Government has underscored the importance of her silent yet effective diplomatic measures taken in handling smear campaigns against the Cameroon from so-called friendly nations, institutions and media.
Explanations to this effect were given by the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in Charge of Corporations with the Commonwealth, Felix Mbayu.
He was responding to questions from lawmakers at the National Assembly during an oral question plenary that opened by House Speaker Rt Hon Cavaye Yeguie Djibril and later continued by one of the Deputy Speakers, Hon. Emilia Lifaka.
In their questions to Minister Felix Mbayu who represented External Relations Minister, Mbella Mbella, Honourables Mariam Goni, Ebangha Johana epse Agbor Ntui and Ngo Issi Rolande Adele, sought answers as to how government is responding to smear campaigns from her so-called friends, notably the French and American Parliamentarians, who have according to the MPs incessantly demonstrated a skewed understanding of Cameroon’s internal issues.
The MPs expressed dissatisfaction to the vexing and demeaning description often given to the Cameroon by these governments and foreign institutions in relation to her handling of the armed conflict rocking the two English-speaking regions and the Far North region.
In his reply which dwelled on the various contours of Cameroon’s diplomatic reactions to such smear campaigns, Minister Mbayu said the country’s “diplomacy is not conducted in the market place but its efficiency is not diluted by the fact that it is done quietly and silently”.
Harping on the recent write-up of American MPs concerning Cameroon, Mbayu, told Cameroonian lawmakers that the US Congressmen “displayed a lot of ignorance of their own system” and in return, “got an appropriate response from their equal number, the Cameroonian MPs.
Mbayu while commending Cameroonian MPs for their display of “unalloyed sense of patriotism in replying in a very clear and unequivocal manner the American Parliamentarians”, clarified the MPs that it is not the place of government to reply to Parliamentarians of other countries but for the Parliament to do so.
He assured the MPs that the US Embassy has indicated to government that “the questioning by their own Parliamentarians went against the views of the executive branch who were embarrassed by that action”.
In the same light, Mbayu revealed that the French Ambassador was summoned at the ministry and the displeasure of government communicated to him as regards the outing of the French Foreign Minister to a letter from a French MP.
He however urged the MPs to shove such outings which are at times annoying and contain condescending language and look at the essential which at times touches on the respect of the territorial integrity of Cameroon and some of the steps taken to handle the internal problems especially the decentralization process and the Special Status considered by the French Foreign Minister as the right way to go in resolving the crisis.
Hails Foreign Gov’ts For Not Recognizing Separatist
Despite their use of harsh words in describing Cameroon, Mbayu hailed the foreign governments for not supporting the sole objective of the separatist movement which is to divide Cameroon.
“…till now, four years later, not a single country has stood up in favour of Cameroon’s division thus respecting the fact that Cameroon is one and indivisible,” he stated. This, he declared is “still partly due to the diplomatic firewall setup by the Head of State”.
Mbayu said the defense of the country, its territorial integrity and unity is a collective and individual effort. “…so far we have withstood the challenge…it is evident four years later that the separatist are totally in disarray and that Cameroon’s partners who initially showed some sympathy for their actions now regret some of the stance they took but also they have realized that it is in their fundamental interest to safeguard the territorial integrity of Cameroon,” he revealed.
By Doh Bertrand Nua
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