Government Denounces Biased Processing of Information

 Below is an introductory statement by the Minister of Communication, Issa Tchiroma Bakary during a press conference in Yaounde yesterday.

“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.
It was therefore found out that Mr MARAFA's detention did not suffer any irregularity, both in terms of form and substance.
Distinguished Journalists,
The facts are therefore clearly established on the MARAFA issue thatthe JeuneAfrique weekly magazine decided tobring 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 Doneto 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.
Distinguished Journalists,
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. JeuneAfriquemakes 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.
JeuneAfriquemakes 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.JeuneAfriquemakes 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.JeuneAfriquemakes no mention of it.
In the energy sector, the Lom Pangar, 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.
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