|
|
Cameroon: Panic Grips Ministers Following Biya-Inoni Meeting
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
The Post (Buea)
9 May 2008
Posted to the web 9 May 2008
Kini Nsom
Some Ministers are reportedly panicking following President Paul Biya's meeting with Prime Minister, Chief Ephraim Inoni on May 6 at the Unity Palace.
Coming after allegations of an imminent cabinet shake-up, some Ministers who have not been taking instructions from the Prime Minister are afraid that he might have reported them to the President.
The Post learnt that shortly after the audience, some Ministers kept calling some of their friends at the Star Building to find out what filtered out of the audience and what was the mood of the Prime Minister after the meeting. Chief Inoni, however, was reported to have been calm and serene after he returned from the Etoudi Palace.
A source at the Prime Minister's office that asked for anonymity, told The Post that many Ministers are already spending sleepless nights, not knowing what would happen to them in the wake of a cabinet shake-up. Although nothing really filtered of the Biya-Inoni meeting that was void of any media coverage, it is alleged that the duo discussed a plethora of issues ailing the country.
For one thing, the President and the Head of Government met at a time when a lot of water bordering on the life of the nation, has passed under the bridge. It came at a time when the presidential ordinance on the reduction of the prices of basic commodities in the country had fallen on deaf ears.
Chief Inoni might have discussed with his boss why the country's economy is still in the doldrums two years after the country reached the completion point of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, HIPC-I. They might have taken stock of the post-constitutional amendment atmosphere and the G11 Opposition to Biya's bid to run for the Presidency and succeed himself in 2001.
Given that President Biya had reportedly expressed disappointment that the Prime Minister was unable to convince the CPDM MP for the Akwaya constituency, Hon. Paul Ayah Abine, to drop his opposition to the constitutional amendment, Inoni might have had the opportunity to discuss the issue.
Biya and Inoni might have also discussed about the second phase of the anti-corruption onslaught that recently took two former Ministers, Polycarpe Abah Abah and Urbain Olanguena Awono to Kondengui Maximum security Prison in Yaounde. The Prime Minister might have had the opportunity to clear himself of persistent allegations that he is highly implicated in the Albatross affair.
|
President Biya received Chief Inoni after the Presidency reportedly issued instructions, urging the Delegate General of National Security to withdraw the passports of some two Ministers. According to the instructions that were reportedly signed by the Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, the passports of some three senior officials of the Cameroonian Army would also be seized. The seizure of the passports, The Post learnt, is connected with government's ongoing fight against corruption.
The President has reportedly vowed that anybody who played a negative role in the Albatross affair will be duly prosecuted. Observers hold that the withdrawal of passports from some Ministers is a prelude to a much dreaded scenario in which they would be sacked and later arrested.
For one thing, the fact that Biya received the Prime Minister on a Tuesday is unusual and points to the fact that something eventful looms in the air. It is said that before Tuesday's meeting, the President used to receive the Prime Minister only on Thursdays or Fridays.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 The Post. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
