Pregnancy is not a disease

* Chief A.S. Ngwana in Douala

Chief A.S Ngwana

The natural way by which human beings are conceived and born is through pregnancy.  Pregnancy occurs when the sperm of the man fertilizes the egg of the woman, normally during sexual intercourse.

The sexual act is one of the most pleasurable and enjoyable acts created by God for the purpose of multiplying and increasing the human race.

Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child’s body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction to enable fertilization. The major landmark of puberty for males is the first ejaculation (wet dreams) which occurs on average at age about 13. For females, it is menarche, the onset of menstruation, the beginning of womanhood, which occurs on average between ages of about 12 - 13. At puberty ovaries contain about 10,000 immature ova or eggs that are the female cells for reproduction. Once a month, throughout all the fertile period of life of a woman (average from 13-14 to 45-50 years of age) ovaries expel one egg at a time, once every 28 days. This process is called ovulation. Ovulation stops throughout the 9 months of pregnancy and starts again a few weeks after delivery of the child. Ovulation continues until menopause when the woman reaches 45-50 years and menstruation stops.

A woman can continue to have many children before she reaches menopause. In May 3 2003 the News of the World, a British newspaper reported that Nicola Pidhan, 40, was expecting her 20^th baby. She and her husband Kevin had had one child every year over two decades. 

Men have no time limit, and they can continue to impregnate girls even after 80, as the case of Scotty, the great-grandfather when his wife gave birth to his seventh child.

Once pregnancy occurs, the fertilized egg must be treated as a Human Being with inalienable rights of the person which must be recognized and respected by society and political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being’s right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death          

The discovery in the early 1950s by the American endocrinologist, Gregory Princus (1903-1967), that contraception could be reliably done by a pill containing female sex hormones, sparked off a revolution in contraception and revolutionized human sexual behavior.  The advent of the Pill ushered in the sexual revolution the sixties and set the stage for uncontrollable changes.   What the sexual revolution and radical feminism promised was that the pursuit of freedom, sexual equality, sexual pleasure and the rejection of traditional morality would bring individual happiness and build a more truly human society.

“Reproductive rights” and “anti-birth ideology” spread rapidly under the umbrella of the U.N. and the European Union.  Anti-life groups, population controllers and Governments took this up and started legalizing illegalities

They concentrated all their efforts on Artificial Birth Controls to reduce human population

 

NATURAL BIRTH CONTROLS are instilled by nature (the Creator Himself) in the human body so that the body can function correctly and naturally.

 

ARTIFICIAL BIRTH CONTROLS is an umbrella term for several techniques and methods used to prevent fertilization or to interrupt pregnancy at various stages. Artificial birth control techniques and methods include contraception (the prevention of fertilization), contragestion  (preventing the implantation of the blastocyst) and abortion (the removal or expulsion of a fetus or embryo from the uterus). Contraception includes barrier methods, such as condoms or diaphragm, hormonal contraception, also known as oral contraception, and injectable contraceptives. Contragestives, also known as post-coital birth control, include intrauterine devices and what is known as the “morning after pill”.

 

 Last Week 11^th July, was United Nation’s World Population Day.  The United

Nations Population Fund (NFPA) marked it by calling for more funds for family planning ( Artificial Birth Controls -  contraceptives, abortions, sterilizations etc).

The same day also was the closing day of a London summit organized by the British government and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, together with UNFPA and other partners.

“Participants at the summit committed themselves to provide $4.6 billion in funding for family planning in the coming years, according to a UNFPA press release.

“Contraceptives are one of the best investments a country can make in its future,” the Web site for the London Summit affirmed.

Not an opinion shared by Austin Ruse, who commented Wednesday on the summit in a post on National Review Online. Ruse is the president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), a non-profit institute that closely follows the United Nations and other organizations on family and population issues. Ruse said that fertility rates are falling off a cliff and that “the world faces a new reality of demographic winter.”

He also pointed out that “every dollar spent on coercive UN-style family planning will be a dollar lost to the real needs of poor women: basic medical care, skilled birth attendants, education, clean water, and nutrition.”

Winter

Ruse’s point about a demographic winter is well-founded. On July 3 Reuters reported that the number of births in Germany fell to a post-war low last year. This was despite government incentives designed to reverse the trend in what is the European Union's biggest economy.

Preliminary data released by Germany's Federal Statistics Office showed 663,000 children were born in 2011, down from 678,000 in 2010, said Reuters.

In fact, every year since 1972 the number of people who died was greater than the number of children born. In 2011 the difference amounted to 190,000 people.

While people commonly believe that Muslim families have many children, an article in the June issue of the magazine Policy Review by Nicholas Eberstadt and Apoorva Shah said that fertility levels are falling dramatically in the Muslim community too.

The authors admitted that reliable data on some Muslim states is lacking, for example Afghanistan, but they cited estimates of 1.42 to 1.57 billion Muslims, about 22%-23% of the world population.

All 48 Muslim-majority countries and territories have experienced fertility decline over recent decades, the authors pointed out. Moreover, the decline has been greater than the world average decline.

“The remarkable fertility declines now unfolding throughout the Muslim world is one of the most important demographic developments in our era,” the article affirmed.

The latest data confirms the arguments in a recent book, “Population Decline and the Remaking of Great Power Politics,” edited by Susan Yoshihara and Douglas A. Sylva, who both work for C-FAM.

The demographic decline in many nations may be so severe, they explained in the book’s introduction, that some countries might not be able to achieve economic growth, fund social welfare programs, or meet their security obligations.

In recent decades there has been a 60% drop in worldwide fertility rates and the number of people aged 60 or more has multiplied 3.5 times. The ratio of workers to retired people has fallen by 25% in the last 50 years and is expected to fall by another 55% by 2050.

Destiny

“Demographics is not destiny,” they acknowledged, “but it sets the boundaries of the possible.”

The working age population of all developed countries, with the exception of the United States, will stop growing within five years, Phillip Longman pointed out in his essay. Longman, a prominent writer on demographic issues, added that is it not just the richer countries that are affected. Brazil, Chile, and Mexico are likely to have older populations that the U.S. by mid-century.

The latest U.N. projections estimate that by 2050, 75% of all countries, even in underdeveloped regions, will not have enough children to avoid population decline.

Even so Europe is particularly affected, with 18 of the 20 countries with the lowest birthrate being in Europe. The European population, including Russia, is projected to decline by some 128 million by 2050.

Journalist and author Gordon G. Chang examined the consequences of demographic change in China.

The world’s most populous nation has created demographic abnormalities that cannot be remedied for decades, he argued. There are 51.3 million more males than females as a result of sex-selective abortion.

The country will also shortly be hit by an “age wave,” Chang noted. The age cohort of those aged 60 and more, currently at 12.5% of the population, will double by 2030.

China is already short of workers and the working-age population is set to fall from just under a billion in 2015 to 789 million in 2050. This will have serious economic consequences for both China and the rest of the world, Chang pointed out.

Yet, in the face of all that is happening, the United Nations and its friends continue to campaign for billions more to be spent on further reducing the number of children.”(By Father John Flynn, LC)

The organizers of the London Summit Conference - The British Government, UNFPA, Bill and Melinda Gate Foundation, International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and others, raised 4.6 Billion dollars to give poor women in developing countries, not to have children, while they know that countries in the developed world are facing declining populations and ageing problems.

Pregnancy is not a disease, the only reasons Population Controllers have are political, economic, eugenic, or satanic.

  * Chief A.S. Ngwana is a pro-lifer, Human Rights Crusader and National Chairman

Cardinal Democratic Party, Douala-cameroon

  (First Published In The Recorder Newspaper,Cameroon,of July 20,2012 )

Cameroonian Expert Helps Recover American Investments in Mali Court battle

Dr.David Makongo

Hired by Mali Development Resources (MDR), Cameroonian-born US-based international Mining and petroleum legal expert, Dr. David Makongo recently won a title battle in a Mali court, thereby helping to recover and secure 100% ownership of an American company, MDR’s investments which were already under serious threat in Mali,The Recorder gathered

 Dr. Makongo also rescued two exploitation permits for gold, two dredges and won an award for his client of 188.000.000 Frs. CFA (about USD$100.000) in damages. Mr. Joseph Paul Smith, acting in his capacity as general administrator of MDR, by proxy signed on August 23th 2010 and entrusted in the hands of Mr. Mohamed Keita the authority to act as representative of the company in exchange of which the shareholders offered him 3% free carried interest of the company. 

 Within the framework of its activities, the company bought two dredge-machines for the exploitation of gold along the River Niger in the mining district of Téguédakan, in Kangaba. After Mr. Smith’s death in October 2010, an inventory of the assets of the company was conducted by the shareholders including Mr. Keita. When Dr. Makongo was hired and in the course of conducting his due diligence investigation in Mali, it emerged that, Mohamed Keita had been using MDR machines to exploit gold for his personal profit without ever informing the company. It was further discovered that Mr. Keita was trying to fraudulently change the name of the company from MDR to SHIRAMAX with all kinds of paperwork to justify his ownership claim.

 After attempts at persuading Mr.Keita drop his false claim failed, Dr. Makongo (supported by local counsel - Maitre Fangamba) waged a fearless legal assault against Mr.Keita for breach of trust, arguing strongly that an illegal act legalized does not become legal. Delivering judgment in the case, the President of the Court of First Instance in the 5th Municipality of Bamako, Mrs. Berthe Coumba Mafing Diallo, ordered that Keita (born on 11/09/1964 in Segou – Mali) pay MDR 189 150 000 Frs. CFA (about USD$95.000) damages from illegal exploitation of gold on company property and commanded also that Keita be placed under house arrest for twelve months.

 In winning this case, Dr. Makongo –now legal and political consultant for MDR, also succeeded in rescuing MDR’s title to two exploitation permits for gold, in securing title to two environmental permits for MDR, in maintaining intact the shareholders’ agreement of MDR and in winning the award of costs – lost production to MDR of USD$95.000. It is worthy of note that Dr. Makongo succeeded in winning this legal battle when there was a military coup in Mali that has seen the country divided between the President on exile and a military junta still pulling the shots and the strings in the country.

 Dr. Makongo’s victory in the Mali legal tussle is evidence that this Cameroonian legal petroleum/mining expert knows Africa too well and what it takes to do successful business in the continent. The Recorder has learned that Dr. Makongo is also bent on is helping his clients in Guinea, Senegal, Niger, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Congo Brazzaville secure their assets tightly and exploit resources for the benefit of all stakeholders. 

 NB: First Published in The RECORDER Newspaper,Cameroon,July 20,2012

SCNC is giving Anglophones false hope:Camcore Coordinator

Award-winning Emmanuel Neba-Fuh

Based in the United kingdom,Emmanuel Neba-Fuh, is  the Coordinator of Cameroon Council for Reunification (Camcore) in the  UK. Formerly a front-line  SCNC advocate,this gentleman has now rejected the group ,saying the separatist movement has  terrorist plans ,and has  been giving Anglophones false hopes.A one -time Amnesty International (UK section) speaker for schools, colleges and universities ,Mr. Neba -Fuh is now  International Development Consultant for Global Development Partnerships. He has also won  in Britain,the National Award for Community Services.He granted an exclusive online  interview to The Recorder,in which he made biting revelations about the SCNC and a lot more.

Sir, thank you for accepting to grant The Recorder this exclusive interview from the UK where you are based. Before we delve into the burning issues, can you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Emmanuel Neba- Fuh. I was born in Bamenda, at a time when Cameroon was called “United Republic of Cameroon. I graduated from the University of Derby in England with a BA (Hons) in Applied Community Work and Social Care. I am a holder of an Advanced Diploma in Accounting and Management from Cambridge Tutorial College and a Post Graduate Certificate in ‘Conflict Resolution from the Università Degli Studi Di Palermo, Italy.  
  Currently, I am an international development consultant for Global Development Partnerships, working to improve legislative oversights for extractive revenues, for the benefit of impoverished communities in Commonwealth Africa.
 I served as Amnesty International (UK section) speaker for schools, colleges and universities in the East Midlands for five years, working mainly on issues of Human Rights, genocide and refugees. I was overwhelmed with the prime need of the time and delivered a successful landmark motion on ‘Arms Trade’ at the Amnesty International 2004 Annual General Meeting. This motion paved way for Amnesty International to engage more than 153 governments to vote at the United Nations on developing the first ever Global Arms Trade Treaty.
  I was propelled into the glare of national news media in 2006, when I scooped one of the highest accolades in Britain – The National Award for Community Services presented by British Home Secretary Rt Hon David Blunkett MP for my work with marginalised communities nationwide.
  In 2008, I made history by walking barefoot for 120 miles, to galvanise support for the African Union to introduce a clause in the African Union Charter for Democracy, Elections and Governance, to prevent African leaders from staying in power for than 10 years.
 My other recognitions include: Community Service for Volunteers Regional Award, presented by The Queen’s High Sheriff for Derbyshire Lord Lieutenant John Bather, and the SMK Award presented by Jon Snow of Channel 4 News.
I served as Chair at the Derby Refugee Forum, and was board member of the Derbyshire Constabulary Independent Advisory Board, working with the police on community engagement and anti-terrorism issues.
   In November 2011, I joined Human Rights and Equality champion Edwin Achu in launching the Cameroon Council for Reunification (Camcore) in the House of Commons (UK Parliament). Camcore aims at promoting One and Indivisible Fatherland and a transparent enlightened society where there is respect for the rule of Law, respect for human life and dignity and above all, an environment where all Cameroonians can achieve their full potential. This is a challenge we have embraced and we are committed to working towards a Cameroon fit for the 21st century.

You were a front line SCNC activist who campaigned very well for the SCNC cause abroad. But today you have abandoned the cause and now fighting against it with all your might. Why did you turn your back against this pressure group you helped lay its solid foundation?
  My work in diverse capacities has enabled me to know and meet personally some of the most senior political figures in Britain. It is as a result of my exposure to these personalities that I was opportune to come to terms with the fact that, the fight for an international identity for English-speaking Cameroonians is a waste of time.
 Cameroon’s reunification story goes to the heart of 'Entente Cordial', a shared strategic position of Anglo-French recognition  that  Cameroon set off as one nation, but was partitioned by the British Secretary for the Colonies, Alfred MILNER and the French Minister for the Colonies and Navy, Henri SIMON in 1916.
Article 76 (b) of The United Nations Charter was the most important element of the Trusteeship Agreement of 13th December 1946 concerning British Cameroons under United Kingdom administration.
  According to this Article, “the basic objectives of the trusteeship system, was to promote the political, economic, social, and educational advancement of the inhabitants of the trust territories and their progressive development towards self determination”
  The United Nations respected its Article 76(b) obligation by organising the plebiscite of 11 February 1961.
By a substantial majority, the people of Southern Cameroons decided to achieve independence by voting to rejoin Republic of Cameroun who was already independent. This decision was made through a democratic process, and was supervised and endorsed by the United Nations.
  ‘Self-determination’ as stated in Article 76 (b) of the United Nations Charter denotes the legal right of a people to decide their destiny without external compulsion. It is a core principle of international law and protected in the United Nations Charter and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as a right of all peoples.
  The outcome of Self-determination is autonomy. Autonomy - within international law, can either be federation, assimilation, independence or protection. By voting for reunification, the people of Southern Cameroons freely chose the assimilation option of autonomy.
  Assimilation is a socio-political process whereby ethnic minorities are blended into a dominant ethnic grouping whose members identify with each other through a common heritage, often consisting of common languages and cultures.
 Assimilation usually involves a gradual, ongoing process and takes place in stages.
The creation of the Federal Republic of Cameroon was the first stage of the assimilation process in Cameroon. The replacement of the federal state with a unitary state called United Republic of Cameroon and later Republic of Cameroon were the second and third stages of the process respectively.
 At a time when Francophones are increasingly enrolling their children in Anglophone schools – to prepare them for the best future opportunities, SCNC on the contrary is giving our youths false hope and preventing them from National integration processes that will enable them achieve their full potential. This is why camcore is determined to change the situation.

What was your understanding of the SCNC cause and what is it now?
 The Southern Cameroons National Council (SCNC) is an Anglophone separatist movement whose ultimate goal is a return to the two-state Federation which existed before May 20, 1972. SCNC was formed during the 1993 Buea, All Anglophone Conference – when over five thousand Anglophone delegates from all over the country gathered to voice out their grievances with regards to the marginalisation of Anglophone Cameroonians
At the time, SCNC was a rallying force for English Speaking Cameroonians. The organisation commanded respect and its leadership was united and had a clear vision.
The present SCNC leadership is elusive and the organisation has lost credibility. Nobody knows, for example, where Mola Njoh Litumbe stands - Liberal Democratic Alliance (LDA) Mola Njoh Civil Society or Patriotic Coalition Front.
Recently, Chief Ayamba Ette Otun and Mr Nfor Ngalla Nfor have been bringing disgrace and shame to the organisation – ‘washing their dirty dresses outside’ and pouring the water on everybody even world leaders.
All their respective cahoots do is take sides. The saddest thing is that anyone who dares speak the truth - that the SCNC is game over is demonised as an agent of the government. The truth is that these individuals are not there for the love of the Anglophone cause.
 Despite the fact that SCNC does not have a single achievement to show, its visionless, divided leadership still continue to give false hopes to the younger generation instead. They should all be judged by what they have built not what they are destroying.

Now, you recently issued a press release, under the banner of CAMCORE, claiming to have uncovered plans by the SCNC aimed at eliminating Anglophone elites serving in the Biya regime. What is Camcore?

 Cameroon Council for Reunification (camcore) is a group of UK based Diaspora Cameroonians open to working with a cross section of Cameroonians and friends of Cameroon, within and out of the country.
 Established in November 2011 following a launch in the House of Commons (UK Parliament), camcore is committed wholeheartedly to play an active role to ensure that our dearly beloved country becomes a place that we can proudly call home.
  50 years after the independence and reunification, tribalism, nepotism, egoism, corruption, unemployment, poverty and deprivation are stifling the social, economic and political development of the country.
  Although responsibility ultimately lies with the commander in chief – the Head of State, we as a people are all accomplices in the impious act and must take responsibility for the current state of our country. The question we should and must ask ourselves is, are we content with the Cameroon of today? If the answer is no, then we must stand up and be counted.
Camcore seeks to call on all Cameroonians of good will to join us in realising “the Cameroon Dream” of a “One and Indivisible Fatherland”, based on transparency, enlightenment, respect for the rule of Law, respect for human life and dignity, and above all, create an environment where all can achieve their full potential.

Can you expose the details of the SCNC diabolic plans here?
 SCNC have joined forces with the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND). MEND is the largest armed militant group in the Nigerian Niger Delta region. Their offensive has killed hundreds and caused thousands to flee their villages.
  SCNC also reached an agreement with Alhaji Mujahid Asari-Dokubo – the rebel leader of Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force (NDPVF). Asari is a former Christian who got converted to Moslem. He has strong links with Nigeria’s terrorist group Boko Haram, and is currently assisting SCNC to strike down government infrastructures and sympathizers in the North West and South West regions.
We must not forget that SCNC has been involved with murder and illegal possession and use of fire arms in the past. In March 1997, SCNC members terrorised towns and villages across the North West region killing some gendarme officers and destroying government buildings.

Some people who read your press release published by The Recorder were quick to conclude that, you must have been hired by the Biya Regime-conscious of your high connections and skills, to destroy the SCNC cause, described by Pioneer SCNC chairman Barrister Sam Ekontang Elad,as "Genuine in law and history." What is your reaction to this school of thought?
   The amount of monies mentioned in the Albatross Scandal, is certainly beyond Cameroon banks, and we are the only Cameroon linked organisation that is currently pushing for anti-corruption agencies to launch corruption and money- laundering investigations for senior Cameroonian politicians.
We are confident that through our work the names of many high profile Cameroonian politicians and their assets will be made public. Now, no organization that is being sponsored by the government can take the kinds of steps we are taking to get to the truth about billions of our money in foreign banks.
  Of course many people would doubt us, but time will prove them wrong.  I have a lot of respect for Barrister Sam Ekontang Elad. As chairman of the 1993 All Anglophone Conference, he did a wonderful work. According to him, in an interview with "The Herald" newspaper in 2003, he said that when his leadership team left, "the new leadership had no vision and saw the cause as a source for enriching themselves."  You think about this truism.

Do you have an idea of how much it can cost the Cameroon Government to buy over an ardent SCNC advocate to betray the cause?
  No amount of Money. I mean No amount of money – period

What is your understanding of the so-called Anglophone problem? How can it be resolved?
  The “so called Anglophone problem” relates to grievances arising from linguistic differences caused by European colonialism in Cameroon.
The best way to solve this problem is by doing what the most influential Anglophone politician said. Speaking on France 24 in 2010, the chairman of the Social Democratic Front, Ni John Fru Ndi said “I will want to make sure that we get Cameroon together because in a bigger unit people can develop better”.
It is indeed disingenuous to say that Anglophone Regions are the most underdeveloped in Cameroon, or that the hardships Anglophones are facing is worse than those of the people of the East, Littoral, West, North or South Regions of Cameroon. SCNC secessionists would agree that, compared to villages in the Eastern region, some villages in the North West region can be classed as cities.
The Social Democratic Front’s ability to project itself as a ‘national’ party - evidenced by high percentage of French-speaking supporters, indicates that Ni John Fru Ndi would have been president of Cameroon in 1992, if he had recognised the position of France within the Anglo-French Entente Cordial. 
50 years after our independence and reunification, tribalism, nepotism, egoism, corruption, unemployment, poverty and deprivation are stifling the social, economic and political development of our country. These are the things we need to tackle as a nation not just the so called Anglophone problem.

 What piece of advice do you have for SCNC supporters, now with your new mind set?
   SCNC supporters must start asking serious questions like; what has SCNC achieved since its inception? Can SCNC show even a single country that recognises its position? After about 30 years with uncountable letters to successive British governments, can SCNC show a single reply from Her Majesty’s Government?
We must all remember that President Abraham Lincoln envisaged a United States of America that is greater than the sum of individual State ambitions and bigger than their racial and linguistic differences. Lincoln fought relentlessly against southern secessionists....Today the United States possesses unprecedented and unequalled strength and influence in the world.
We must realise that our diverse heritage is strength, and think beyond HERE and NOW. The solemn task of keeping our nation united, peaceful and Prosperous is not the responsibility of one section of our society alone, but a lengthy community consultation task that requires a degree of prolonged and sustained effort from Cameroonians of all ages - at local, national and international levels.

You are resident in the United Kingdom (UK), how do you contribute to development back home (Cameroon)?
    Camcore is currently developing and establishing a robust network within Cameroon, in preparation for a big camcore launch. Date and place will be announced shortly.
  The problems of Cameroon are well documented and have enjoyed massive publicity. These problems are attributed to a degree of bad governance and autocracy. Bad governance ,entrenched corruption and inequality. It abuses human rights and constitutions and systematically excludes and marginalizes citizens from institutions of political governance and key economic assets.
I strongly believe that without good governance, and unless we beat corruption, we will never defeat poverty in Cameroon.
  Despite the African Union Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, more than 90% of African Leaders continue to perpetuate themselves in office – winning every election.
  The credibility of most African electoral systems is in question and the results of many elections are not a fair representation of the will of the African People.
  We are campaigning alongside international partners to ensure that the African Union introduce a clause in the African Union Charter for Democracy, Elections and Governance, to prevent African leaders from staying in power for than 10 years, and for a mandatory introduction of Independent Electoral Commissions, which should be tied up to international aid programmes. 
  We are supporting the work of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, (CONAC), by leasing with International anti-corruption agencies and civil societies to launch corruption and money- laundering investigations for senior Cameroonian politicians and also identifying western banks that are warehousing our money so as to get to the truth about billions of our money in foreign banks.
  We intend to uphold Article 66 of the constitution, which requires that all those overseeing public funds declare their possessions.
 Secession has killed millions of people, and caused some of the worst atrocities in history.     We view ‘secession’ as a public health problem which is not different from the harm of tuberculosis, malaria, or HIV & AIDS. We believe that if millions of people are dying of a particular disease, we must have a moral responsibility to invest in prevention. If the process or the pattern which leads to secession is identifiable, then it has to be preventable.
  Our nation cannot endure, permanently the whirlwinds of secession which has kept us grounded for decades. As long as our nation’s contentious historical dynamics permeates every political question and keep us divided, we will not be able to tackle tribalism, nepotism, egoism, corruption, unemployment, poverty and deprivation which are currently stifling the social, economic and political development of our country. This is a challenge that camcore has embraced and is committed to working for a Cameroon fit for the 21st century.
NB: Also Published in The Recorder Newspaper,Cameroon,of July 20,2012

Cameroon:Marafa’s Casefile Still Not Available to Defense Counsel

Who is Afraid of What?

By Christopher Ambe

Marafa Hamidou Yaya, ex- SG at the Presidency of the Republic and former Minister of Territorial Administration detained since April 16 for investigation in connection with embezzlement of funds meant for the purchase  in 2003 of a plane for President Paul Biya  was last Monday July 16, for the first time, arraigned before the Mfoundi High Court. 

Prof. Kale: struggling to get Marafa case file

But surprisingly hearing could not begin because Marafa’s defense team led by US-trained lawyer, Professor Ndiva kofele Kale raised strong objection that, they had not yet received the case file to enable them prepare their client’s proper defense.

Based on the objection, the presiding magistrate adjourned the matter for trial to Tuesday July 24, before which day it was thought the Marafa defense would have had the case file from the legal department. The judge also instructed both the prosecution and the defense to communicate to each other the names of their witnesses.

But ever since the instruction of the presiding judge, the Marafa defense team has not been able to have the case file, despite sustained efforts to lay hands on the case file, The Recorder has been reliably informed.

The question legal pundits now ask is: Who is afraid of what?

Unfortunately some media organs have alleged that the Defense has had the case file.

In line with its motto of “Breaking Barriers to Empower” readers with reliable information, The Recorder succeeded in reaching Lead defense counsel Professor Kale by phone last Wednesday evening for clarification.

Just returning from SED Yaounde to confer with his client Mr Marafa ,Barrister (Prof) kale   told us, “As at now that I am talking to you this Wednesday evening, we-the Defense have not got the case file”

He expressed uncertainty as to whether what was brought in Court on Monday July 16 was actually the case file.

“Without the case file from the people of Cameroon-who are the ones prosecuting, how can we prepare our client’s defense?”Barrister (Prof) Kale asked rhetorically.

He hoped the Marafa defense would succeed to get the case file by today Friday July 20, since the matter is supposed to come up on July 24.

 “The Defense team cannot be ready for the matter if we don’t have the casefile.To be ready, we must have the case file”, said Professor Kale, who during his first press briefing as Mr.Marafa’s lead counsel and banking on his extensive research on economic crimes, said “Marafa is not an economic criminal”

It is not clear from our findings why the legal department is allegedly delaying to hand the case file to the Marafa defense. 

But the delay is only fuelling suspicion that the Government may have some “hidden agenda”, especially as Mr. Marafa is said, in some quarters, to be a political detainee, an allegation the Presidency of the Republic has since refuted.

Marafa was first detained at the Yaounde Central Prison upon his arrest last April 16, but when he started sending out sensitive and attention-catching open letters to President Paul Biya and to Cameroonians concerning matters of public interest, he was on May 25, in the early hours of the evening transferred to the SED (Secretariat d’Etat à la defense) lock-up in Yaounde.

The Defense holds that Mr.Marafa’s detention conditions violate all United Nations (UN) minimum standards on the treatment of pre-trail detainees.

It’s likely that the July 24 trial will not go on if the Defense by then has not had and studied the case file

Cameroon:Marafa, the CPDM and the Rest of Us

By Tazoacha Asonganyi,Yaounde*

Marafa Hamidou Yaya was arrested and put on “preventive detention” in April 2012, with Ephraim Inoni, a former Prime Minister. In the process, we are learning again that it is not free, independent state institutions that are playing their role of investigating, arresting, and detaining suspects; it is all at the pleasure of one all powerful man, Paul Biya, President of the Republic. Reason why motions of support to Paul Biya are with us again to praise him for the arrest of Marafa and Inoni - from CPDM MPs, the National Youth Council, Mfoundi CPDM, and many more probably to follow in the days ahead...

 

Like for many political parties, “democracy” is also the pet “slogan” of the CPDM, which they included it in the name of their party, but their militants seem to have very little idea of what it means. Party solidarity cannot be allowed to endanger the rights of the individual member whose free will must remain realised and promoted by the party. Since Marafa published his letters, the CPDM has promoted the politics of personal destruction – visceral, mean-spirited campaigns to destroy him in public opinion – which I find disheartening and bad for the present and future of the country. I know in the jungle of the politics the Cameroonians play, the importance of putting one’s self in the place of another – empathy - to experience what they were feeling, and to understand their motives and desires is never as strong in us as in other societies we look up to.

 

In Africa, the individual is not yet liberated from the traditional bonds of community, and from the representation of the world as an organic hierarchical totality. This is why we usually hear appeals, like we are hearing from the CPDM to ethnic, religious, traditional or party bonds of solidarity to dampen society’s self-interrogation and self-critique, as characterised by the Marafa letters. To those who spend their time asking why Marafa is only making his revelations today, there is no privileged standpoint from which such revelations can be made; and there is no appropriate moment.

 

Marafa’s letters indicate that the official political expression we discern in public – motions of support and all - does not necessarily represent popular sentiments. It is those who lost sight of this that were surprised at the speed at which the Marafa letters emerged in the wake of his arrest. Without focus on the underlying meaning of the behaviour of individuals, it will always be difficult to predict the evolution of a political system like Cameroon’s. I have always known that individuals might find it advantageous to hide their true political sentiments from officialdom, so political values should never be judged on the basis of publicly observable and quantifiable measures of support, since the mere existence of motions and rallies of support does not infer popular support, especially for aging leaders that have spent too much time in power! Indeed, in a regime like ours, true political values are hardly ever expressed in public; the landscape usually looks calm and tranquil when it is rife with subterranean discord.

 

Newspapers are reporting that following Marafa’s letters, Paul Biya instructed the SG at the Presidency to open investigations into the bribery allegations linked to the CAMAIR maintenance contract. But the documents on which these instructions are based were available to him since 2001 because they were provided to Cameroon by Advanced Technics Trust Ltd to enable Cameroon to win its case against South Africa Airways, as per the agreement signed between the two parties on 26/06/2001. This is why another contribution of Marafa’s revelations is the further exposure to the rest of us of the manner the country has been run since Paul Biya took over from Ahidjo in November 1982; he has kept recycling corrupt people in his governments, in spite of his knowledge of their dirty files, and so emboldened them to turn Cameroon into a corruption fraternity in 30 years of his reign. In doing this, he turned government from an expression of leadership, to the service of slaves to a master, as so aptly put by one of his sycophantic university don! He failed to follow the advice that a party leader, like an army officer cannot expect to impose discipline on his subordinates unless he is capable of accepting and working to the same discipline himself; he cannot successfully fight corruption within the ranks of his party and regime, unless he is an example of the incorruptible. This is why we witness daily a curious discrepancy in the behaviour of the CPDM: what they say and what they do seem to always exist in separate compartments!

 

The CPDM Newspaper l’Action No. 254 of 11 July 2012 waded into the 32.5 billion case against the government, “after several weeks’ investigation on the whereabouts of the money.” Their conclusions reveal the blurred mindset of the CPDM related to corruption. The paper writes: “Following negotiations, Transnet SAA accepted to pay the sum of 26 million US$ (14 billion FCFA), which Cameroon accepted. The 14 billion were naturally deposited in the account of Cameroon in SGBC central branch in Paris. Part of the money served in the payment of the results allowance, part served to pay bailiffs and other witnesses that helped the commission to assemble its evidence, the rest was transferred to government coffers...”

 

L’Action further informs the rest of us that account no 00078013914 was opened in SGBC central branch in Paris in the name of the Republic of Cameroon to take care of legal fees. The Cameroon government obviously put money (how much?) into the account even before the money from SAA was deposited into it. What was the total sum in the account following the deposition of the money from SAA? We need these details of how taxpayer’s money was spent, but l’Action newspaper that carried out investigations “for several weeks,” failed to give us, hoping to clean the image of the CPDM government and regime without much effort!

 

The crash of Cameroon Airlines Boeing 737-200 (Nyong) is related to the commissions (bribes!) given to Cameroon government officials to derail the purpose of the contract of maintenance of Boeing 737 and 747 of Cameroon between CAMAIR and Transnet South African Airways because it was effectively the non-maintenance of the planes that led to the crash, and the loss of lives. Indeed, it is the crash and loss of lives that brought the bribery crimes to the fore and caused Cameroon to pursue South Africa Airways for non-execution of contract!

 

L’Action newspaper does not seem to know that the 32.5 billion have become the microcosm of the budget of Cameroon, and Cameroonians are interested in knowing how each franc of the money was spent. If l’Action newspaper is interested in answering the question “What happened to the 32.5 billion” which constituted the purpose of the “several weeks” investigation, they should know that by now, the rest of us want to know the exact amounts that served each purpose...

 

Mental health is the ability to adapt to the stresses and misfortunes of life; the ability to cope with anxiety and depression in a healthy way. An outstanding feature of successful adaptation is that it leaves the way open for future growth. Marafa has shown himself to be totally on top of such afflictions; his response through his letters is virtually an exhortation to some of his colleagues who are suffering the same fate as himself to stand up and play the man. He has shown that just as it is usually necessary to sacrifice peace if freedom and justice are to prevail, it may usually be necessary to sacrifice loyalty for freedom and justice to prevail. He has shown us all that in the arduous task of building a new Cameroon, there are many who should not be pigeon-holed; and he has shown that he is a man for all seasons and all reasons...

 

*Tazoacha Asonganyi, is Professor at University of Yaounde 1 and is former Secretary-General of SDF,Cameroon's leading opposition

Mining permit delays Cameroon alumina project

* CAL JV plans $4.3 bln alumina investment

* Expects permit by year-end or early 2013

* Aims to be Africa's top alumina refinery

By Tansa Musa

YAOUNDE, July 6 (Reuters) - More than three years on and a $4.3 billion project to build a bauxite mining and alumina refinery in Cameroon is still waiting for a mining permit, a company executive said on Friday.
India's Hindalco, Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal) and Hydromine Inc announced plans for their Cameroon Alumina Ltd (CAL) joint venture in 2008.

The project plans to tap bauxite reserves at Minim-Martap and Ngaoundal deposits in the Adamawa region of northern Cameroon.
"The kick-off of our project is so far delayed because we don't yet have a mining permit," CAL Deputy General Manager Joel Sinquin, told Reuters in an interview.

"We are pushing negotiations with the government and our hope is to be granted the licence as soon as possible, maybe before the end of this year or early next year."

CAL had aimed to produce 4.5 to 9 million tonnes of bauxite per year starting in late 2014. Sinquin said the company now expects to start building the refinery in 2015 and start commercial production in 2018.
The alumina refinery, with a capacity of 1.4 to 3 million tonnes, would be only Africa's second alumina refinery. Rusal operates one in Guinea.

"We are planning an annual production of 1.5 million tonnes of alumina per annum, doubling the continent's current lone producer in Guinea-Conakry which produces about 700,000 tonnes a year," Sinquin said.
"That is at least the first two to three years, after which it will go up to 3 million tonnes per year," Sinquin said.
Alumina is the raw material for the production of aluminium which is used in the manufacturing of vehicles, aircrafts, and domestic products.

"Once we obtain the mining licence, it will take two years of a detailed study at the site and three years after to construct the refinery before mining of the bauxite begins," Sinquin said.

Sinquin said the government may be taking a longer time to go through the project's feasibility study because of the size of the project, and may also be seeking guarantees to ensure that commercial production will indeed begin once the mining licence was granted.

Cameroonian authorities were not available for immediate comment.
However, the central African nation, though seeking to boost investments in its under-explored mineral resources, has made changes to its mining code, insisting that projects must show adequate finances before obtaining a permit.

Sinquin said funding the CAL's alumina project was not an issue given the financial solidity of the companies involved in the joint venture.
According to the country's mining laws, Cameroon's president, Paul Biya, must give the final approval for all mining projects. (Writing by Bate Felix; editing by Jason Neely)

Cameroonian gay man faces deportation, says life is in danger at home

By Michel Arseneault  

Valéry Ediage Ekwedde

http://helpvalerie.wordpress.com

Valéry Ediage Ekwedde, a Cameroonian gay man who has failed to obtain refugee status in the UK, says he will be deported to Douala on Tuesday. Ekwedde, who is being held at a detention centre for illegal migrants in Harmondsworth, outside Heathrow airport, says he will be persecuted if he returns to Cameroon.

“If I go back there, my life is really in danger,” Ekwedde told RFI in a phone interview. “I feel very bad and depressed about it because my life is in danger. They will kill me over there.”

Campaigners have mounted a campaign to prevent the deportation of 26 year old Ekwedde, noting that homosexuality is illegal in Cameroon. Thirteen people have been arrested since March 2011 under a law criminalizing “sexual relations with a person of the same sex,” according to Amnesty International.

The rights group says that most were targeted on the grounds of their “perceived sexual orientation” – not any alleged participation in prohibited consensual acts.

The UK Border Agency has said that it has not found "credible evidence" that Ekwedde is gay. It first sought to expel him in May. But Ekwedde remained in the UK after he threatened to disrupt the Air France flight that was supposed to take him to Yaoundé via Paris.

Under international law, captains have the right to turn away passengers they think might affect the safety of a flight.

The 2011 US State Department Human Rights Report found that homosexuals in Cameroon face "pervasive societal stigma, discrimination and harassment, as well as the possibility of imprisonment.”

The report says that wardens and local NGOs have reported rapes among inmates.

 -RFI English

Cameroon, China Eximbank sign $467 million loan

Yaounde (Reuters) - Cameroon and China's Eximbank have signed a loan agreement worth 241.4 billion CFA francs ($467.03 million)for the construction of an expressway road linking the capital Yaounde to Cameroon's economic hub and main Douala.

 Economy Minister Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi told reporters after the signing ceremony that the road will cut the distance to be travelled between the two cities from 265 km (165 miles) on the existing road to about 215 km.

 He also hoped the six-lane highway would benefit trade for the Central African sub-region. Central African Republic, Chad and other countries rely on Douala for much of their trade. Construction of the expressway is due to start imminently and will cost a total 284 billion CFA francs, Cameroon providing the remainder.

 It is due to take five years to completion. Djoumessi did not comment on whether a Chinese firm would be likely to win the construction contract. 
 ($1 = 516.8880 CFA francs) (Reporting by Tansa Musa; Editing by Sophie Walker)