Communication Minister Threatens Ban On "Morning Safari"

By Kini Nsom

The Minister of Communication, Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam, has warned that he would ban CRTV's talk show programme, "Morning Safari" if CRTV management does not take hard measures to douse its critical spirit.

In a meeting with CRTV management recently, the Minister reportedly complained that Morning Safari was too critical of government and public authorities.

A CRTV source told The Post that each time the journalists handle a critical topic on Morning Safari, the Minister would call the audio-visual house management to complain. As a result, management has continued to intimidate and threaten Morning Safari journalists with dismissal from CRTV.

The Post learned that the Director of Programme at the CRTV radio, Celestin Boten, has been chairing a series of meetings, attempting to cow the critical journalists into submission.
In one of such meetings last week, Boten said by producing programmes that were critical of government, the journalists were putting the hierarchy in serious problems.

"We will rather cut off your heads first before the powers that be cut ours," he reportedly said.Matters reportedly came to a head when one of the Morning Safari teams led by senior journalist, David Chuye Bunyui, rebroadcast a programme on the ongoing manoeuvres by the ruling CPDM party to amend article 6.2 of the Constitution. Guests on the programme and callers launched vituperative attacks on the constitutional amendment bid

In reaction, the Director of Programmes issued a service note on February 12, accusing Morning Safari journalists of treating a critical topic in an amateurish and irresponsible manner. The service note No.003/CRTV/DP-R that was pasted at the entrance to the broadcasting house, claims that the Morning Safari journalists were very contemptuous of public authorities in their programmes.

The service note also accuses the journalists of reading SMS messages in the programme (some of which have nothing to do with the topic of the day) without control. The journalists were equally charged with threatening peace and national unity, by taking telephone calls in the programme that are very critical of government.

"Even their choice of music on the programme is hazardous and provoking to certain people," partly reads the note. Consequently, the reading of direct SMS messages on the programme has been banned. The journalists on the programme now have to write out SMS messages and submit them to hierarchy before they are read out.

By that same token, the journalists would have to identity callers to the programme, record their reactions and edit them before broadcast. The service note states that the editorial policy of the public media must be respected at all costs, insisting that the choice of invited guests to participate "live" on the programme must be approved by the hierarchy.

According to the Director of Programmes, the choice of music on the programme must be in tandem with social peace, unity, love and progress. He warned that the Morning Safari coordinators and members of the team must bow to the above prescriptions or face the music.

Journalists of the programme wondered what crime they have committed because each time they are handling a critical topic, they invite a guest to defend government position as well as people with contrary views.

Since the appointment of Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam, whom many describe as a conservative, censorship seems to have fully returned to CRTV. The Post learned that the Editors-In-Chief of TV now have been compelled to always brief the Minister as to what they have in the news before it goes on air.

Meanwhile, many journalists are said to be still suffering from the malaise of the last appointments. Journalists of the Northwest origin are said to be screaming against marginalisation. Of the ten managers of CRTV Provincial Stations appointed recently, none of them is a Northwesterner. No Northwesterner was appointed Director with a budget.

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Comments

[Abdou]

Bullshit. Jean Pierre Biyiti Bi Essam is an idiot. The wind that is coming to sweep Popol will not leave him. These CRTV Journalist are only reaping what they have sown over the years. They totally neglected their professional ethics of telling Cameroonians the truth. Most of them were used to propagate lies especially when elections were being rigged by the regime.
Journalist, if all of you are to be dismissed because to say the truth, then accept it and join us in the streets to pull down this wicked, good for nothing regime.

[Fonngang]

Is Charlie Ndichia still the editor of this paper?.
The quality of reporting here has gone to an all time low.
I remember sometime ago a reporter wrote a story about someone arrested for possessing a number of bags of marjuana in Bui Division. I even as a Cameroonian might guess though inaccurately what sort of bags the reporter meant. Where they of identical volumes or what? For a paper aspiring for international readership I thought they should be employing some internationally understandable measurement units - for example the arrested person had about such and such kilograms of of the plant in his possession.
In the above article the reporter mentions the absence of a budget in the a position into which somebody has been appointed. Again a typical Cameroonian would readily understand its implications. Would that be the same case with a foreign reader? Moreso as a paper which should serve as a mirror of Cameroon to the world a little explanation about how the importance of budgetary control is in the deep rooted corruption in Cameroon would not have been be out of place.
FON

[Abdou]

Cher(e) Camerounais,
Que pensez vous a cette proposition?
Dear Cameroonians, What about this proposition?

SOLIDARITE CONTRE LA MODIFICATION DE ARTICLE 6(2) DE LA CONSTITUTION DE 1996 DU CAMEROUN
Vu que plus de 98% de Camerounais sont contre la modification de article 6(2) de la constitution de 1996 du Cameroun,
Lundi 03 Mars 2008 est déclarer une journée « Deuil National » contre tous les manœuvres pour modifier article 6(2) de la constitution.
A ce jour, nous habillions en NOIR en faisant nos activités respectives
CHANTONS LA MEME CHANSON
Résistons à tous les actes provocateurs. Notre procédure pour le moment reste pacifique

SOLIDARITY AGAINST THE AMENDMENT OF ATICLE 6 (2) OF THE 1996 CONSTITUTION OF CAMEROON
Mindful of the fact that more than 98 % of Cameroonians are against the amendment of this article 6(2) of the 1996 constitution of Cameroon,
Monday March 3rd 2008 has been declared a “National day of Mourning” against any move to amend article 6(2) of this constitution.
On this date, we will dress in BLACK and about our normal activities
LET’S JOIN THE CHORUS
Let’s resist all acts of provocation. Our procedure for now remain solemn

[kenedy Epie]

I have been a regular listener and contributed to the morning safari program several times while in Cameroon. This was (since the program has been faced-off) one of the few fora Anglophone Cameroonians had to freely express their opinions. There is no doubt that the Biya regime will continue to manifest its dictatorial skills. Censorship is a violation of human rights and freedoms of speech and expression. This is a sign that time is running out for the geronto-ruling class in the country. Mr. Minister, from your name i do not doubt your actions but remember that what ever you do today will hunt you tomorrow.
kenedy Epie
Helsinki, Finland

[Mburlih]

Morning Safari is the only program at the CRTV that broadcasts contradictory opinions on topics of national importance.Banning it will only confirm that public communication medium as his master's voice with no regard to the interests of the population that it pretends to serve and who pay for those services.
What is the regime's definition of debate when they in fact want to hear only praises for the King?
With regards to songs, it would be interesting to know whether they are considered anti-establishment simply because they reflect the traditional cultures of various parts of the country? Does the honorable minister want only bikutsi to be played to an audience that prefers something else? Where does that audience go to appreciate their own culture?
Finally those who think they are defending the regime by marginalizing the Anglophones in all aspects of national life are fertilizing the Southern Cameroons plant.