Compiled by Sylvanus Ezieh Acha’ana in Yaounde
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, CPA
which is currently holding its 60th conference in Yaounde is news making. The
official opening Monday 6 which was chaired by President Paul Biya who is the
vice patron of the association smacked of several news scenes which could not
miss the inquisitive journalist’s eye. The Guardian Post now relays some of the
interesting sites of the conference as it saw it.
Fru
Ndi isolates self
The national chairman of Cameroon’s frontline
opposition party, John Fru Ndi, arrived at the Yaounde conference centre at
about 9:20 a.m. On entering the hall, the chairman was immediately offered a
sit at an obscured corner at the balcony of the hall; amongst some general
managers of state corporations. He was sitting directly in front of Jean Jaques
Ndoudoumou, the former general manager of ARMP.
About one hour later, a protocol officer approached
Fru Ndi and asked him to leave the seat for a ‘more convenient one.’ This time around, Fru Ndi was brought a
little closer, but behind government ministers. He was placed directly beside
the rector of the University of Yaounde II, Oumarou Bouba. That position kept
him one step away from an army general.
Just few minutes before President Biya’s arrival,
the same protocol officer approached the chairman again, asked him and all
those sitting around him to march along the ceded passage to a different corner
of the hall. But the protocol guy met a stone wall this time around. The
chairman’s response was a definite No. He resisted all pleadings to quit the
seat. Attempts by the protocol to get a beautiful young damsel caress the
chairman’s legs and get him out of the seat ended up in fiasco.
While others who were sitting on the same row with
him heeded the orders, Fru Ndi deliberately isolated himself on the row. The
chairman had also told journalists that he refused to be screened by security
operatives at the entrance of the conference centre.
Fru
Ndi tickles Joseph Owona
Journalists had cued around Fru Ndi, SDF national
chairman, outside the hall immediately after the official opening ceremony for
interviews. Just then, the chairman of FECAFOOT normalisation committee, Joseph
Owona interrupted. He shook hands with Fru Ndi and then later engaged him in a
light-hearted discussion. While Owona told Fru Ndi: “you look good, it shows
you are eating well,” Fru Ndi in turn told him: “No, rather you are fine
because you are just from Brazil.” Then in a lower tone and with his lips
directed to Owona’s ears, Fru Ndi tickled Owona: “I hear you even went to Brazil with a small
girl?” At this juncture, Owona merely smiled and moved away.
Belinga
Eboutou “advises” Biya to deliver speech in French
Two minutes to President Biya’s speech, the director
of civil cabinet at the presidency, Martin Belinga Eboutou had pulled out a
block note from his pocket, removed a leaf from it and scribbled something
inside. He then beckoned on one of the junior officers of the state protocol.
He thrust the note in his hands and the protocol officer made straight to his
boss; the chief state protocol officer, Simon Pierre Bikelle. Upon examination
of the note, Bikelle then tossed it over to the chief of presidential security,
Ivo Yenwo, who was sitting just adjacent him who later returned it to Bikelle.
Bikelle then forwarded it to the president’s personal body guard who was
sitting just next to him. The body guard, dressed in official wear then handed
a green file which was resting in his hands to Bikelle alongside the note.
Bikelle proceeded to unveil the file, scrutinized
its content, alongside Ivo for several minutes. Two clipped papers were lying
inside. After some concertation between him and Ivo, Bikelle juxtaposed the
positions of the papers; placing the one above to the bottom and the one at the
bottom above.
He then closed the file and returned it to the body
guard. Just then President Biya was called up to deliver his speech. We watched
keenly. His body guard preceded him, carrying the same green file. He then
unveiled it and pulled out one of the papers and placed it on the lectern. It
was the president’s speech, delivered in French.
Journalists immediately concluded that Biya’s speech
had been prepared in two versions, one in English and another in French. It was
interpreted that Belinga’s note to Bikelle was authorizing him to ensure that
they table the French version for presentation.
They might have agreed to study the atmosphere in
the hall before deciding on which language the president should address the
delegates. Had it been one of the French language speakers had delivered his
speech in French as it was suspected, Biya may have read but the English
version.
Atanga
Nji steals show with dark spectacles
The minister in charge of special duties at the
presidency, Paul Atanga Nji arrived the hall in night-dark spectacles.
He attracted a lot of attention especially
journalists who continued to ask questions on what could be the idea behind the
‘mysterious’ appearance of the minister. He was sitting at the balcony of the hall
amongst several other government ministers who attended the ceremony.
But behold, Paul (not Paul Biya) immediately
‘plucked’ out the dark lenses just as the president stood up to read his
speech. He then replaced them with transparent ones. Minister Atanga Nji
proceeded to reinstate his dark lenses immediately the president regained his
seat. When later we spotted him begging for a handshake with Fru Ndi, Atanga
Nji was not wearing anything in the name of lenses. “What was he up to’’?, was
the question on every journalist’s lips.
Laurent
Esso exhibits supremacy over colleagues
Journalists of the private media hardly cover
ceremonies bringing together all government ministers like the monthly cabinet
meetings usually presided over by the head of government. Occasions like that
of last Monday give the unique opportunity for these inquisitive journalists to
find out hidden knowledge about their interactions.
The minister of justice and keeper of the seals who
is former minister of state, secretary general at the presidency of the
republic, Laurent Esso arrived the conference centre last Monday a little
earlier than other ministers. But he was offered a seat just like any other
ordinary minister. What attracted our attention is that all ministers who shook
his hands stood up before doing so. Esso would not smile though the ministers’
handshakes were accompanied by seemingly-panic smiles.
Students
begged to occupy empty seats
Apparently the ceremonial hall had been prepared to
host over 3000 attendants. But this was not going to be the case. Shortly
before the head of state’s arrival, several empty seats could still be spotted
all over the hall. The organisers felt uncomfortable to receive President Biya
in a half empty hall.
Students who were hired from the school of
administration and magistracy, ENAM, for the specific mission to display flags
of the various member countries were then beseeched to occupy some of the empty
seats so as to give the impression that the hall was full to capacity. Unable
to get all the seats occupied, the officials proceeded to march in hostesses to
occupy the remaining seats, though the seats seemed to add as more people were
brought in to occupy them.
It is not clear if some invitees refused to honour
their invitations or if the organisers had merely decided to fill the hall with
more seats than the expected attendees.
Anglophone
journalists canonized
It rarely happens. In fact, it has never happened
before. Anglophone journalists have never been given a place of honour in any
official ceremony in Cameroon presided over by President Biya. It happened last
Monday.
We did not immediately realise it until when
journalists turned up for their badges at the ministry of communication early
that morning. Several Francophone journalists were told that the presidency did
not print badges for them. But virtually all Anglophone journalists who applied
for accreditation were issued badges.
While in the hall, a special section reserved for
pressmen. Few minutes after journalists had occupied the seats, a lady emerged
with a list containing names of accredited reporters and those eligible to take
seats on the section. She began screening and interrogating ‘intruders.’ “What
is your name? Are you an Anglophone? Because this section is reserved strictly
for Anglophone journalists,” she declared.
Chantal
Biya, Yang ‘missing’
State media, both the CRTV TV and radio had made
so much noise about the presence of the First Lady,
Chantal Biya, at the official opening of the ceremony. The radio had announced
continuously that President Biya would be accompanied to the ceremony by his
spouse, Chantal Biya. But it was never the case as Biya alighted alone from his
car.
Her absence could reasonably be justified given that
the First Lady just only recently lost her mother. Her remains are still being
kept in a mortuary.
But most shockingly was the conspicuous absence of
the prime minister, head of government, Philemon Yang. His absence created more
disbelief, given that the prime minister is of English expression. Of the three
Cameroonian authorities who occupied seats at the high table, none was
Anglophone. Did he boycott or was assigned
to take care of other pressing state issues?
SDF
MPs hero worship Fru Ndi
Fru Ndi’s presence at the Yaounde conference centre
last Monday was given more meaning by SDF members of parliament. Hons. Joseph
Mbah Ndam, Awudu Mbaya, Forbi Nchinda and Josua Osih made sure no one talked to
the chairman without any of them by him.
Mbah Ndam for example stayed glued to the chairman
after the official ceremony until his departure from the ceremonial ground.
They moved behind him, guided him to strategic points and were the ones who
dictated the press organs Fru Ndi granted interviews to.
Their mere presence beside the chairman added more
impetus to the personality cult that has been built around Fru Ndi and gave to
understanding that Fru Ndi to most SDF MPs is a demi god.
UB
choir student collapses
One of the members of the University of Buea choir
group which animated the ceremony from start to finish later collapsed during
reception. It is not yet clear what resulted to her collapse, but we were told
that the choristers were singing since 8 a.m. till about 2 p.m. when the
ceremony closed. Another one whose only
name we got as Gwendoline became dizzy and was immediately rushed to hospital
in order to avoid another collapse.
The UB students who were chartered from Buea had
sent some of the delegates, notably those from Lesotho crazy with their
scintillating melodies. The Lesotho delegates kept on dancing and jumping
especially when they identified the lyrics of some of their beatings being
chanted by the UB choir.
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