With the recent scandal that involved his subordinate discriminating against English speaking staff in his ministry, Issa Tchiroma promised to address the situation promptly when he was back from vacation.
When the vacation was over, the minister made a number of appointments in which all the Anglophones discriminated against in the incident were either promoted or appointed regional directors in some capacity in different parts of the country.
When the appointments became public knowledge, many, especially English speaking Cameroonians took them for punishment as opposed to promotion considering that Charles Atangana Manda who was at the center of the scandal was not by any means penalized – at least, not to public knowledge.
In this exclusive interview, the minister thinks in the contrary. He doesn’t only acknowledge that Anglophones in his ministry were discriminated against, but stated clearly that the appointments were deliberately meant to redress the problem and to benefit the aggrieved. We began the interview fielding questions on the government’s war against Boko Haram.
Among many other questions we asked why up till date Amadou Ali’s wife remains a possession of the terrorist group. The interview was conducted by ARISON TAMFU.
Excerpts: Where is Cameroon now with the battle against Boko Haram? This conflict which is taking place in Nigeria started when Boko Haram decided to impose the Shariah Law in Nigeria which is incompatible with the constitution of Nigeria. For a great deal of time, the conflict remained within Nigeria.
When the Nigerian army started to fight them, they crossed our common border in the northern part and took refuge in Cameroon against the will of our government and as I said, this was unpredictable.
So when we realized that we were a collateral victim of this bloody fight among Nigerians, we first of all protested and we realized that no amount of protest can stop them from crossing the border.
The government decided to organize the army in order to protect the border and prevent them from crossing over to Cameroon. We did it successfully for a good deal of time but some months ago they became so ferocious, so violent, ignoring totally our common border.
The government decided to prevent this from taking place. That is the reason why during the summit which took place in Paris, President Paul Biya declared war against Boko Haram. I have to emphasize this.
Did Cameroon decide on its own to declare war against Boko Haram or it was influenced by France to declare war against Boko Haram?
Not at all. We are an independent nation. What I want to underscore is the fact that even with Nigeria, we have an agreement according to which we share intelligence information.
France invited the five nations which are involved in this conflict just because we have agreed that alone it is difficult to face this terrorist group.
Some Nigerian soldiers crossed over the Cameroonian border while escaping from Boko Haram although the Nigerian military said it was a ‘technical manouevre’. Are there still Nigerian soldiers in the North?
No. As you said, a few weeks ago almost 500 hundred Nigerian soldiers crossed the border and note that we are fighting a common enemy. We did not see it as a threat. When we understood that they were in trouble and they wanted to cross the border and temporarily seek refuge in Cameroon, the head of state gave the green light. They were lodged, fed and sent back to Nigeria. They did not spend more than 24hours.
How many Cameroonians is Boko Haram still holding hostage? Many, it is impossible to give you the exact number. There are many Cameroonians and foreigners who were kidnapped in Cameroon by Boko Haram. The ten Chinese are still being held hostage. The wife of the Vice Prime Minister and many others who have been abducted and now held hostage by Boko Haram.
Is there confirmation that these hostages are still alive? Yes, we guess, we hope that all of them are alive. It is difficult to confirm it here. I am not categorical but we think that they are alive.
What is delaying their release? Well we are fighting them, and they are using the hostages as the means to achieve their goals. They used them to blackmail the nations, Cameroon, Nigeria and any other country involve in the conflict. We want to eradicate them – the government is ready to initiate the toughest battle in order to recuperate safely, the hostages. Now there are things I can say openly and others I can`t say.
Have they demanded anything in return for the release of the hostages? I don’t know. I can`t tell you exactly what they want. I know that they are animals. They are brutal, if you see the way they decapitate people, they torture people – they are not human beings like you and me.
What they want I can`t tell you exactly, are we ready to accept their demands? Very difficult to tell you because we are not dealing with normal people.
What do you think they really want in Cameroon since you made it clear that it was originally a Nigerian war? You see, they are from time to time weakened and again I am not categorical on this. They run out of ammunition and food and that is why they know that by crossing the border it is possible to find food, fuel and whatever they are out of. This might be the reason because they know that it is impossible to settle in Cameroon as they do in other cities in Nigeria given the courage and determination of our army.
I asked that question because there have been widespread allegations from local media that France is using the insurrection in the North to topple the regime.
Is the government taking the allegations seriously? (Laughs) You see, there is freedom of expression in Cameroon. You can say whatever you want without being threatened in one way or the other.
What is the interest of France in playing this game? Don’t forget that France has been investing in Nigeria in such a way that peace in Nigeria is an asset for France. If France is helping Nigeria to get rid of this terrorist group and then France has the same interest in Cameroon. By thinking that France is conniving with Boko Haram in order to destabilize Cameroon and to topple the government is nonsense. This is nonsense. It’s just the figment of imagination of some journalists.
I am sure you are aware of the famous Lekie Declaration signed by high-ranking government officials including ministers of state from the South directly indicting you, elites from the North of fueling the conflict in order to seize back power. Is the accusation out of place? (Angrily) It is rubbish. Do not give consideration to such a statement. The Northern part of Cameroon is undergoing such hardship and suffering. It is unbelievable: business does not work, tourism does not work, everything has been brought to a standstill in the Northern part and how on earth can you think we are the cause of the drama in which we are. This is nonsense and rubbish. Forget about the declaration.
All those who signed the rubbish declaration are just out of their mind. We are undergoing a terrible situation in the North.
How can we be the cause of our own misfortune and drama? We feel irritated by that declaration.
The leading opposition, the SDF Party, also demanded that you, the minister of communication and the Vice Prime Minister Amadou Ali be interrogated by the security forces regarding what is happening in the North. What is your reaction?
I do not have to react at all. I respect Chairman Fru Ndi. How can SDF issue such a statement? Because of what?
We are being victimized and they know it very well. I think we have to be very cautious; we have to be mindful of the fact that the people in the Northern part of the country are losing their lives. Many of our soldiers are losing their lives. It is not a game. Let SDF reconsider their position. Let`s now talk about your ministry.
What motivated the recent appointments in your ministry to the various regions? Well, just to increase efficiency. The appointments which took place were done in accordance with the goal we are pursuing, that is, the image branding of the nation and the putting at the disposal of all citizens information. I am proud that I promoted 90 women out of 250 of the appointments. I think that this deserves to be brought to the knowledge of your media.
Recently, Cameroon Journal reported that the Director of Media Observatory AND Public opinion in your ministry openly discriminated against the Anglophones, paying them far less bonuses than their French colleagues. The said director, Charles Manda said and I quote, ‘Anglophones are lazy and incompetent’.
How did you handle the situation? I called him to order. But to cut short a very long story, all the Anglophones who were working here have been promoted and become ‘chef de service’. All of them. I think that the problem is settled. But as far as this director is concerned, he received very, very strong warning. Language or origin should never be a pretext to undermine or deprive somebody of his right. I think all the Anglophones in this ministry are happy, all of them have been promoted.
So the promotion was provoked by the incident? No, even without the incident I have to be fair in the appointment. When I received the information I ordered for an investigation immediately. The Anglophones were right; some were deprived of their rights, they were not receiving fair treatment.
Before the incident, were you aware that they were poorly treated?
In order words, did you see and approve the biased bonuses before they were handed to the personnel?
Like I said, the problem is already settled. Forget about what has taken place. We have to be forward-looking people and not backward-looking people. It took place out of my knowledge, now that I realize that there was a problem there, I took the right decision not only to solve the problem but also to see to it that it does not happen again.
Finally, how is the alliance between your party and the government faring? When I realized that the unity of our country was threatened, I decided as a politician and chairman of my party to join those who are leading the nation to prevent any conflict.
I want to tell you that I am the one who got in touch with President Biya and I told him that I wanted to help him because I understood and foresaw that there was a threat somewhere and it had to be diffused. That is why I decided to put aside my political vision to assist and to help President Biya. We have to remain together. I was appointed in 2009 and I am still here. My being here today is a testimony of the good assessment and satisfaction of the one who appointed me here, His Excellency, President Paul Biya. Allow me to say that so far so good.
