£7.9 millions UK aid allocated for the governance in Cameroon distracted

The Secretary of State has announced a review of the DFID Bilateral Aid Programme.

For this year 2010, the Cameroon government might receive less than its has received during the previous government.

The coalition government that is struggling with the cuts is not yet ready to increase the aid in Cameroon. For the moment there is no indication about the amount that  Biya administration will receive.

The Labour government was not really happy by the way the government has managed and handled the public fund received in order to improve the governance and accountability in Cameroon..

Today, Cameroon with an estimated population of nearly 19.5 million faces significant development challenges with around 65% of the population living on less than $2 a day , according to  international NGOs that work on the field and that differ from the official figures at 50% and life expectancy at birth still only 45.8 years of age.

Cameroon has been able to receive that aid because in October 2000 its became eligible for debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative ( HIPC) and also been listed as the worst country in the world where authorities do nothing and less efforts to fight against corruption.

Even though, the country has achieved completion point of the HIPC and has been eligible for debt relief.

The international community thought  at that point that the country has got enough chance for sustainable growth and implement significant policy of poverty reduction.

But that was not the case in Cameroon. The UK aid that was received in Cameroon in the last 2 years has not served the population but some members of the closed entourage of Paul Biya and his wife.

More than £8 millions of tax payers money have been wasted in Cameroon and the state of governance is still appalling. The UK government put a lot more effort in Cameroon to improve only the education so that the next generation can fight against corruption and poverty.

But the money do not attend the area that its supposed to cover and to bring the change needed by the entire population of more than 15 millions. The UK aid in Cameroon was designed to help authorities to continue its efforts in transparent governance and fighting corruption.

There are more than 45 ministerial committees to fight against corruption in Cameroon publicly funded and have not yet arrested a single corrupt person or civil servant. Paul Biya is the only one with power to decide who the judicial system can detain and sentence to prison for a certain period of time.

 In most prisons in Cameroon there are more former members of the government there than simple citizen..All have been accused for embezzlement and asked by the court to repay back what they have distracted from the taxpayer saves. Millions of pounds have been distracted from the UK aid allocated to Cameroon with no chance of repayment.

Unfortunately, the government did not take advantage to fix and to build a stronger, safer, and united country.

Millions of pounds have been wasted in Cameroon in the last 2 years and the National Audit Office that keeps a watch on public spending for the parliament has produced a report recently that shows the unaccountable reason why the Cameroon authorities could not produce a clear and understandable report of the public spending.

 The aid has been distracted in Cameroon by a group of closed relatives of Paul Biya and his wife, Chantal Biya.....And now for the change, the new coalition UK government must make sure that the aid is likely to contribute to reducing poverty and bring the change that its needed in Cameroon..

.The UK department for International Development works to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the International targets agreed by the United Nations to halve poverty in the world by 2015.

A joint trade unions action quash bid to deport a journalist

The move is a blow to the Home Office efforts and his unappalled decision to remove from Britain an investigative journalist. Journalists, friends, student-jounalists, photographs and others union members gathered on Thursday morning in front of the Royal Courts of Justice at Strand in support of an nuj member facing removal from Britain.The case was heard in court 2.

 Mrs Justice Rafferty with a face wreathed in smile entered the court room 5 minutes late after the half ten time that has been sent out as the time that the court will be in session. She came up fresh and smiling and opened the debate. In just less than 10 minutes the case was resolved.

 An adjournment was agreed today, Thursday 7 October, in court between the Secretary of State for the Home Department and the journalist, active member of the National Union of Journalists. The court gave the National Union of Journalists 6 weeks to supply any further documentation to be considered on behalf their member to the Secretary of State for Home Department here represented by the Home Office.

 The secretary of State for Hom Department was also given 6 weeks to provide to the court a digestive response. And when all these documentation and evidence will be gathered and the court been in position of all the relevant information, evidence or submissions, the case will then be heard in court.

 With the 12 weeks given to both parties, it is possible that  luckly it could happen in January 2011. The Nuj legal team and the journalist lawyer will then with all evidence prepare and lodge the final written submissions.

 Systematically all the previous representations or submissions lodged on behalf the journalist to the Home Office have been refused by immigration officers based at  200 Brand Street, Festival Court in Glasgow. The Home Office`s final decisions are due to be sent in the next 6 or less than 5 weeks.

Mrs Justice Rafferty, an impressive judge with strong opinions

7 October 2010 at 10.00 am in Court 2 in The Royal Courts of Justice, Mrs Justice Rafferty will sit in the Administrative court of justice to rule over the permission for the judicial review of the asylum claim of Charles ATANGANA, an investigative economic journalist from Cameroon and an Nuj member.

 Mrs Justice Rafferty will have to listen to the argumentation that the Secretary of State for Home Departement represented by the Home Office will put in front of her as consideration to kick the nuj activist from the Uk and to those, Margaret Phelan, the Nuj barrister will put forward to challenge, the Home Office arguments as well.

 It will then be an impressive debate between two highly skilled women and barristers in the High Court of Justice.Mrs Justice Rafferty is described as an impressive judge who sits in her Old Bailey chambers to conduct debate in court

. She was appointed High Court Judge in 2000, year that Cameroon was declared the first corrupted country in the world by Transparency International. But today she will have to conduct debate on an immigration matter even she is specialized in criminal matter as well. From journalists point of view, she has a strong opinions on the British criminal justice system, but remains convinced it is one of the best in the world. Some even describe her as an impressive judge and also she favours restorative justice.

 Restorative justice is where an offender meets his victim and both try to come to term with his crime. And today, the nuj member is not an offender but a victim of the Uk immigration policy and system that has been described as not fit for purpose by previous Home secretaries, John Reid, Charles Clarke Jacquie Smith and Alan Johnson.. In an interview with a specialised magazine, she was asked a question why she joint the bar and she replied she came to the Bar because she was advised by her mother.

 She also declared that if you choose to live in the UK, you live by its rule. Mrs Rafferty has the air of a ferocious but very punctilious dormouse and rubs her hands a good deal as if she suffers from poor circulation.

 A description that was made by a journalist covering a debate in court during a criminal hearing.. .As every barrister knows that he has two duties, his duty to his lay client and his duty to the Court,

 lets hope that today Mrs Justice Rafferty who is againsts racism, torture, violation of human rights and also a modern judge, will listen to both parties and then decide what is or will be the best for the nuj activist. Journalists and others union members will be gathering around 9.30am at the High Court in support of one of their member.

SCNC-UK chairman quits in row

The chairman of the Uk branch of the Southern Cameroon National Council ( SCNC) resigned last week in a row with members of the group over the future of the organisation in the Uk and the link with the national exewcutive council group based in cameroon and others parts of the world, especially Us, Belgium, Canada, France and Uk.

 At the moment it is not clear who was the chairman of the Scnc branch as nobody is ready to speak out of what exactly is going on in the group now.

Paulette Mengnjo who is the acting vice-chairperson is now the caretaker of the current business of the group which called itself, a self determination group.

In an email sent out to his members last week this is what the chairman has to say and explain why he decided to resign. < Dear All ,After careful consideration, I have decided to resign as Chairman of SCNC UK. I have today spoken to several of its members and executives to advise of this decision before publicly putting forward this email. For security reasons, I can't elaborate on what provoked my second resignation after I was unanimously elected in absentia in May 2010.
For all the good members of SCNC UK who are a majority, I would publicly apologise for leaving you at this crucial time. But as always, you know I will always love you and be there for you. Feel free to call and talk to me as always. From time to time, I am going to contact you to check how you are doing...>

This email was sent out by Rexon Nting who might have been acting as a chairman of the group and now has resigned.

This resignation happens just days after the group organised a massive demonstration in front of the Prime Minister office at No10 Downing Street last Friday October 1st to celebrate the 49th anniversary of the struggle to keep separated the Bristish cameroon from the French cameroon.

And that day the chairman didn`t turn up there to be others members who were there to hand the petitions to the Prime Minister David Cameron who was trying to deal at the same time with the national strike held by unions around the country..

 The chairman who resigned feared that the move would strip the group of its independence and trust from the Ukba and the Uk government. Paulette, the vice chairperson and the national secretary of the group whpo has not yet been elected by members does not feel that it is in the best interests of the members and the international community and others linked organisations for that resignation to be assimilated into the same trouble and mismanagement that are in used in cameroon.

 They are acting now as the cameroonian government by not informing the media of the resignation of the Uk scnc chairman.

At the moment there are so many branches in the Uk and they have not yet signed a joint press release to inform the public about the inernal situation. In cameroon the communication departement of the Scnc is not yet aware of the Uk situation and are still waiting for a written reason of why this resignation is happening now.

The chairman has now to offer his resignation letter to the national chairman of the Scnc who might be at the moment between cameroon and Nigeria or even abroad for several meetings with his fellow members.

Finances, organisations, tribals groups,recruitment of only brothers and sisters from the same tribe, misuses of the donations received, misunderstanding and misconception, informal and illegal exclusion from the group, illegal extorsion of money from new members who want to join the group might have been in the mist of the resignation of the chairman.

Nobody is yet ready to comment about the resignation of the chairman.Its appears like the group now lacks of self determination and determination would soon be transformed in self destruction. The communication department of the Scnc-uk  is badly managed and Paulette and others now are trying to make arrangements for the next chairman to be elected.

Alex Van Helk va-t-il lacher la Camair-co avant avril 2011?

L`Afrique aujourd`hui est entrain de devenir le nouveau champ de bataille des grandes alliances de compagnies aeriennes depuis la disparition d`Air Afrique en matiere de dessertes intra-africaines.

Ethiopian Airlines dont certains des cadres ont ete appeles en renfort au cameroun en vue du demarrage des activites de la nouvelle compagnie nationale aerienne, la Camair-Co creee par decret presidentiel et non pas une impulsion economique et fnanciere ou meme pas par  un avis concerte du milieu des affaires, et dont l`adhesion a Star Alliance a ete officialisee dans la matinee de mercredi 29 Septembre 2010 a Addis-Abeba devant ses partenaires financiers, 

projette de creer avec des compagnies partenaires de l`alliance emmenee par Lufthansa, une filiale regionale en Afrique de l`Ouest, directement concurente du reseau africain d`Air France-KLM .Au moment ou Ethiopian Airlines se lance dans un ambitieux programme dans le marche aerien en Afrique et dans le monde, au cameroun l`on est encore au stade de tergiversation et de discussion partisanes.

Le groupe Air France-KLM annonce de nouvelles ouvertures de lignes vers l`Afrique depuis l`Europe.  Le cameroun se signale par une absence que l`on ne saurait excuser dans un environnement concurrentiel ou il aurait du prendre les devants avec l`expertise reconnue a travers le monde. 

Le cameroun est une fois de plus absent. Et Van Helk certes n`est pas entrain de digerer cette absence de la piste de competition ou ceux qui hier n`ont pas ete ses rivaux alors a la tete de Nigerian Arik Airlines. Alex pense peut-etre encore prendre son temps parce que l`Afrique centrale n`a pas encore eu de concurrent valable et meme solide comme tel est deja le cas en Afrique de l`Est avec Ethiopian Airlines et de l`Ouest avec France-KLM.

Serait-il encore entrain de mettre sur pied une etude de marche?

Van  Helk devrait d`abord essayer de reduire le cout d`exploitation  de la camair-co qui a souvent ete tres eleve en terme de pres de 150 millions de francs cfa sans en evoquer les differenets deficits qui ont ete souvent combls par les caisses noires de l`Etat du cameroun.

Or avec un cout d`exploitation reduit et bas , il est evident que la camair-co peut atteindre une rentabilite de pres 60 voire meme 70% de remplissage. La demission du francais Gilbert Mitonneau fait suite a la forte implication du politique dans la gestion d`une entreprise publique.

Le politique ici intervient de maniere desordonnee en intimidant le gestionnaire a faire accepter dans son equipe des gens envoyes par des dit-on proches collaborateurs du chef de l`Etat ou de la famille proche ou restreinte de la premiere dame. 

Meme sans qualification ces gens veulent etre inserres dans les listes encore selectes du personnel de la Camair-Co. Augustin Fredercik Kodock, est le ministre du gouvernement a l`epoque de Ahidjo qui avait force le chef de l`Etat contre la volonte de la France a s`octroyer un avion de la compagnie Boeing 747 pour le compte du cameroun.


 Il avait recu mandat du chef de l`Etat pour l`achat de ce premier avion pour le cameroun et aujourd`hui tout ce qui entoure l`achat d`un avion au cameroun est couvert du seau du secret d`Etat...

Delta Airlines dont l`expertise a ete appele en renfort au cameroun a annonce mercredi 29 Septembre 2010 l`ouverture en janvier 2011 des premiers vols commerciaux entre l`Angola et les Etats-Unis avec trois vols hebdomadaires entre la capitale Luanda et la ville d`Atlanta. Au cameroun c`est en avril 2011 que l`on annonce le demarrage des activites.

Une date qui peut encore connaitre des changements et autres reajustements techniques ou meme administratifs. Meme si le leadership du cameroun n`est pas encore mis en question, il y a tout de meme lieu de s`inquieter de l`entree dans le marche aerien de jeunes concurrents aux dents longues. Les nouveaux entrants dans le secteur prennent des parts de marche.

Van devrait-il alors signer un deal avec le groupe Air France-KLM ou le groupe Lufthansa pour redevelopper les capacites du cameroun? Et dans ce secteur aujourd`hui la Camair-co apparait comme etant la seule compagnie a capitaux publics a hauteur de 100%. Une position qui risque de ne pas donner a Van les moyens necessaires pour conduire cette affaire comme il l`entend faire. Le Cameroun n`etant pas aussi le Nigeria, alors Van va-t-il suivre les pas de Glbert bien avant 1 avril 2011?

  Dans le recent classement partisan et semi professionnel realise par Jeune Afrique sur les performances des compagnies aeriennes africaines en 2009, la camair-co n`y figure point ni meme dans le recent classement publie par le magazine Fortune...

Chantal Biya reduit-elle ses largesses?

Durant les periodes festives de fin d`annee, sous le tres haut patronnage de la premiere dame, le secretariat general de la presidence de la republique et la direction generale de la fondation Chantal Biya accordent aux necessiteux une aide d`urgence.

 Et ceux qui ont la chance d`etre retenus parmi les heureux beneficiaires des aides gracieuses de la premiere dame eprouvent souvent des difficultes enormes avant de rentrer dans leur due et ceci a cause des arrangements administratifs et bureaucratiques qui donnent souvent lieu aux detournements des enveloppes allouees aux beneficiaires.

 Chantal Biya d`apres des informations recoupees aupres d`un groupe de jeunes enfants handicapes de la capitale et dont la presidente de la jeune association etait en visite en Europe recemment pour faire des achats pour les fetes de fin d`annee, la premiere dame a reduit ces aides depuis. Elle offre de moins en moins et cela varie aujourd`hui entre 200.000 francs cfa et 2 millions de francs cfa.

Or la manne de la Presidence de la Republique est passee de 5 millions de francs cfa au temps  de la veue Jeanne Irene Biya a moins de 4 millions de francs cfa voire 2.5 millions de francs cfa avec Chantal Biya. Si du cote de la Fondation Chantal Biya le secretaire pernament ou la direction generale de la fondation ne peuvent pas s`aventurer officiellement et de maniere publique a divulguer le montant exact des enveloppes que la premiere dame de maniere gracieuse remet aux necessiteux de la Republique.

l`on peut neanmoins se rendre a l`evidence que la Presidence de la Republique assure de moins de personnes et que l`on affirme que de moins en moins de personnes pour des raisons de tracasseries administratives sollicitent de moins en moins l`aide qui etait encore jugee precieuse de la premiere dame..

Ceux meme qui ont le devoir et la mission de veiller au fonctionnement du budget de la presidence de la republique ne peuvent pas s`aventurer a donner des chiffres dont les donnes peuvent s`averer inexactes. Entre la Presidence de la Republique et les Fondations Jeanne Irene Biya et Chantal Biya, il existe comme une espece de cacophonie dans la gestion des finances allouees aux oeuvres sociales.

 Et le service en charge de cette gestion serait completement desorganise parce que chacun voudrait en faire comme il l`entend de la premiere dame recevoir des ordres. Avec Germaine Ahidjo c`etait tout une autre chose affirme une des heureuses recipiendaires de l`epoque et aujourd`hui citoyenne anglaise installee dans un quartier tres prise de Londres.

Cameroonians armed forces in talk to seek calm before next presidential elections

Cameroon newly created council of security will hold armed forces talks with representatives of foreign ambassadors accredited in cameroon  for the first time since his creation.

 This will be the first talk since the modification and amendment of the constitution in cameroon by Paul Biya. A move that observers said could calm tensions builded around the country by thousands of angry voters ahead of the presidential elections. The government fears the clashes could be repeated following the results of the next presidential elections.

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 A meeting involving army generals and military counsellors for some foreign offices in cameroon. Since the amendment of the constitution in camerooon by Paul Biya in 2008, there has been a trebling in military spending.

 Paul Biya now appears to be militaristic and eager to strengthen and use the armed forces in cameroon in order to make his presidency and his own political party more powerful. Since that amendment of the constitution, Cameroon now is secretly becoming an increase militaristic state with Paul Biya as the royal highness or the super king of cameroon.

 Analysts said the armed forces in cameroon would now try to defuse tensions with the United Kingdom and the United States and France also in order to ensure not only the smooth transition of power or the arrival of the alternative in power sharing in cameroon. General semengue is one of those who will chair the secret meeting and give first hand information to foreign representatives. At that first meeting, the opposition has not been invited to attend.

One foreign ambassador on the phone said that in order to stabilise the power sharing or the althernative in cameroon tomorrow, the Biya`s administration must ease economic difficulties, and for this purpose it needs to improve ties with the formal cooperation and the international community.

The military talk between the council of security and the foreign diplomatic council members accredited in cameroon that will be held in a secret location in cameroon political city, Yaounde,  has been initiated by the Us state department. That information is today known by only a small number of people and is not told to anyone else.

 The secret police in cameroon will have to work on the field to look for those potrayed as troublemakers and to freeze them somewhere in their cuantanamo cells. They will find around the country these groups that spread rumours and inciting violence. But there are reports saying that secret police agents gradually enter in groups in secret in order to spy on its activities and sometimes influence its decision.

 The presence of the special secret police in cameroon just confirm that cameroon is not yet a democratic country as secret-police are used especially in a non-democratic country. Surprisingly a government minister said that they are going to surprise everyone during the presidential elections and shock themselves by actually keeping the peace around the country...