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Cameroon: Two Ministers Clash Over CMC Imbroglio
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The Post (Buea)
16 May 2008
Posted to the web 16 May 2008
Kini Nsom
The Minister of Communication, Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam, reportedly censored a decision of the Minister of Culture disqualifying Sam Mbende from presenting his candidacy to the post of Board Chair of the Cameroon Music Corporation, CMC, over the weekend.
Culture Minister Ama Tutu Muna's decision was censored over CRTV.The Post learnt that when the communiqué that was signed by Ama Tutu was sent to the radio, the Director of Information said he had received instructions from the Communications Minister that no such thing be read.
It is not known why the Communication Minister ordered that Ama Tutu's communiqué should not be read. He told one local tabloid that "we estimated that such a decision on the eve of a CMC General Assembly could perturb public order."
Observers say the scenario highlighted the duo's clash of interest over CMC stalemate.
However, Tutu's communiqué highlighted the controversy that drowned the authors' rights corporation in the murky waters of conflict. It nailed the incumbent CMC Board Chair, Sam Mbende, for allegedly mismanaging FCFA 100 million of authors' rights collected from Les Brasseries Du Cameroun.
According to the Culture Minister, Mbende was not going to be allowed to run for elections during the CMC May 10 General Assembly until he had fully rendered an account of the money.
But even after being interrogated by the police, Mbende went ahead with the General Assembly in the absence of the supervisory authority and got himself re-elected.
Sledge Hammer
Following the irregularities that characterised the matter, Ama Tutu issued a decision declaring the CMC General Assembly null and void. The ministerial decision also banned CMC and withdrew its license.
The decision was the climax of the CMC crisis that borders on financial mismanagement. The Minister will create a committee to re-examine the statutes of CMC and reorganise a constitutive General Assembly.
Genesis
The CMC seems to have been bedevilled from crash by poor financial mismanagement. But things apparently went worse with the coming of Mbende to the helm of the outfit in 2005.
Artists complained that the Board Chair instead connived with the then President of the Permanent Commission for Mediation, Supervision and Control of Authors' Rights, Prof. Magloire Ondoa, to make things difficult for them.
Moreover, both Mbende and Prof. Ondoa were reportedly not comfortable with Ama Tutu's determination to make sure that things work.A CMC source said the duo felt so threatened in their shady deals that they no longer paid allegiance to the titular ministry since the departure of Ferdinand Leopold Oyono, former Culture Minister.
Mbende felt even more threatened when Ama Tutu appointed Prof. Minkoa to replace Ondoa at the permanent commission.As events narrowed down to Saturday's General Assembly, Mbende was putting all sorts of gymnastics in place to make sure that he was re-elected.
On Saturday, May 10, at about 6 am, he was arrested and taken to the judicial police for questioning on account of the alleged embezzlement of FCFA 100 million.As the police interrogated Mbende, his supporters stormed the premises of the police station singing the national anthem and asking for his immediate release. A majority of the artists trooped to the Yaounde Conference Centre for the General Assembly.
The President of the Permanent Commission tried in vain to ensure that artists get accreditation to the hall. The CMC General Assembly Chair, Francois Bingono Bingono, reportedly refused to give accreditation to artists in the absence of Mbende.
When Mbende was finally released from the police, he and his supporters stormed the hall singing songs of victory. Some of them walked to the high table and drove away the supervisory authorities, including the Minister's representative as the police looked on.
All other candidates for the CMC board chair including Mama Ohanja, Rachel Tsoungui, Romeo Dika and Reverend Bodo, left the hall in protest with their supporters, leaving the Mbende group to go solo.
At about 3 pm, the Mbende group hired gendarmes and distributed cards to people to vote. But at about 8 pm supporters of other candidates went back to the hall apparently to disrupt what they called the Mbende mafia. Gendarmes sent them out.
Chantal Ayissi, Ateh Bazore, Sale John, Ze Bella, Black Rogers and Taakam II, were violently despatched from the hall. The gendarmes were apparently hired to maintain 'peace' at the beck and call of the Mbende group. Sam Mbende reportedly made a speech denigrating the Minister of Culture, mocking her for having failed to frustrate the General Assembly.
When it came to the time for elections, Mbende was the only candidate. Even though there was power failure for over two hours, voting went on and Mbende was declared re-elected at about 11 pm.
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The Post struggled in vain to get Mbende's reaction after the Ministerial decision cancelling his re-election. He is reported to have held a press conference in Yaounde on May 13 during which he dismissed the communiqué cancelling his re-election as a joke.
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