Biya’s Comments About Marafa: Its Implication

On June 15, 2012, all eyes and ears of Cameroonians were turned towards Nyabizan, a small locality in the Ntem Valley Division of the South Region where the Head of State, Paul Biya was personally present to lay the foundation stone of the Memve’ele Hydroelectric Power Project. After the crowd pulling ceremony, the Head of State was poised to leave the ceremonial grounds when the media accosted him to appreciate the event. The Head of State said the ceremony was grandiose as the population gave him a warm reception and were happy as the project had a brighter future ahead for them and Cameroonians. On the sidelines, Charles Ndongo, journalist of CRTV, the state run media posed a question that has been variously interpreted as a question that finally broke the ice in what is now considered in Cameroon as the Marafa Affair. He wanted to know whether the Head of State was indifferent to the open letters of Marafa. President Paul Biya calmly responded in the French Language, “La justice est indépendante. On la laissse agir et les resultats qui en sortiront, nous les accepterons. D’autre part, je n’ai pas à commenter les commentaires. This roughly translated into the English Language means, “The judiciary is independent. We should allow it act and any verdict that comes out we shall all respect. On the other hand, I do not comment on commentaries”. These comments by Paul Biya have been interpreted differently by the media. Some media organs think that Paul Biya answered Marafa while others think that he refused to answer Marafa.  Which ever way, Paul Biya’s comments about Marafa have underlying meaning and serious implication, given that President Paul Biya over the years has been known to be a man of few words, but few words that have linguistic implications and meaning not easily grasped by many. Paul Biya is a man of his words and hardly utters words that he does not master their implications.

For instance, when he took the reins of power, he tagged his reign on rigour and moralisation. Nobody took him seriously then, but he has remained steadfast to these principles over the years and most of his collaborators have been caught pants down. Before the economic crises hit Cameroon, Paul Biya asked Cameroonians to fold their sleeves and embark on agriculture as the only means to mitigate the effects of the economic crises. Most of his compatriots did not again take him seriously, yet agriculture remained the only solution that bailed Cameroon out of the economic crises. Before the advent of multiparty politics, Paul Biya told militants of the CPDM to be prepared for competition, and again most disregarded his forewarnings to the point of marching on the streets to pre-empt multiparty politics, and it came to sweep most of them off their feet. This is a clear indication that Paul Biya measures his words and his words are always pregnant with meaning and implications.

Implication Of Paul Biya’s Comments On Marafa

The famous Operation Epervier(Operation Sparrow Hawk) that has for the past years picked up high profile Cameroonians for embezzlement entered the third phase on April 16, 2012 when Chief Thomas Ephraim Inoni, former Prime Minister and Marafa Hamidou Yaya, former Secretary General at the Presidency, former Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization, MINATD, were picked up and thrown into the Kondengui Central Prison on charges of embezzlement of funds destined for the purchase of a presidential aircraft. Their arrest was unprecedented due to the fact that though dropped from the government, they still went about their normal activities unperturbed by police or investigators. It came at the heels of recent pronouncements by President Paul Biya during the Third Ordinary Congress of the CPDM where he declared that the fight against corruption was going to intensify and will not spare anybody irrespective of his status, tribal or political leaning. Paul Biya reiterated this warning during campaigns for the October 9 Presidential Election. Thus the arrest of Inoni and Marafa was like translating words into action in the drive towards purging Cameroon of corruption and embezzlement of public funds. What was surprising to many Cameroonians was the speed at which Inoni and Marafa were arrested, indicating that the Head of State meant business in the fight against corruption. Their first summons to appear in front of the Investigating Magistrate ended with their arrest, sending shock waves down the spines of their supporters and panic amongst other cabinet ministers that were still in government or had been dropped from government.

It is on record that most of those arrested on charges of embezzlement who were close collaborators of the Head of State, or who thought they were untouchables because of their tribal or filial relationship with the Head of State started by refusing to collaborate with investigators and the judiciary, arguing that they would only speak if the Head of State was on the know that they were being investigated or arrested. After waiting in vain for a word from the Head of State, most of them accepted their fate and decided to face the music of the judiciary. Others once arrested decided to remain silent and quietly meditate their crimes in preventive detention or quietly serve their prison terms after being found guilty of the charges levied against them. Yet others have been known to become agitators in prison, writing books, letters to the Head of State or ranting about their detention. However, the case of Marafa Hamidou Yaya stands out clear, due to the number of open letters he has written to the Head of State and the amount of state secrets that he was privy to that he has put at the market place of ideas. Actually Marafa’s open letters have become the topic of discussions and debates in the media and public life in Cameroon.

Since Marafa fired his first salvo at the Head of State in his first open letter, most Cameroonians thought the Head of State was going to respond. He remained silent and unperturbed and Marafa kept on churning out letters from his prison cells until he was transferred to SED. Some close collaborators of President Paul Biya tried to answer Marafa but the Head of State remained silent. Some Cameroonians were quick to point to the Head of State’s silence as acceptance of the accusations on him by Marafa in the open letters.

Paul Biya broke the silence on June 15, 2012 and completely debunked the Marafa’s letters with few words, saying that they are mere commentaries and he does not comment on commentaries. The implication is that as far as Paul Biya is concerned, the Marafa’s letters that are making headline news to some Cameroonians are inconsequential. Calling them mere commentaries, Paul Biya implies that the letters have no substance and do not address pertinent issues, thus do not require any answer.  But the most important comment of the Head of State is the fact that the judiciary is independent. Paul Biya is known to be a legalist. If he has not answered Marafa so far it is perhaps partly because he considers Marafa’s letters inconsequential and partly because he as a legalist is aware that when an issue is in the hands of the judiciary all comments about the issue should be avoided. Paul Biya went ahead to indicate that the verdict of the judiciary will be respected by all. It implies that if Marafa and the others that have been arrested on charges of embezzlement are found not guilty by the independent judiciary, they will be released and he the Head of State will respect the verdict. The statement that the judiciary is independent and its verdict would be respected by all should be comforting to those who might have been erroneously arrested and to those who have justifications to prove their innocence. It comes to prove Paul Biya as a state’s man with magnanimity and the zeal to see justice prevail irrespective of who is concerned. It is equally a pointer to other collaborators of the Head of State that nobody is untouchable, because despite the impression given by Marafa in his open letters that he was closest to the Head of State, he is today in the hands of justice and the Head of State cannot intervene to free him.