Against my usually quiet attitude towards press reports I wish, albeit
reluctantly, to react to a front page story in The Detective newspaper, Vol.
20, No.7, of March 8-26, 2013 in which I am maliciously alleged to
have insulted the Bakossi people; as per the title “Wena
Bakossi people be langa people, I be buy wena, I go buy wena again -towards the
new mayor in Tombel”
In the same article, the author insinuates that my achievements at the
helm of the Tombel council are pretty small and unacceptable for the Tombel
people to hand me another mayoral mandate. Other virulent attacks on me by the
Detective Newspaper and its publisher, Ndengu Francis, include my having
usurped an indigene’s mayoral position, my conniving with the supervisory Authority,
the SDO for Kupe-Muanenguba to rob the indigenes of their reserve, as well as
his wish to see TACUDA designate potential mayors from a winning CPDM list in
the wake of what he believes is “ an intrusion into an entirely Bakossi affair
by a non native. “ The poor state of the Tombel - Loum and Tombel -Nyasoso
roads also featured in Ndengu’s list of my unaccomplished projects which should
constitute, without further thought, the basis of my leaving the Tombel
mayorship.
But for want of space and time, I would have gladly addressed
Senior Journalist Ndengu’s personal worries as evident in his write up, on this
page. Permit me in the next few lines dwell on the publisher’s very aching,
inciting and divisive remark falsely attributed to my person and reportedly,
spat out as comment, according to the report, by Barrister Mpacko Jacob Njume,
presented in the story as one of the mayoral contender. That I said, in
an open council session, in my early days in office and in the presence of an
SDO of Bakossi origin, Eboue Njoume and I quote, “Wena Bakossi Be Langa People,
I Be Buy Wena, I go Buy Wena again, Towards the next Mayor of Tombel,” on the
front page and page five of his last publication.
Disclaimer
Owing to the
falsehood and fabricated lies spread around by the egocentric and
slanderous journalism embodied by Mr. Ndengu Francis Epie and his Detective
Tabloid, I, Rose Ngassa, mayor of the Tombel council and daughter of Tombel, do
hereby disclaim as blackmail the statement of insult in the aforementioned
newspaper. I, at the same time disassociate myself from such provocative
pronouncements whose aim is to wreck havoc in a peaceful municipality like
ours.
I
could not have rained insults on a people that have given me their “all” from
birth, including, love, confidence, trust and parental care. I could not have
insulted the Bakossi people, let alone, called them “Langa People” when my
lineage and I enjoy the incessant benevolence and hospitality of our brothers
and sisters of this tribe. I could not have paid the Bakossi man back with such
venom when I know they came calling at my Douala base for me, their sister, to
come and lend them my little support too, to weed out thorns and
plant vegetables to develop our municipality, and consequently voting me
massively thereafter. It could never have happened in an open Tombel council session
with 35 firebrand councillors present who would have reacted violently to such.
No one can doubt the calibre of councillors we have in Tombel who will
not take such insults lying down.
Perhaps, The
Detective’s founder, a son of Nyasoso, should tender an apology to the Bakossi
people he and his hirers are indirectly putting to ridicule for, I don’t have
what it takes to buy over a determined and politically focused Bakossi people.
I also lack the lies telling courage to voice such blatant lies anywhere else,
let alone, in an open council session presided over by an SDO of Bakossi
origin.
I strongly
hold that, Learned Barrister Mpacko Jacob, quoted by Ndengu Francis Epie in his
story, cannot for the sake of truth say this! If he did, then, it’s most
regrettable because, Barrister Mpacko is one of those councillors the people in
Tombel hold in high esteem and count on for the truth. In that respect and for
the sake of same truth, I expect him to disassociate himself from this scam the
Detective Newspaper and its publisher are pitifully dragging him into. My
fervent wish is to read a disclaimer from him as well.
Ndengu did
well to line up names of my possible successors at the helm of the Tombel council
in the same write up, which ties with our democratic process. But for him
to wrap them up in a blanket of blackmail, sabotage and character
assassination against me even when elections are still to be announced, is to
say the least, too primitive and immature. Of course, elections are
around the corner, we all look forward to our mature electorates of Tombel
to appreciate each and every one of us through their votes based on our
legacies and what we have in store for Tombel. Wanton mudslinging will not do
the trick.
As
for the Tombel – Nyasoso and Tombel-Loum roads he accuses me of having
abandoned, I presume
Ndengu should know as much that, these are highways maintained by the state of
Cameroon. One needs the express authorization of the minister of public works
via the Governor, which may never come, to work on them. You see why we can’t
get up one day and push our caterpillars out there to grade these roads.
Paradoxically,
Mr. Editor, you are of the opinion that I should be given marching orders out
of Tombel council due to my unacceptable performances, the same performances
your newspaper Vol. 20, No. 6 of December 27, 2012 to January 8, 2013 hailed
and displayed on her first and inner pages. What journalism! Though, I
don’t seem to know much about journalism, I perceive this as a professional
blunder from someone the young generation of pressmen should look up to for
responsible journalism and the respect of its ethics. Not surprising at
all, you revisited the issue of the purchase of a Council Caterpillar,
since sanctioned in a session. This, to whip up unnecessary
sentiments and create uproar where there should be none. You are aware we are
in need of a competent driver to handle the heavy duty machine not to be
entrusted into the hands of misfits. As for the allusion to the purchase being
done in shady circumstances, auditors can better do that job not you,
sir.
While
I hold Journalists in extremely high regard because of the very vital role they
play in shaping our society, I cannot at the same time hesitate to condemn,
without ruling out possibility of taking legal action against one whose pen
power is to denigrate his own people under the guise of tribal sentiments. This
is patent proof of journalism being dragged into mud. That freedom of
expression has come to stay in Cameroon does not give journalists in the likes
of the publisher of The Detective the latitude to use their organs to promote
tribalism, selfishly try to incite a people against their daughter, unanimously
called and elected to run their council affairs.
It should be
out of sheer primitive tendencies for a Journalist of your standing to be
fanning tribal conflicts in a subdivision with a cosmopolitan configuration,
imbued with peaceful coexistence of several tribes as the Cameroon laws
advocate. Of course, we can agree that, of the several Mayors in Douala,
Yaounde, and other parts of our country, many are not indigenes yet, they all
look up to the development of their respective municipalities. That should be
the goal of Tombel people at this point not what tribe should not be voted as
mayor.
Needless
reminding Mr. Ndengu Francis of the legal consequences of propagating such
reputation damaging news, intended to create a rift between the devoted,
focused and the committed Bakossi brothers and sisters of Tombel municipality
and Kupe-Muanenguba as a whole, against my humble self, their daughter.
Although the
main thrust of his story is to breach the very cordial and fraternal relation
with a people I have entertained a free flow of socio-cultural, political and
above all, family ties for scores of years, may I tell him loud and clear that,
the Tombel population is too knowledgeable to be taken in by his misleading,
divisive and fallacious writings.
Conclusion
Although
Ndengu shallowly preaches illusionary unity in Tombel with vain claims that he
and his hirers, if any be, are not antagonizing those he calls, “strangers” in
the closing paragraphs of his demonic epistle, shrewdly denying making mayors in
Tombel too, it is very clear that, this story like many other personal opinions
expressed in The Detective Newspaper are aimed at putting me at loggerheads
with the devoted, collaborative and committed Bakossi brothers and sister who
have stood by me all along.
Ndengu
should feel free and side with whosoever he wants. That is politics, but he
should not use me as bait. I can assure him that, I won’t take this last
outburst lying down. He should be bracing up to tell the courts more on this
soon. Or, if Ndengu and Co. are sensing electoral defeat already,
the best thing to do is to further reinforce or back out honourably.
Be it what,
we are all sons and daughters of Tombel and we owe that subdivision a duty to
bring it out of its present state of underdevelopment, each person in his or
her little sphere, no matter the tribal barriers we try to erect. I don’t have
any other place I call home, Tombel remains that. So, I owe this town much. Your
likes should not disrupt the vision I have for Tombel.
On a last
note, Rose Ngassa as mayor of Tombel, holds strongly to her achievements in the
last five years, maybe reasonable enough to challenge previous records in the
same council. But, this to me falls below the dream I have for Tombel
municipality. That’s why I remain the lone mayor who has shunned her social
amenities like electricity and water bill allowances, ploughing
them back into municipality development programmes. This is what other mayors sign
out first, even in the wake of financial crisis. Tombel people share a
common vision with me, an emerging, prosperous and united Tombel in the next
few years. If you have Tombel at heart, then you should join hands to achieve
more together. As for the other baseless attacks on me, the SDO for
Kupe-Muanenguba, they are irrelevant and inconsequential.
Lastly,
I entreat The Detective to publish this rejoinder on its front page and inner
pages in its next edition as per the law.
My sincere
regards,
Rose Ngassa, Tombel council, mayor
Rose Ngassa, Tombel council, mayor
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