Only A New Gov't Can Save Cameroon From Corruption - Hon. Yoyo

Interviewed By Kini Nsom

Hon. Emmanuel Yoyo, Member of Parliament for Ngokintunjia constituency, says the Biya government is incapable of fighting corruption. According to him, if the Biya government really wants to fight corruption, it will be fighting against itself because most of its members are corrupt. In an exclusive interview with The Post recently, Hon. Yoyo, who is one of the questors at the National Assembly, claimed that some government officials who are said to have been detained on charges of corruption, have really been detained because they are political enemies of the Head of State.

The Post: While presenting government social economic, financial and cultural programme, the Prime Minister promised to fight corruption more than ever before. Do you believe him?

Hon. Yoyo: I don't believe him because government makes such promises every year and nothing happens. We in the SDF Parliamentary Group have been doing everything to assist government in the fight against corruption, but there is a clear lack of  political will. We brandished proof that the former Minster of Education, Charles Etoundi, was involved in corrupt practises.

We called for the creation of a parliamentary commission of enquiry but government snubbed us. We earlier provided evidence that FEICOM General Manager was embezzling billions of FCFA of state funds, but government allowed him to continue to cause the damage until he was sacked recently.

When the present Minister of Finance was still Director of Taxes, we equally presented evidence to show that he was involved in financial rackets. But in an apparent reply to our endeavour, the Head of State instead appointed Abah Abah the Minister of the Economy and Finance. How can you keep a rat to take care of groundnuts? How can you keep a monkey to take care of bananas?

This government is not committed in fighting corruption. The general impression I have is that it arrests only those who disagree with the Head of State politically and not embezzlers of public funds.

The Head of State seems to mean business this time because a few hours after he said embezzlers would no longer be tolerated, the former FEICOM GM,Ondo Ndong was sacked…..

By saying that, does it mean that he used to tolerate corruption before? I know that he once asked Cameroonians to provide proof when they complained that government officials were embezzling state funds. As I said before, we presented proof in parliament and nothing was done to the embezzlers. It means nothing to me when the President says he will no longer tolerate embezzlers of public funds. It is a question of wait and see.

Cameroon this time appears not to have done so badly in the corruption perception index published by Transparency International, what is your view?

I must tell you straight away that I am not comfortable with the people who are leading Transparency International, branch in Cameroon. It is unacceptable that the President of Transparency International Cameroon is moving about with members of government and the Prime Minister in a bid to defend Cameroon abroad, and say the country is not corrupt. You can imagine how much he  has been collaborating with government. So, I don't even want to take the corruption perceptive index into account. I think that if the rating was honestly done, we might have had worse results.

The President of Transparency International, Cameroon, Barrister Akere Muna, is a lawyer. What is wrong with him travelling with the Prime Minister to defend Cameroon?

If the Prime Minister wanted to travel with a lawyer, why not take the President of the Bar Council? What criteria did they use in choosing Muna? Is he the only lawyer in the country? If they wanted to take a lawyer with an official capacity, it would have been the President of the Cameroon Bar council. By the way, what did the Prime Minister want a lawyer to go and do in the US? I think it is not a coincidence that the lawyer in charge of monitoring corruption in the country was the one chosen to go about with the Prime Minister.

You are probably also aware that this very President of Transparency International, Cameroon, has been elected Vice President of Transparency International in the word. Iis that not a sign that he has credibility and a sign of confidence that the rest of the world have in him?

Well, it does not mean anything. The rest of the world may have their confidence in him, but I am talking of what we are living in Cameroon. I don't think he was made Vice President because he was found more honest or more capable than all representatives of all other countries. I frown at the fact that our Transparency International President should be moving around with members of government to defend Cameroon's file on corruption

There is much activity in the fight against corruption. There are anti-corruption committees in the ministries yet you claim that government is not committed. Do you think it is all propaganda?

It is big propaganda. I want to tell you that some of those committees may even be more corrupt than some of the corrupt people that we know. We want to see results of the work that they are doing. We don't need to hear that there are anti-corruption committees all over the place.

We want to hear that this or that government official has been detained on charges of corruption in a very objective manner. You know, there is one thing; many Cameroonians, especially of the ruling CPDM party, are aware of this fact that once in that party they are safe and that is why many of them who are corrupt will not leave the party. They are safe until they have political differences with the Head of state

In such a situation, what can the opposition MPs do to fight corruption in this country?

What we have been doing in the past is what we will continue to do. I quoted a few cases to you, where we tried to expose corrupt members of government so that they may be arrested and investigated. We will continue to do that. We submitted a private members bill on the declaration of assets as provided for by the constitution. This bill makes it imperative for people in high places, including MPs to declare their assets. It's unfortunate that our initiative was blocked, but we will continue with our endeavours.
 

So you were ready to declare your assets?

Of course, when I go asking that people should declare their assets, it means that I am just very ready and happy to declare my assets.

There is talk that MPs, even some opposition MPs are involved in corruption, how would you react to this?

I think what people are saying is very true, it's very correct.  I will say that when you find many business people coming to Parliament, it is clear that most of them are coming to hide and use the parliamentary immunity as a shield against prosecution for their malpractices.

We have so many of such people in parliament. I will not be ashamed to tell you that in the last legislature, one MP from my party, the SDF, was caught in a drug racket in Paris. He was arrested with marijuana and we were the ones who put pressure on government to investigate him .We later dismissed him from our party. We don't condone such things. 

It is also alleged that some MPs are feymen. Do you sometimes feel embarrassed that such people are your colleagues?

Any MP worth that title should be very unhappy if he/she hears that amongst them, there are people who do not deserve to be called honourable members of parliament because of their activities. So, I am not happy to hear that there are such people in our parliament. We have so many people here who are suspected and declared openly to be feymen, and that really embarrasses me a lot. But there is really nothing we can do about that.

You have travelled out of this country a couple of times, how much esteem do people have for you when they discover that you are a Cameroonian?

Let me tell you that all these things depend on the circle in which you find yourself. I know very well that before, Cameroonians were very highly respected out of this country. I know that for some time now Cameroonians are not respected as before, but I don't want to put all the blames on Cameroonians.

There are many people from other countries, especially neighbouring countries who have involved themselves in things in the name of Cameroonians. They manage and have Cameroonian passports and then when arrested, they are taken for Cameroonians. Verifications in so many instances have proven that those people are not Cameroonians. We Cameroonians have contributed for the bad image that we have outside.

Do you think Cameroon will be able to repair its battered image as one of the most corrupt countries in the world?

Yes, why not? But it needs a team with the political will to fight corruption. But I think the present regime cannot do it. We need a new team because even if this regime wants to truly fight corruption, it will only be fighting itself. Only a new government that has a political will to fight corruption will do the trick.    
       
    

Comments

[Akini Fred]

Hon Yoyo.
You make some good points there but I'll slightly disadgree with you on one fact.
The fact that we disagree at home should not automatically make us enemies abroad. I honestly hate the present CPDM gov't for the economic, social and political crisis that is currently rocking our country. However, I'll do anything positive with thesame regime to sell the image of our country abroad in order to lure foreign investors to come to our country. To the best of my knowledge, that is exactly what lawyer Akere Muna did when he travelled with the prime minister abroad. Of course, I disagree with the CPDM members only in terms of ideologies and implementation. The remain our brothers/sisters that we must eat with. It is therefore wrong to question Muna's travels abroad with the PM.

[Ejike Mouluh]

Hon Yoyo is making a smart point of principle which Akini Fred misses. There is a clear conflict of interest involved when Barrister Akere Muna while as the local TI President accepts travel jaunts with the PM. That gives the appearance of corruption which is itself discomforting.

This is like the dog befriending a fox around the barn. Hens have to worry. When suspects start dining with the police then we got a problem!

Barrister Akere MUNA knows better to avoid blurring the expectation of independence between TI and the ruling clique. To fail to appreciate Hon Yoyo's fine point is to be undeserving of TI's local presence.

Impressions can count as much as facts in public perceptions. It is up to TI to censor Akere Muna for such lapses of good judgment.

[Akini Fred]

Akere Muna is a patriotic Cameroonian. To the best of my knowledge, he travelled to the United States as a lawyer and not as president of IT-Cameroon. Don't get me wrong. I am a strong critique of this regime, but I'll do everything possible to joint them in luring foreign parters to invest in Cameroon. That is the point I am making. I don't want to disabuse some of the great points that Hon Yoyo advances here because of his own human weaknesses. For example, there is conflict of interest when Hon Yoyo use his office to give his son a contract at the national assembly.

[NjifenztBD(U.K)]

Akini Fred should be aware that skyrocketing taxes levied on foreign investors makes an aweful lot of them to flee.Our so -called economic expert want to seek economic growth cynically.
Akini Fred should get on with the good job,but iam certain it be absolutely of no consequence as the entire hegemony is systematically corrupt.The one who thinks differently, is either sacked, replaced or seen as enemy of the country.Maybe
This is what i think the Hon.Parliamentarian means in brief and perhaps Muluh is just helping you not to waste your time.

[Riccardo]

Brother Akini,

You are a True Patriot. I personally disagree with the GOP in Cameroon. But I believe there are many people in that Government who sincerely want to have things change.
I admire you for your thinking. We are all fighting to peacefully change our Country into a Modern Democracy.
We have to keep fighting the good fight...
We have to be part of the solution not part of the problems.
Let's keep being Progressive...
Things will change for the better...

I salute you brother Progressist!
May God Bless you!

Riccardo

[Reader]

The internet is an opened eye to the entire world of today and as such, there is no shred of information that can be hidden from the international community's eye. The tarnished image of African nations to the outside world isn't something African nations can as before, go to flatter the world. If the image is better, the world will be the first to know and then informs Africans of their improvement. In fact, this is an issue that most people do not actually understand how it works. It is not gospel preaching but absolute practicality. Afircan governments may go to preach to the higher ups of developed worlds but they fail to understand that they are just there to endorse decisions taken by their citizens and these citizens are the real people that provide the bulk of information about what is happening on the African continent. They do come to the continent and move around observing what is actually going on, how things are being done and immediately communicate their real observations. That explains why government is always failing to woo potential foreign investments; because before they go to tell lies to the international community, they have the true facts already. Fighting corruption means putting in place a strong legal framework with emphasis on morals, otherwise we are running on the wrong road and are already loser.

[Ejike Mouluh]

Akini,

Patriotism is the bastion of thieves. Do you think anthem-chanting high ranking officials deserve the money in their overseas accounts?

Akere Muna is blurring public expectations and should be rightly censored. If you have a point to make about Hon. Yoyo's son then make it on merit. Don't mix both issues.

Akere Muna cannot be a lawyer and the TI President at separate times. A budget director cannot be the boss and the thief at separate times. People expect a great deal of independence from the TI president.

It is not Muna's job to bring in overseas investment. An American investor will be very suspicious of a TI president in the PM's entourage.

[NjifenztB.D.(U.K)]

Dear Anonymous reader, i totally agree with what you have written.Sound Opinion!
If you truely dedicate your time to read most of the critical material on this space, you gonna realise that all what you have said is very obvious.With no disrespect, i would have written the obvious too.
Being a loyal contributor, i hope that people will not stop drumming the same point over and over.Just like you and myself.

[Charles Forkwa]

Here is the catch 22: We disaprove of the goverment but would encourage investments in Cameroon. The same investments that will be adversely affected by the bad policies and curruption in government. Does that make sense to anybody? If the institutions that are favourable to business are not in place what will encouraging investment ventures acheive? Am I missing something? Are you saying that business and investment are not affected by government policies and currupt practices?
The ANC in South Africa had to propose investment buycot as a way of making the goernment capitulate. All these people who keep talking about the image of Cameroon and how they love Cameroon are missing the point. We all love Cameroon, but we all know what happens when you cling blindly to something you love. You become irrational and biased. You fail to see forest for the trees. When investments dry up there will be no more skimming ground for the currupt officials and they will crumble. By the way, the citizens of Cameroon that you all love so much are not benefiting from the current investment opportunities. So drying up investments will not hurt the undeprevileged one iota.

[NjifenztB.D.(U.K)]

Charles
I think we can let potential investors know what lies ahead ,so they can decide what to do.It is a spittingly uncouth image to lobby for investors just because you want to reap them off their money.
Those who chose to do business are encourage to do so. However, we can benefit from lots of investors if veritable economic reforms are on the way to attract them.Being a bad gov't doesnot imply the discontinuity of this idea.
Loopholes must be emphasised.You donot stop taking your medicines just because your G.P has announced that you are terminally ill.When you die in the course of your treatment,lessons would have been learnt, as a new child would be bourn.This is the path our country is driving on.
I don't see the catch 22 here.

[King EL]

I totally agree with the MP. Fighting corruption in Cameroon is comparable to finding a cure for the HIV virus. Though achievable, the propensity of success is very slim. Those who are supposed to fight corruption are corrupt and rationality will teach us that no one will fight against himself/herself. Corruption is fast becoming a religion or a sub-culture in Cameroon.

Not to be very pessismistic, we will surely need more than prayers and time.

God hear our prayer!

King Elvis

[Reader1]

For Cameroon to positively move forward she must anathematise and uproot corruption not suppressing it. The simple pill for that is just restoring morality in its entirety. It is a question of absolute practicality in the entire society, not ostensibly chasing shadows in Yaounde. The whole nation is rotten from top to bottom. corruption is not simply embezzling finances but dishonesty in all forms, envy, greed etc. The question is why and how are we corrupt?

[Charles Forkwa]

NjifenztB:
Letting potential investors know what lies ahead is telling the truth about the investment policies
in Cameroon, right? I did not quite understand the point you were trying to make here. Are you saying
that investing is devoid of government policies - official or not? The amount of money that potential investors
spend in bribes and frivolous taxation does two things. It increases operations costs which in turn increase
price of their services, secondly it eliminates any hope for charitable contributions if that company were so inclined,
which would help in improving the lives of the population..These two aspects do not bode well for any economy.
Being a bad government means bad policies which hurts business. Business does not operate in a governmentLESS vacuum. Government makes polices that can hurt or benefit a business.
The only loopholes I can see anyone emphasising is more bribery and curruption. That is what seems to grease the wheels at every turn. Are you saying that we continue to feed Cameroon the same curruption and backpedalling medicine until it dies? Then what lesson would we have learned? If you know the patient is going to die and you have a drastic new treatment won't you try that?
What Cameroon needs is a drastic new approach to solving its problems. I am tired of apeacement and pacification with no eveidenc of progress. Can you give me concrete examaples of :
(1) Infrastructure improvements- roads, power & water. Yaounde-Douala-Tiko-Limbe/Younde-Nknongsamba-Bafausam-Bamenda ---- do not count, they are the same ones that have been there for years and the majority of Camroonians live well outside of these mtros. I am talking about the wine tapper who is able to quickly get his mbu to market before it spoils. That is the person that needs a good road the most.
(2) Tax policies that encourage business. Current assessment and collection practices are left to the whims of the collectors. They walk into your business and can asses whatever they feel.
I am not the only one expressing this line of thought, so crusifying me will not stop it.
You have every right to continue advocating your position but that is just buying time.