Cameroon: National Language Broadcasts Preoccupy MPs

[Harold Schiffman]

National Language Broadcasts Preoccupy MPs

Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
NEWS
18 June 2007


By Emmanuel Kendemeh


Four members of government were at the National Assembly on Friday, 15
June to answer questions from Members of Parliament on the occasion of
the second question time plenary sitting for the June 2007 ordinary
session of Parliament. The Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon.
Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, presided over the plenary sitting in the
presence of the Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of
Relations with the Assemblies.  Communication Minister, Ebenezer Njoh
Mouelle, answered Hon. Roger Nkodo Ndang's questions on the
disappearance of some important programmes broadcast in national
languages over CRTV Provincial Stations. With a particular focus on
the programme "Bebela ebug" of the CRTV Centre Provincial Station, the
Communication boss said that it was replaced by another programme "Aba
bekang".

According to Minister Njoh Mouelle, the presenter of the first
programme rendered it famous but had to go on retirement. He told MPs
that in each CRTV Provincial Station, there are programmes in the
national languages of the area. These programmes make up 20 to 40
percent of the programmes. The problems with programmes in the
national languages, he specified was that there are presented by
untrained stringers who consequently do not have a particular status
in the corporation. However, he said, there are studies underway on
ways of handling such personnel. Minister Njoh Mouelle also told MPs
that community radio stations, found all over the country, were almost
an extension of the CRTV Provincial Stations with regard to broad cast
in national languages. They relate and complement CRTV's work on
information, and mobilisation of the local population on health and
environmental issues.

The Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Territorial Administration
and Decentralisation, Emmanuel Edou, clarified MPs on the newly
created municipal councils. He stated that there were created taking
into consideration demographic growth, as well as human and natural
resources therein. Minister Edou said all was being done to make the
22 July elections free, fair and transparent through special
instructions and directives given local administrative officials. It
was an opportunity for him to state that the National Elections
Observatory and other structures concerned with elections will control
all elections in the country till Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), fully
comes into force in June 2008.

On his part, the Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Justice, Maurice
Kamto, assessed the level of the implementation of the Criminal
Procedure Code that went into force on 1 January this year. He said
much was being done. However, the judicial department was grappling
with the problems of insufficient infrastructure and human resources.
For example, he said, there were only 886 magistrates to cover the
entire country. The Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Environment
and Nature Protection Nana Aboubakar answered Hons. Jua Paulinus and
Nkodo Ndang's questions on the government's policy in managing waste,
and curbing activities that cause climate change.

http://allafrica.com/stories/200706181576.html

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