Sorry tale of private media in Cameroon: Dr Fomunyoh says reflection of Biya regime’s bad governance.

The Senior Associate and Regional Director for Africa at the US-based National Democratic Institute, NDI, made the declaration Wednesday May 2.

The human rights advocate, who is Founder and President of not-for-profit organisation, The Fomunyoh Foundation, TFF, was responding to questions from a group of Yaounde-based journalists via videoconference from the United States of America, USA.

The interaction was part of a press dinner organised by The Fomunyoh Foundation, TFF, at the organisation’s Youth Empowerment Centre in Yaounde. It brought together some 15 renowned journalists and newspaper publishers.  

The interaction touched on global events, notably the impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Africa, the recent presidential election in Nigeria and democratisation efforts across Africa, issues affecting press freedom in Cameroon and how TFF, as a civil society organisation can assist in changing the fate of especially the private press in Cameroon.  

Weeps for Cameroon’s media landscape 

Quizzed on how TFF, as a civil society organization, could help advocate or better the worrying situation of the private press in Cameroon, Dr Fomunyoh quickly stated that: “…I have experienced the lack of press freedom from a firsthand basis when many years ago, the Foundation Radio in Bamenda, which is one of the few independent radio stations in that part of the country, was shut down coincidentally on World Press Freedom Day”.

“…I really empathise with what the private media in Cameroon is going through…the environment doesn't allow for the press to really thrive,” the international rights advocate bemoaned. 

Dr Fomunyoh, who, for over two and a half decades, has been contributing to advancing the democratic process on the Africa continent, unequivocally stated that the sorry tale of the country’s private media landscape is a reflection of Cameroon’s poor democratic performance. 

“It is a sorry tale, but I think it's also a reflection of the fact that our country today is struggling very badly and performing very poorly with regards to the issues of democracy and governance,” the democratisation expert said. 

Condemns criminalisation of media offences 

The rights advocate further regretted the criminalisation of media offences by the nonagenarian-led CPDM regime, noting that it further drags the country’s nascent democracy in mud. 

“…criminalisation of press offences is one of the benchmarks that determine whether a country is democratic or not, and whether it really wants the press to prosper,” Dr Fomunyoh explained, firmly stating that “there is no reason in today's world we should criminalise press offences”.

The good governance advocate was clear that African countries that have gone through successful democratic transition, have decriminalised press offences. 

“Journalists in Cameroon are not supposed to go to jail if by lack of thorough works, he/she doesn’t tell fully the story or make a mistake. There are other corrective measures that can be taken against media offences in the event someone’s reputation is tarnished,” he said.

He warned that continuously criminalising media offences could rather help those in power and other influential persons to prey on journalists. 

“When you criminalise press offences, it becomes very easy for someone in the position of authority to make sure that any journalist critical of his actions ends up in jail. He may even still send a journalist to jail just because there is one sentence in a long article that may not be very accurate,” Dr Fomunyoh noted.  

Reiterates urgent need for Freedom of Information Act 

Dr Fomunyoh used the outing to reiterate the urgent need for the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act, to help curb the multiform challenges journalists face and help advance the democratic process in the country.  

“Countries that are making progress, including a country like Nigeria, have enacted the Freedom of Information Act, which allows the press, the civil society in general, and even ordinary citizens, to formally request for access to information that is for public interest,” he stated.

Enacting the Freedom of Information Act, Dr Fomunyoh said, falls among concrete measures for the growth of democracy and is extremely important to safeguard the democratic space. 

While expressing doubts of such coming to fruition in the present context in the country, Dr Fomunyoh, however urged journalists to be ready “so that should there be an opening to rebuild the democratic process in our country, some of these recommendations can be treated as a matter of urgency and as a matter of priority”. 

Military option can’t resolve Anglophone crisis 

Dr Fomunyoh, who has been vocal and consistently consistent in pushing the Yaounde regime to seek solutions to end the bloodletting in the Anglophone Regions, also used the outing to reiterate that the military option adopted by the CPDM government cannot proffer solutions to the deepening conflict. 

“…we are not going to resolve this crisis solely by military means because in the interim, hearts are being hardened, people are being aggrieved, they are losing loved ones, losing professions, jobs, access to education,” he stated. 

“…the best way to bring the conflict to an end is to go through a negotiated peaceful approach,” he re-echoed, while urging Yaounde regime apologists to borrow a leaf from Ethiopia that is coming out of closed to a year of bloodshed to seek peace. 

Dr Fomunyoh warned of the impending risk of an entire generation of people not having access to proper education in the next decade if the crisis has to prolong. 

“When political grievances are raised, it is important to tackle them as political grievances and to find solutions because the solutions exist. The Anglophone crisis is not insurmountable, compared to other crises that I have seen other countries go through,” Dr Fomunyoh said.

He sounded upbeat that an end to the conflict would enable institutions like TFF, other human rights institutions and development organisations and partners to improve the wellbeing of Cameroonians nationwide. 

Zooms on recent Nigerian presidential election 

Reacting to the recent Nigerian presidential election, which his institution, NDI, observed, Dr Fomunyoh, said the outcome of the polls fell far below expectations. 

He said the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, left many Nigerians dissatisfied as it did not meet their expectations. 

The multi-international election observer said though Nigeria has made consistent efforts in election reforms to guarantee transparency, the hopes of transparency were largely not met.

He was however clear that the situation in Nigeria is better than what obtains in Cameroon. Dr Fomunyoh was clear that Nigeria has made great strides in its electoral process as the INEC runs its independent budget with time-tested technocrats as members.

Throws light on TFF’s empowerment Centre

As part of TFF’s mission to bring solace to the underprivileged and downtrodden, Dr Fomunyoh said TFF has remained at the fore of humanitarian activities in many Regions of the country.

He said the foundation has, through the Empowerment Centre in Yaounde, reached out to many Anglophone crisis Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs. The IDPs, who lost their livelihoods as a result of the crisis in the North West and South West Regions, he said, are also being equipped with skills in tailoring, marking and embroidering.

The Foundation’s Empowerment Centre, Dr Fomunyoh added, has also instituted a speakers’ program during which, experts are brought in within the month to talk to trainees on confidence-building and entrepreneurship to help them deal with trauma.

He also recalled strides made by TFF in assisting and empowering victims of the Boko Haram terrorist attacks in the Far North Region. He said the assistance was offered after TFF visited the administrative unit in 2015 when Boko Haram attacks were recurrent.

Dr Fomunyoh said he also used the trip to visit border villages and donated financial and material support, including sewing machines to help the population start-up income-generating activities. 

“At the time, I was one of the only high-profile Cameroonians to have gone up to Maroua on my own to spend some time with the population, talk to kids about staying away from Boko Haram and not allowing themselves to be diverted from focusing on education. I also visited refugee camps,” he recalled. 

The Founder/President of TFF, however regretted that with the ongoing crisis, the Foundation has not been able to function at its maximum. This, he quipped, is “paradoxically at a time when the crisis has created more people who are in need”. 

TFF Executive Director situates purpose of event 

Welcoming journalists for the press dinner earlier, the Executive Director of TFF, Prof Elizabeth Tamajong, said the meeting on the eve of World Press Freedom Day, was an opportunity for the foundation to reinforce its relations with the media.

TFF, Prof Tamanjong noted, is interested in promoting youth empowerment, social justice, democracy and human rights in the country.

Prof Elizabeth used the occasion to help journalists understand the role of the media in addressing rights and needs of IDPs. Some of the IDPs also shared their experiences and perspectives. 

Enter TFF IDP trainees 

The IDPs undergoing training at TFF Youth Empowerment Centre used the event to narrate their ordeals within the context of the Anglophone crisis and how the foundation has been changing their story for the better. 

“Being at TFF shows they are people who are still care and are willing to help,” one of the trainees told reporters, noting that the crisis has prevented them from furthering education after losing parents, property, loved ones, undergoing torture and rape among other traumatising experiences, added to other challenges of housing and marginalisation in their host communities. 

They appealed to journalists to help raise awareness on their plight and shine the light on injustices in the country. They also used the event to display the different traditional outfits they design, thanks to the free training offered them by TFF, through its empowerment centre.