Day: December 27, 2023

Usually, one is used to seeing political parties abstaining from taking part in debates on certain Television channels or radio because of the editorial policy that they deem not fit for their political agenda. But the recent decision by the National Party for the Reconciliation of Cameroon has been seen as a bombshell.

The party’s Communication Director, Armand Okol said the Douala-based private media has been constantly reporting against the party ‘We have noticed that for nearly four years now, just after the double legislative and municipal elections of 2020, the treatment of the news and activities of the PCRN in your communication media has been very unorthodox. Every time or almost every time, the reports are incriminating, unbalanced, and devoid of any professionalism, with the bonus of an excessive bias that rivals in skill with disinformation, flippancy, hypocrisy, mischievousness, pettiness, malice, and even defamation.’

This statement that was sent to the founder of Equinoxe Television, Severin
Tchounkeu, came after the party’s founder Robert Kona travelled back to his Guidiguis base in the far north region, after interrupting a Convention. Mr. Robert Kona accused the party’s 2018 Presidential election’s flagbearer, Hon. Cabral Libii of ignoring his calls, not toeing party lines and not responding to party orders, meanwhile, he was aware of these guidelines before his investiture.

Eequinxoe television in its 8 PM prime time news on Boxing Day broadcast the return of the party chairman.

This angered Cabral Libii and co who swiftly reacted by prohibiting Equinoxe television from talking about them.

‘This surprising stance is reflected in the categorical refusal to broadcast our activities in the field, even though logistical arrangements have been made to facilitate media coverage of the teams. But curiously, the journalists in this media group are highly motivated and lash out unmercifully at the slightest opportunity when a news item incriminates or works against the PCRN, confirming the theory o
f a cleverly hatched plan and a strong suspicion of instructions formally given to denigrate and undermine the PCRN.’ The statement partially read.

As a result, the party decided ‘to prohibit the use and/or mention in any way whatsoever of anything related to the PCRN by all communications media, staff, and guests of Groupe Équinoxe media programs. Similarly, media coverage of PCRN activities is strictly forbidden to all Groupe Équinoxe media personnel.

Observers have wondered how they will succeed with such a warning when the media is supposed to talk about everything news. It has also baffled many who wonder how a party that is out to reconcile Cameroonians is fighting the media that projected its candidate during the 2018 polls.
Source: Cameroon News Agency

By Hansel Ngala

As the Anglophone Crisis has deteriorated into a civil war – ordinary Cameroonians continue to pay the price for the fighting between separatists and soldiers. On Christmas Day, there was no celebration in the Northwest of the country where separatists have a very strong presence. Streets were deserted, church services did not happen, markets, shops and all forms of business remained closed. These moratoriums have been enforced on all Mondays since the declaration of the ‘independence’ of the state of ‘Ambazonia’ in October 2017.

As I write this, I am quite aware that there was equally no Christmas celebration in Palestine, the birthplace of Jesus Christ whom we worship as Christians. However, the situation in Gaza is due to heavy bombardment from Israeli forces who have sworn not to stop their offensive until Hamas – the militant group whom Israel describes as ‘terrorists’ – are rooted out completely. While there is no comparison to be made between the situation in Gaza and the Anglophone
regions of Cameroon in the sense that there is no heavy bombardment of the region as in Gaza – it still suffices to say that Anglophone regions have nevertheless become unsafe. That does not mean that Christmas should not have been celebrated.

Christmas ought to have been celebrated because it is not a political holiday but a religious one. The fact that a ghost town day happened to be on Monday and Christmas also happened to be on Sunday – were just mere coincidences and separatists ought to have allowed the population they claim to be fighting for – to at least celebrate the day.

There is no point in blocking your own people from going to the market to buy and sell, forbidding them from going to church and essentially taking them hostage in their own land. The question separatist leaders ought to be asking now is this: ‘What have we achieved by enforcing ghost towns for the past 6 years?’

Once this question is asked in earnest, they would probably rethink the strategy of keeping the Anglophone population
in a forced stay-at-home situation. There is no denying that separatist groups have mushroomed over the last few years because of government’s poor handling of the situation. Government has repeatedly assured the public that they should shun fear and go to school, defy ghost towns and report separatist activity but they failed to convince the public to come out on a day like Christmas to celebrate the biggest holiday of the year. This smacks of either hypocrisy or outright lies on their part.

However, Christmas has passed and like the proverb goes ‘There is no point in crying over spilt milk’. Separatists (who apparently have a strong sway in the Anglophone regions – or at least in the NW) have one last chance to redeem themselves. They can realize that keeping people at home on Christmas only hurts the population they are trying hard to endear themselves to. No one is coming to save us from this war. The conflict between Israel and Hamas and to a lesser extent now – the one in Ukraine – are more important t
o the world powers than our war in the Anglophone regions of the country. The point is, it is up to us as Cameroonians (regardless of our political leanings) to solve this conflict. The African Union won’t do it and the United Nations certainly has no desire to do it either.

So separatists have one final chance to redeem themselves and that is to allow the people in the NW and SW to celebrate New Year’s Day. It happens to fall on a Monday and has nothing to do with the political crisis in the region and it is pointless (if not outright foolish) to deter the people you say you are defending, from celebrating a new year. New Year signifies new beginnings, a fresh start, the chance to make amends and I believe that this is the chance for separatists to make amends and allow our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters in the Anglophone regions and especially in the NW, to at least relax a bit and start the new year with some joy and happiness.

People need to also make a living and the sales, purchases, etc that
they do on New Year’s Day can at least atone for the injustice that was done to them on Christmas Day. I hope they are listening.

Hans Ngala is a freelance journalist based in South Africa.
Source: Cameroon News Agency