Politics

The Ministers responsible for Public Contracts, Abba Sadou; Housing and Town Planning, Jean Claude Mbwentchou and Sports and Physical Education, Bidoung Mpkwatt were in Limbe last Tuesday. They went to assess construction work on the Limbe football stadium, one of the two stadiums selected in the country to host next year’s African Women’s Football cup tournament. Three government Ministers in Limbe; a feat indeed! After a detailed inspection of access roads to the stadium at the Ngeme neighbourhood and other sites, the Ministers were unanimous in deploring the scandalous 30 percent rate in the projects realization whose project, judging from commitments taken by government to organize a hitch-free tournament and a large-scale image-selling event for the country, was expected to have the highest priority. That the Ministers were the whistle-blowers in this disturbing situation speaks of the indolence of the civil society, notably in Limbe, whose place it was in the first place to denounce this feet-dragging in a most urgent project. It is also surprising that the worries are coming mostly from those supposed to bear the brunt.

Last November 25, the Governor of the South-West Region visited the work site and came up with the same exasperation observing that the different companies involved in the construction work had consumed up to 25 percent of projected funding for only 12 percent of effective work. This means there is something not going on well as fingers, as usual point to the construction companies involved. One of them, BUNS, complains of the estrangement of its laterite site, situated very far from the work site. Laterite is an essential component in road construction and if the situation persists, the building of the access road to the stadium could be seriously imperilled. For the other projected works such as the building of the training stadium in Middle farms and uplifting works to raise the centenary stadium to a training site, the companies involved complained of inadequate electricity supply.

The worry about the lateness in the Limbe project is predicated on a well-known national syndrome gaining ground with similar projects around the country in which serious work is only considered when the countdown to the projected event is virtually in a matter of days or weeks. In such a situation and with the need for urgency, those responsible for projects hope to easily obtain money – usually higher than what is really needed – from the higher authorities who would want to see the job done or deadlines met. Of course, one cannot expect any excellent quality for work done in these circumstances. The cities of Bamenda and Buea stand out as glaring examples of this situation.

To prepare for the organization of the 50th anniversary of the Cameroon Armed Forces in 2010 in Bamenda and the 50th anniversary of Reunification in Buea in 2013 government disbursed huge sums of money for face-lifting projects in these two cities, especially in urban roads. Less than five years after the events, the road situation in these towns leaves much to be desired simply because of the haste under which the construction or repairs were carried out, mostly at the dying moments. Situations as those being experienced in Limbe are simply unacceptable, especially in a context where most of our developmental signals are in the red and when all energies are expected to be mobilized into a strong synergy towards attaining emerging economy status by 2035.

Our capacity to respect urgent rendezvous such as the two important African Cup tournaments will constitute an important signal in determining whether or not we can obtain the desired results. Because of the transversal nature of the problems in which responsibility is shared between the construction companies and government, the hornet’s nest stirred by the latter last Tuesday in Limbe speaks of government’s worry. But it also takes a robust, vocal and proactive civil society to get government to sit up and ensure that these projects, designed for the uplifting of the living standards of ordinary citizens, are effectively carried out. That is why we suggest that ordinary citizens, spearheaded by CSOs should be seen more and more in whistle-blowing.

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Ngwa Bertrand

11.Dec.2015

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The world attention is focused on the final agreement expected to be reached in Paris, France today, December 11, 2015 on reducing greenhouse gas emissions to avoid the threat of dangerous warning due to human activities. Today will mark the end of the 21st session of the Conference of all Parties involved in fighting the effects of climate change (COP21) that started on November 30, 2015. The final agreement to be reached and endorsed at the closing ceremony today will be the culmination of efforts and negotiations during different sessions.

The general objective is a push for an ambitious, durable and legally binding deal with a stronger view every five years. Representatives of participating countries have come with a high ambition coalition for climate deal. BBC quoted the Foreign Minister of Marshall Islands, Tony De Brum as stating the general goal targeted when he said, "We will be fighting for some very basic issues.” The issues he said, would concern the “Strong recognition of the below 1.5-degree temperature goal, a clear pathway for a low-carbon future, five-yearly updates and a strong package of support for developing countries, including delivery of 100 billion U.S. Dollars per annum.”

US lead negotiator, Todd Stern, echoing the call for the 1.5-degree target to be recognised in the eventual agreement said, "We need beyond the below 2-degree target; we need to have a recognition of 1.5 degrees in the agreement and we need a very strong and balanced transparency article so everybody knows what we are all doing.” He reportedly said that, "This is our moment and we need to make it count." The US Secretary of State, John Kerry while stating that, "science was screaming at us", announced a doubling of grant-based adaptation funding by 2020 to 800 million U.S. Dollars. COP 21 is chaired by the French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius.

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Ngwa Bertrand

11.Dec.2015

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The Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang has installed into functions, the new President and Vice President of the National Communication Council (N.C.C.). The scantily attended ceremony took place on the 10th of December 2015 at the Prime Minister’s Office. The new President, Peter Essoka and Vice President, Joseph Janvier René Mvoto Obounou now have the responsibility of stifling the Cameroon media and preparing the stage for Biya's continued stay in power beyond 2018. 

Both men were appointed by presidential Decree signed on Friday, 27th November 2015. Before appointment, Peter Essoka was Vice President of the N.C.C. and later on interim President of the Commission following the death of the former President, His Lordship Befe Ateba. Joseph Janvier Rene Mvoto Obounou for his part is new to the Commission after holding the post of Director of Private Media at the Ministry of Communication. The CPDM crime syndicate says the new leaders of the National Communication Council have the arduous task to ensure the respect of ethics in the communication sector.

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Ngwa Bertrand

11.Dec.2015

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South African President Jacob Zuma removed Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene from his position on Wednesday, sending the currency to a record low as markets responded to the shock axing. Nene's dismissal comes on the heels of a credit rating downgrade to just one notch above sub-investment grade by Fitch last Friday, and at a time when South Africa's economy is barely growing, squeezed by low commodity prices globally and the near certainty of an interest rate hike in United States next week. Since his appointment in mid-2014 Nene has emphasized the need to cap government spending, reign in bailouts to state-owned firms, and limit the size of wage increases to government employees.

Government spending on public sector wages and welfare, accounting for the largest slice of government expenditure, has long been seen as the ruling African National Congress's chosen method to stay in power as it looses popular support. The announcement pushed the already weak rand to the precipice as the currency shed close to 5 percent to its lowest level ever, with analysts expecting to fall even further as investors digest the news. "We should expect to see most of the reaction come through in tomorrow's trading session once the bond markets open on our side," head of research at Nedbank, Mohammed Nalla, said. "The concern is the suddenness of the move," Nalla said. "Why redeploy a finance minister that was well received and well respected by the investor community." Zuma gave no details on why Nene, who has been serving as head of the treasury for just under two years, was dismissed.

On Monday, local media reported that Nene would likely be the victim of reshuffle by Zuma after he rebuked the chairwoman of state airline South African Airways, Dudu Myeni, seen as close ally of Zuma, for mismanaging a billion rand deal with Airbus. Member of Parliament David Van Rooyen would take up Nene's position appointed, Zuma said in a statement. "Tonight's announcement by President Zuma that he has fired Nene is a reckless and dangerous move that further damages the economy, said opposition Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane on his official twitter feed. South Africa narrowly avoided slipping into a technical recession in the third quarter, growing by a meager 0.7 percent after contracting in the second of the year. "I'm not sure whether international investors will be charitable enough to say 'let the dust settle'," Nalla said, adding that the appointment of relatively unknown Van Rooyen would not be well received by investors locally and abroad.

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Ngwa Bertrand

10.Dec.2015

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The United Nations has warned the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that its crackdown on opposition groups ahead of the 2016 presidential election could “compromise the credibility” of the electoral process. “Arbitrary arrests and detentions … of political opponents, civil society activists or demonstrators, were … used by the security forces to restrict freedoms of expression,” said a Tuesday report by United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The report added that in the first nine months of 2015, at least “143 human rights violations linked to the electoral process” have been documented and hundreds of political opponents have been arrested in this regard.

The UN office blames the African country’s national intelligence agency, also known as the ANR, for the crackdown. The violations mainly took place in the provinces of Kinshasa, North and South Kivu and Eastern Kasai, where opposition parties and civil society are active, the report said. “This trend of restricting freedom of expression … indicates a shrinking of the democratic space likely to compromise the credibility of the electoral process.” Political tension has been on the rise in the DRC over the past months as the country nears the presidential election for 2016.

Under the current constitution, President Joseph Kabila, who has been in office since 2001, must give the post to a successor. Last month, President Kabila said he wished to form a “national dialogue” aimed at reaching a wide consensus to enable “appeased elections” to go ahead. The opposition has rejected the formation of such a dialogue. The DRC opposition considers any national dialogue as a means to enable Kabila to extend his constitutional stay in office beyond 2016.

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Ngwa Bertrand

09.Dec.2015

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Lawyers for Ivory Coast's parliament speaker Guillaume Soro said on Tuesday that a warrant issued by a French judge in a case brought against him by the former Ivorian president's son had been withdrawn. Soro, a former rebel leader turned politician, is in Paris to participate in the COP21 climate talks. He was prime minister when fighters under his command captured Michel Gbagbo, son of Ivory Coast's ex-president Laurent Gbagbo, in April 2011 at the end of a brief civil war. Held in detention until 2013, Michel Gbagbo, who possesses both French and Ivorian citizenship, filed a complaint in France against Soro and other former rebel chiefs alleging "kidnapping, false imprisonment and inhumane and degrading treatment".

The warrant, which police tried unsuccessfully to execute on Monday at the Paris residence where Soro is currently staying, called for him to be brought before Judge Sabine Khéris after he did not comply with a previous summons. It does not imply he is being charged with a crime. Soro's legal team said in a statement that they met the judge and handed over documents, including diplomatic mission orders from President Alassane Ouattara and the Ivorian parliament, the National Assembly. "Upon receiving and examining these documents, which she did not previously possess, the examining magistrate lifted the bench warrant," the statement said. The incident had threatened to damage relations between Ivory Coast and France, whose military backed Ouattara when Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept his defeat in a presidential run-off election in late 2010.

More than 3,000 people were killed in the ensuing conflict, and ex-president Gbagbo is currently awaiting trial before the International Criminal Court accused of crimes against humanity. "(Soro's) visit is being undertaken on orders emitted by the president of the republic. Under these conditions, he benefits from absolute immunity," Ivorian Foreign Minister Charles Koffi Diby told journalists on Tuesday. Soro, who is next in line to replace President Ouattara were he to die in office or be incapacitated, claims he was within his legal rights to arrest Michel Gbagbo, who was captured along with his father at the presidential residence. He has also rejected allegations that there had been any violence during his detention and has lodged a counter-complaint against Michel Gbagbo in France, accusing him of making a false accusation. Soro is widely considered a leading candidate to succeed Ouattara, who is due to complete his second and final five-year term as president of the world's top cocoa grower in 2020.

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Ngwa Bertrand

09.Dec.2015

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