French press slam African leader’s lavish holidays
RFI Worldwide, Tuesday 01 September 2009
The French press have been spattering ink over the lavish holidays of Cameroonian President Paul Biya, whose country is to receive 537 million euros in French aid over the next five years.
Presidential holidays have often turned into poisoned gifts for world leaders whose summer activities are scrutinised by press and pundits. Cameroon's President Paul Biya is the latest to attract media attention for his costly holidays in the fashionable French sea resort of La Baule.
The presidential couple, Paul, his wife Chantal and their followers, have taken up residence in two luxury hotels in the western resort, occupying 43 rooms for three weeks at an estimated total cost of 800,000 euros, according to French media reports. And that’s not including restaurants, shopping sprees and luxury spas.
Staff at five-star hotel L’Hermitage confirmed that the Cameroonian leader was staying at the hotel for three weeks but refused to comment on the number of rooms he had booked.
Biya’s holidays has attracted much media attention because France announced in July it would grant Cameroon 537 million euros over five years to battle debt and poverty. According to the CIA factbook, almost half of the Cameroonian population lives below the poverty line.
According to French website Rue89, the added costs of summer holidays for US President Barack Obama, former US president George W. Bush and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have all been dwarfed by Biya’s expenses during his visit to La Baule.
The Obama family relaxed for a week on the US island Martha’s Vineyard, renting a house for an estimated 24,000 to 35,000 euros at their own expense. The question begs to be answered, who will foot the bill for Biya’s slinky French vacations?
Honoured in La Baule
While the press have been picking at Biya’s expenses, La Baule's mayor Yves Metaireau chose to honour the African leader and grant him the town’s medal of honour during a ceremony at the town hall on Friday.
“We are receiving a friend,” said the mayor, who refrained from commenting on Cameroonian politics and the country’s poor human rights record.
“This is the third time we have visited La Baule. We are very attached to this town and we are sure to come back,” said Biya in an interview with French daily Ouest France.
Meanwhile, French anti-corruption NGOs regularly accuse Biya of embezzlement and organisation Transparency International rates the country as one of the world’s most corrupt states.
Paris-based NGO CCFD, whose enquiries into properties owned by African leaders led to a legal probe in May, has accused Biya of using public funds to buy a villa in France and to fund an esoteric organisation, known as l’Osti.
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By Louis Egbe Mbua (Originally published in Living Lights), Tuesday, 25 August 2009
It is a strange twist of fate: how privilege can turn into disaster; how the privileged elite may be so wrong headedly spoilt -- such a pity. A touch down at the Douala Airport in Cameroon reinforces beliefs that what is served on a platter of gold may turn out to be a bitter pill that may not be swallowed by hard-working citizens. For almost half a century, the elite of this part of Cameroon have held sway in Power. Ahmadou Ahidjo from Garoua came; did his own part of development and left. Monsieur Paul Biya, from Mvomeka, again from French-Speaking Cameroon also arrived, did little or nothing and has never left after 27 years. The English-Speaking Cameroon on the West Bank of the River Mungo has not had a look in. Rather, their human and natural resources have been looted, supposedly going to develop Douala, Edea, Ebolowa, Garoua all in La Republique du Cameroun; so the story goes. Or is it?
Arriving Douala, the economic powerhouse of Cameroon paints a completely different story. One could hardly recognise the once shining and state-of the art international Airport, which was the pride of Cameroon. The deterioration of this once colossal edifice is frightening. Tiles have never been replaced; no electronic notice board to inform passengers on their various destinations and schedule. Is this Africa? Well, yes but Africa in the sub-sahara. A few hours behind, one had arrived Tripoli from Gatwick, London on board The Afriquiyah Airways with their distinctive 9.9.99 logo on the Airbus 320. While one can say that Gatwick was a class ahead, Tripoli was not far behind in their organisation. Nobody asked for a bribe to pass through custom. Although flights are delayed, there was a modern electronic notice board detailing the different flight schedules. Another Africa? No. A Renaissance Africa? Perhaps. Development? Correct. Back to Douala.
The external decorations of the International Airport have remained untouched for at least 30 years. The old paint has worn off; the assignations have never been renovated. Okay, that may be due to the crise economique that has been on-going since 1987 -- 22 years now. At least there must be something good about Douala. We have Swiss Air, Belgian Airlines, Air France, Kenyan Airways and all the popular Air carriers landing at the Douala International Airport. Now, who are these people coming to Cameroon; and why? Firstly, on arrival and checking out, there is a mass of unemployed youths roaming around the airport --looking for the odd job here and there that may be provided by incoming travellers. So, why are they not given jobs in the city? A quick glance at the roads around the Douala Airport provides tentative answers. These roads have not been maintained for at least twenty years. Where have the revenues from all the Airport taxes gone to? I asked one of the youngsters hanging around. Well, you may ask Mr. Paul Biya was his answer, shrugging his shoulders. Now why not renovate the entire Airport, providing these youths with real employment; at the same time generate revenue from taxes?
We are now going into the City. A whiff of unpleasant smell caught my attention; and I was forced to ask more questions. So I asked my brother: What exactly is this smell? Well, there is a stagnant lake just over the other side. Animals come there to drink was his rapid response. I never asked any more questions as to what, exactly, are the kinds of animals. Why would a city have animals apart from domesticated ones? What kinds? We drove passed the palm tree lined roads of the old beautiful Douala. I noticed all the old buildings. The difference is that they have deteriorated; the paint has all worn off. Don't the owners of these buildings do renovations? Well, no, was the answer. Why? I was met with a deafening silence as though I had committed a crime. So, I had to think of an answer. I began by questioning my own mind. Now, I thought, all the money from SONARA (The State owned National Refinery in Victoria) and the Cameroon Development Corporation (Again based in Victoria) ends up in the Douala City Council in one form or the other? Yes, was the response that entered my inquisitive mind. So, what happened to these funds? Then like flash of lightning, I recalled that there is a Prison Centrale in New Bell, Douala. Who are these people in this prison? Well, a number of people who have allegedly embezzled money from the City Council. How much money? I reminded myself of people stealing millions of pounds of state money; and that some of them are locked up in New Bell. Now, I see. Off to the City.
The next day, early in the morning, I was woken up from my fourth floor flat by a thunderous noise of a multitude of machines. I went to the Balcony to investigate. What I saw was frightening. There were at least a hundred cyclists buzzing through the street transporting people -- women, men, children, and goods on their heads -- no protection. At first glance, I thought it was a motorcycle race. So, I asked: who are these people? I was viewed with surprise and half-laughter. These are "bend-skins". Most of them are graduates from University, they said. They had no jobs after completing their various courses. These machines provide them with jobs; and that this has actually cut down crime since they were idle. All good: and fine. But this is too simplistic a solution and a waste of talent, I said. The solution to this transport problem is easy. Why not build flyovers to cut down traffic congestion in Douala? More effectively, why not build an underground train system like in London so these graduates can apply their knowledge of accountancy, law, management and engineering? This will wipe out this maddening traffic in one full swipe. After all there is money. Nobody answered me. It seemed I was having a soliloquy.
Now, let me go out to see. Went out, there was enterprising spirit amongst the population -- traders, big business, banking and commerce. I decided to take a closer look at the drainage system. The entire drainage appears to have been blocked with all kinds of residues. Why can't the City Council contract a cleaning firm to clean this City every day? This will provide employment, prevent diseases such as malaria, put money into the nation's tax coffers, reduce crime? What is the point of all these companies doing business in an unclean city?
There are good parts of Douala which I have not mentioned. But the point of contention is that having privileged Francophone elite who hold sway of power does not guarantee development. For 50 years French-speaking Cameroon has been wielding power, taking resources from English-speaking Cameroon. One would have expected them to use it to advance their own part of the country. But they have done the complete opposite -- running down French-speaking Cameroon to the point of disrepair. Douala is a neglected City.
Media Exposes Biya's Lavish Expenditure in France
But Cameroon Government Fights Back
By Chrsitopher Ambe Shu, The Recorder Newsline
BUEA - Cameroon President, Paul Biya , who was recently cited by a French NGO of having enormous ill-gotten wealth hidden abroad,has again been a subject of harsh media attack.
French media have just reported that the Cameroonian president and co. who are in France since Mid -August ,have been spending each day 27 million 300 hundred thousand francs on hotel bills.But Cameroon Minister of Communication has dismissed the report as false.
Following is a press release issued by the Minister of Communication.
«The Minister of Communication is hereby informing both national and international opinion that on 28 August 2009, some French based media, France Inter, Radio Fidélité Nantes and a cybernetic journal published articles on the Head of State's visit to France. The articles were taken over by some national newspapers.
Essentially, the articles hold that for the Head of State's stay in Hôtel Lucien Barrière de La Baule, a daily amount of 27 million 300 hundred thousand francs is spent on hotel bills.
In detail, the articles recall that after the ill-gotten wealth, here comes very costly vacations, in spite of the economic crisis which is ravaging the country and which led to a civil unrest of February 2008.
The Minister of Communication wishes to inform opinion that the very first reactions to these accusations came from France.
First of all, there was a right of reply by the Managing Director of Hôtel Lucien Barrière, which was published in the accusing media, in which he underlined the in-exactitude and false nature of the information earlier published. The right to reply was followed by a strong editorial from the French journalist, Yannick Urrien, which was published in "La Baule +». Here are some extracts of the editorial:
Quotation N°1: «Some people are still surprised to know that the profession of journalism is losing its value to the point where a recent survey shows that the French people place journalists and prostitutes on the same level This says it all: The people of La Baule in general and business persons in La Baule in particular have just lived a good example of media manipulation». End of quote.
Quotation N°2: «Of cause, this is about the vacation of a Head of State who benefits from every regard due his rang, through the image perceived by the people of La Baule is not that of expenditure or of eccentricity». End of quote.
Quotation N°3: «The question is whether the journalists who write these things have been to La Baule to find out from the business people». End of quote.
Quotation N°4: «Beside, commentaries heard are contrary to what is written in the media The stay of President Biya's delegation pales into insignificance besides the trip of an Emir with his close guards, or beside that of an international rock star To lie to one's readers or to one's listeners in order to serve political or malicious interests, does not serve the profession of journalism». End of quote.
With these two reactions, we can conclude that the mass has been said.
However, the Minister of Communication who believes in the words of the French journalist, Yannick Urrien, thinks that once more the Cameroonian Head of State is a victim of assault from underground forces which manipulate the media, even beyond our national frontiers.
It is worth mentioning that, like any other worker, President Paul Biya has a right to his vacations. This is not a privilege but a right, which he can exercise wherever he wishes to do so, with the means put at his disposal by the sovereign people, by the electors, to cloth himself, for his accommodation, for his feeding, for his healthcare, to provide his needs.
The question has to be posed without bias: Why does the Cameroonian President's recent visit to La Baule cause a problem? Is it his first visit to France or to the West? Is President Paul Biya the only Head of State to have spent his vacation out of his country?
We cannot provide answers to these questions without agreeing with the French journalist, Yannick Urrien that it is a manipulation which aims at serving malicious political interest.
The Minister of Communication hereby takes the national and international opinion as witnesses and strongly holds that in the face of such manipulations, the Cameroonian people will provide appropriate answers in order to challenge such de-stabilizers and to defend the Republic".
The Minister of Communication,
Issa Tchiroma Bakary
Posted by Christoper Ambe Shu on Wednesday, September 02, 2009
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