Paul Biya was not president when Paul Atanga Nji was born about 60 years ago. He was not even yet back in the country to begin his meteoric rise under Ahidjo. But do not be surprised to hear the Minister of Territorial Administration say one of these days, justifying with demagogic sophistry that it was on “the high instructions” of President Biya that he was born. He may also tell us that he goes to ease himself only on “the high instructions” of Biya.
Every news item about any action by Atanga Nji is preceded by the phrase, “On the high instructions of the President of the Republic…” That may not always be untrue, though. But that would be rarely so. Sometimes, the President does that. But that cannot be over drummed and rendered banal by an excited minister acting like a Johnny Just Come.
Sometimes, it is even just a given, the obvious. But there is a Prime Minister, Head of Government, who coordinates Government action. A minister telling the world, morning, afternoon, evening, night, late night, early morning, morning, afternoon… that he was instructed to take an evening walk by the President is simply trying to undermine his Prime Minister. Atanga Nji is overdoing it. He is posing as the President’s special minister. And that is bad for order within the Government, a Government that has more serious issues to grapple with than attending to the waywardness of its rascals.
There is no doubt that Atanga Nji’s MINAT is a Government department of sovereignty as is Defence, Finance, External Relations… and he may sometimes receive some instructions directly from “Pa himself”. Yet that is certainly not always the case. And, by the way, what is sovereignty in a natural disaster? We heard CRTV reporting that Atanga Nji, whose ministry has a department in charge of disaster relief, was dispatched to Bafoussam to attend to the Gouachie landslide disaster “on the high instructions of the President of the Republic”. Disaster relief is a routine action of MINAT. It is already budgeted for. A Minister visiting a disaster zone is nothing extraordinary that should be instructed by the President of the Republic, except those being told and believing that kind of story and those telling the story in that tone, are questionable. Talk about the “Presidential Donation” of 200 million FCFA and I give it to you to credit it to the President himself or at least the Presidency of the Republic by proxy (SGPR) and no one would crucify you for it.
When Decentralisation and Local Development Minister, George Elanga Obam preceded Atanga Nji at the disaster site and made a donation of FCFA 25 million instantly, we heard nothing of “high instructions”, let alone of President Biya. What mattered was for the Government to have been seen showing its compassionate face by the side of the victims.
On the low instructions of the PM, Atanga Nji led inter-ministerial delegation
Within hours of reporting Atanga Nji was dispatched to Gouachie on the “high instructions of the President of the Republic”, CRTV reported the same Atanga Nji had been delegated by Prime Minister Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute to lead an inter-ministerial delegation of Housing and Urban Development, State Property and Land Tenure, Health and his MINAT to attend to the disaster. That was the veritable coordinated technical work instructed by the PM. What was the first? A normal boastful outing by talkative “parvenu”?
Had the President personally assigned Atanga Nji to Gouachie, it would have been a breach of procedure and outrageous disregard of the President’s authority for the PM to give the President’s personal emissary another assignment within hours, even before the presidential emissary had returned to base to report to “big man”. Thinks about this. (“Fink, fink”). If you still do not understand this, try assigning a subordinate assigned by your boss before they have returned to base to report on the outcome of their mission. Now, you surely understand. Better do!
From my findings at the CRTV radio newsroom where those “high instructions” stories are repeatedly reported, I gather that they read press releases from Atanga Nji’s office verbatim. That is professionally wrong. Press releases ought to be reported, not read verbatim. If they must be read verbatim, they ought to be identified as such. E.g. “And now, this press release from the Ministry of Territorial Administration…” Second professional lapse: CRTV reads Atanga Nji’s press releases verbatim without verifying whether the President of the Republic truly assigned him. They tell a blatant lie in the President’s name, while the poor old man is having his peaceful rest at Etoudi, in Mvomeka or at the Continental Hotel in Geneva, often also learning in the news (if he’s always or ever listening) that he sent Humpty Dumpty out on “high instructions”. CRTV lies or propagates a lie for Atanga Nji to undermine PM Dion Ngute. Even if that is a truism, CRTV Editors ought to demand for a copy of the President’s “high instructions” before reporting thus, or simply, professionally say “According to a release from the Ministry of Territorial Administration, ON THE HIGH INSTRUCTIONS OF PRESIDENT PAUL BIYA, Minister Paul Atanga Nji has been assigned, to visit the Gouachie disaster victims.”
Now this may all come under the veil of CRTV being the master’s voice. Granted. But that master is a hierarchy. When that hierarchy is breached to boost a subordinate or undermine a superior, that is edging towards a subtle rebellion (a palace coup) within the Government and those promoting it, consciously or inadvertently, are accomplices.
By the way, that is tantamount to using the PM’s CRTV to undermine his authority. The supervisory hierarchy of Government-run communication institutions end at the PM’s office. CRTV, SOPECAM, the National Communication Council, the National Press Cards Commission report to the PM’s office. You have seen them presenting New Year wishes there, haven’t you? Besides Paul Biya “himself”, the PM is the boss and “owner” of CRTV among others. How is it that Atanga Nji is allowed to use the PM’s CRTV to undermine his authority?
Kamto, Ebolowa: We live together in your space, but dare not mine!
Maurice Kamto’s MRC/CRM militants were last week denied entry into Ebolowa, chief town of President Paul Biya’s native South Region. They were told by persons posing as CPDM thugs to take their party to their region. Whatever that meant. Leading figures in the MRC/CRM delegation included journalist Sam Severin Ango, a Bulu who recently declared his adherence to Kamto’s party and his intent to run for office in future local elections.
The message from CPDM Ebolowa thugs was that certain parties associated with certain tribes, were not welcome to express themselves in certain parts of the country. They thus made nonsense of the lip service paid by their mentors in power who trumpet the so-called “Living Together” slogan, supposed to promote fraternity among Cameroonians.
Analysts and commentators are asking the question: should the South Region be the exclusive preserve of Biya’s ruling CPDM and should Biya’s CPDM be denied access to express itself in other parts of the country, what shall Cameroon become? And who would be blamed for the outbreak of ethnic clashes from the brewing ethnic animosity?