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Continuing, Yembe observed that as a journalist and writer himself, he has never known of an occasion when a book launch is done in the absence of the author or even his representative to be presented and to autograph the bought copies! He wondered why the entire Government bench composed only of Southern Cameroonians have to leave their demanding tasks in Yaoundé to join the entire North West ‘Etat Major’ to launch the book of an obscure French writer. Was the Cameroon government mandated by this French boy to promote and launch the book for him, Yembe wondered aloud.

By Martin Yembe as Observer and Participant in Bamenda

Biya’s latest agenda to crush the Southern Cameroons’ struggle and completely implant his “Mr. Clean” image on the citizens of this territory has been made public. The event took the Bamenda people like a storm, when the state-owned CRTV began broadcasting a special news bulletin from NW Governor, on a very high profile delegation from Yaoundé to launch a very important book in Bamenda. The invitees to the book launch were all North West Fons; All CPDM Section Presidents; All members of the Civil Society; all sons and daughters of the North West.

The North West Governor had to extend the invitation to all the SDOs, Delegates, North West. And indeed, the North West Fons, the Delegates and the CPDM militants filled the Bamenda Congress Hall on Wednesday July 22nd, 2009.

By the time the press got to the hall, the high table was occupied by the following: Chairman and chief organizer Hon. Simon Achidi Achu; Prof. Leke Tambo (Sec. Gen. Ministry of Secondary Education); Prof. Fru Angwafor (Sec. Gen. Ministry of Public Health); Dr. Carlistus FUH ( Secretary of State Mines and Industrial Development); Dr. Dion Ngute Joseph (Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with the commonwealth); Pr. Elvis Ngolle Ngolle(Minister of forest and the Faun); others included John B. Ndeh; Governor, NW, SDO, NW; Government Delegate, Bamenda, the entire ‘Etat Major’ of the Governor. And right behind the Top Men were cronies like Simon Nkwenti (who goes for leader of NW Civil Society) and NW Fons

The Exaltations

After the welcome address of the Government Delegate Vincent Nji Ndumu, Prof. Leke Tambo was presented as the moderator and coordinator of the launch, with Achidi Achu as the Chief Launcher. He enumerated what he considered as Biya’s grand achievements in Bamenda since 1982.

In his opening presentation, Prof. Leke declared that the title of the book being launched is “The Biya Code” by little known French journalists-cum writer, Francois Mattei. He prefaced the book which traces Biya’s “angelic” birth , childhood, school life, seminary experience, stay in France and rich career in the Ahidjo regime from 1962- 1982, before beginning the Biya era which, according to the French author, is the best reign by any African leader ever. The author thus qualifies Biya as the one African leader who has done what Napoleon left undone; hence the book’s title: The Biya Code.

The other panelists put the book aside and delivered sermons of exaltations and saintly portrait of the man, Biya. He is good at manipulating his peers like Abacha and Obasanjo (the Bakassi case!). For having resolved a century-old standing problem at Bakassi. Biya has beaten the record of any African Statesman. Biya never hurries with his decisions, they said, and his persevering attitude has always paid off for peace and unity to reign. He prefers negotiation to confrontation, they added. His “achievements” and plans for the coming years were laid bare for Bamenda and North West people to evaluate and join his line. Reason why Governor Abakat enjoined all ‘reasonable’ North Westerners should vote Biya in the forthcoming elections.

When Achidi Achu took the floor, he declared in his usual language (Pidgin) that Biya is so good that it is foreigners who are seeing it, because, according to him, Biya has worked for what he has today. He lashed out at those claiming that Biya’s wealth is ill-gotten.

He then called on Fon Angwafor to make a statement on behalf of the NW Fons. The Fon made a very serious revelation by “thanking the Government for organizing the Book Launch in Bamenda”! It then became clear that the Cameroon Government was not only supporting the author, but organizing the book launch.

It was then announced that the second launch will be in Buea. Achidi Achu called for a song and one was intoned, viz: “CPDM is rising, rising rising, CPDM is rising to fall no more!” …with Achidi Achu seen clapping his hands and dancing.

Of course, the moderator concluded by calling on all to purchase the book and spread the good words to all so that Biya will continue to rule and he concluded “the best is yet to be done”.

It should be noted that the sub-title of the book is: “Biya, the Secretive President”. Given that, it beats anyone’s imagination that this French writer should know a lot about the very Biya whom he claims in an interview on BBC Afrique he has never met.

Question/Answer Session

The floor was given to three questions from the floor.

The first two were CPDM militants who called for copies of the book to be made available in all the divisions.

The third chance was taken by Martin Fon Yembe, a member of the NW Civil Society. He observed firstly that it has been established very vividly that French people know more about Biya than his compatriots, for barely weeks after a French NGO (CCFD-Solidaire) came out with the nastiest report on Mr. Biya, here comes another French man (a supposed biographer, Monsieur Francois Mattei) with the most angelic image cleansing book ever written about any living African leader…not even Mandela! Yembe corroborated his claims by the fact that Mr. Biya is wont to granting interviews on French media and never to his home media…reason why the French seem to know him more than his compatriots.

Continuing, Yembe observed that as a journalist and writer himself, he has never known of an occasion when a book launch is done in the absence of the author or even his representative to be presented and to autograph the bought copies! He wondered why the entire Government bench composed only of Southern Cameroonians have to leave their demanding tasks in Yaoundé to join the entire North West ‘Etat Major’ to launch the book of an obscure French writer. Was the Cameroon government mandated by this French boy to promote and launch the book for him, Yembe wondered aloud.

Yembe further concluded in his observations that in Ngolle Ngolle’s presentations, it was made clear that the author writes “as an insider…for he delves into some details known only to Biya’s Cabinet …like the case of how Biya reacted on a Dinner table in Switzerland in June 2006 when it was being announced that Biya had died. Thus, Yembe concluded that either the author Francois Mattei is someone in Biya’s Cabinet or he was paid and given information to write on for ‘Image Cleansing!’

Lastly, Yembe wished to know why only Bamenda and Buea have been chosen for the supposed book launch whose original is in French.

The only answer that came from Prof. Leke was that the government is not launching but presenting the book. And that was the end of it. All the Fons were assured copies and funds were made available for them to open the launch (each copy costing CFA 16,000.)

The most ridiculous and queer intervention came in from a certain Madam Elizabeth Mofor, Principal of GBHS Bamenda, who accepted to read a prepared Motion of Support to Biya for being given such a wonderful painting by a French man! The motion went on to thank Biya for appointing their son as Prime Minister, and ended with a call for Biya to accept being the natural candidate of their party.

The Agenda

Led by Martin Yembe’s GLOBINET, the hall then erupted as many shouted at the so-called Civil Society representative… and it all ended with the various invited groups fighting over sandwiches and beer.

What is still baffling to some observers is why the Biya government will take the pains to launch or “present” someone’s book in his absence and spend so much to do so. Each of the over 80 Fons was transported fed and lodged in Bamenda; the Pressmen were well taken care of to polish their stories; several dance groups were given huge envelops and the entire panel was made up of top government officials.

On a very large banner on the heads of the panelists was this inscription:

“NO TO MANIPULATION AND INTOXICATION READ ‘THE BIYA CODE BIYA, OUR PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE”

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