Is Biya already plotting the collapse of the Yang Philemon government?

The Yang Philemon government is going through a period of turbulence, Cameroon Concord has learnt from highly placed government sources in the nation’s capital, Yaoundé.

Philemon Yang, Prime Minister and Head of Government have been at daggers drawn positions recently with some of his cabinet ministers leaving many political commentators observing that President Biya is directly responsible for the revolt to justify next month’s cabinet shake up.

The Prime Minister is reportedly losing control of the cabinet that has been marred by waves of disagreements between him and his cabinet colleagues. We understand the premier was openly challenged by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Baroness of the Ministry of Arts and Culture.

On April 17, 2015, Lazare Essimi Menye, Minister of Agriculture did sign two ministerial orders; the first recorded as Order N0 766/MINADER/Cab appointed three executives in his ministerial department in positions of inspector general and the second referenced as Order N0 767/MINADER/Cab that installed the above mentioned officials were cancelled by the Prime Minister on grounds that the Agriculture Minister does not have the jurisdiction to appoint such officials in his ministry.

The Yang Philemon decision which came some ten days after precisely on April the 28th provoked a backlash with supporters of Minister Essimi Menye claiming the Prime Minister is not fit to govern. In his correspondence to Minister Lazare Essimi Menye, the Head of Government made it clear that the constitution empowers the head of government, who exercises regulatory power to appoint to civil positions, subject to the prerogatives of the President of the Republic in these areas.

Another cabinet minister reportedly at war with the Head of Government is Ama Tutu Muna, Minister for Arts and Culture and daughter of former President of the National Assembly. Cameroon Concord gathered that the Prime Minister’s Office has accused her of having favored "illegally", the creation of a new management company for copyright of Cameroonian artists.

On 27 April 2015, Minister Ama Muna was sent a faxed message by Louis Paul Motaze, the all powerful Secretary General at the Prime Minister’s Office requesting for an explanation on the registration of a new copyrights company at Mbengui in the North West region at a time when the Prime Minister’s Office was working hard to resolve the crisis among Cameroonian artists.

Minister Ama Muna ignored the Motaze fax which was followed by another on April the 29th this time around from the Director of Protocol at the Prime Minister’s Office. Our source in the Ama Muna entourage hinted that the second fax message was not cordial.

Many other disagreements between the PM and his ministers are regularly brought out into the open, under the silent gaze of the Presidency of the Republic. All these indicates something serious to come next month.