenever JeuneAfrique sneezes Yaounde
catches cold. This was the conclusion drawn by some pressmen who answered
present at a press briefing, in Yaounde, convened by Communication Minister,
IssaTchiromaBakari, on Wednesday last week.
Tchiroma
who is intriguingly (he is not of the ruling party) the spokesman of the Biya
regime, during the press outing, lambasted with unconcealed vexation the
repeated and intermittent bashing that President Biya and his regime receives
from the French Magazine for several years running now.
The
loquacious government spokesman conserved no effort in condemning JeuneAfrique
and accusing its management of adopting an editorial policy that only seeks to
destabilize Cameroon and bring its president to worldwide disrepute.
Tchiroma
observed that JeuneAfrique started her devilish scheme against Cameroon in 2011
and has since not relented. Tchiroma said Cameroon has had enough of the
attacks from JeuneAfrique and she is noe poised to take steps to put a stop to
the “rubbish”.
“Enough
is enough! We shall not continue taking the disinformation and intoxication
from JeuneAfrique,” Tciroma said, citing examples of JeuneAfrique’s jaundiced
coverage of Cameroon since 2011.
Though
Tchiroma made no statements to specify any objectionable facts in the several
JeuneAfrique reports that he quarreled, he however left his hearers in no doubt
that the government in general, and president Biya in particular, are
embarrassed by the bad image that JeuneAfrique is presenting to the wide world
of Cameroon and its God-chosen President, Paul Biya.
Fielding
questions from prying journalists as to why Yaounde always ‘catches cold
whenever JeuneAfrique sneezes’, and whether the French magazine has not decided
to go hard on Yaounde simply because of government’s refusal or inability to
redeem its pledges vis-a-vis the very authoritative and widely read magazine,
Tchiroma responded that it is not because Cameroon is no longer dolling out
millions to JeuneAfrique that the magazine should embark on a campaign to
tarnish the image of the country abroad.
“For
no reason whatsoever should any press think that they have the monopoly and
sole right to be collecting ‘rents’ from Cameroon. Cameroon has the latitude to
choose whichever press she deems appropriate to publish her information,”
Tchiroma charged further, warning that “JeuneAfrique is not indispensible, and
the Cameroon government could decide to ban it from circulating in its
territory.”
As
to why the government is always visibly embarrassed whenever JeuneAfrique
publishes anything on Marafa or from Marafa, and why Marafa causes so much
panic to the regime? Tchiroma retorted: “Marafa is a common law criminal who
misappropriated his powers and public funds, and is now serving a 20-year jail
term. Why should JeuneAfrique give privilege coverage to a criminal? Besides,
Tchiroma noted that Marafa is still a militant of the CPDM party, and that by
virtue of the party’s statutes Marafa cannot pose a threat to the regime
because President Biya is the natural candidate of the CPDM.
On
whether the government would heed the recommendations of the UN and free all
detained Anglophone activists and also restore internet, Tchiroma fired back
that “the UN does not govern Cameroon….The UN does not give us instructions…
The government will take only decisions it deems appropriate and necessary to
maintain unity, peace, law and order in the country. We are a sovereign state,
no one tells us what to do.”
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