The governor of the Littoral region has taken the engagement to ensure that administrative officers and other government structures in Douala and other parts of the Littoral region give information demanded by journalists for professional use.
Samuel Dieudonne Ivaha Diboa was speaking Thursday, June 10, 2021, while receiving members of the new executive bureau of the Douala Chapter of the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists (CAMASEJ) in his office in Bonanjo.
“When faced with challenges of getting information in the region, call me. I will intervene,” the governor promised.
In her speech to the governor, the president of CAMASEJ Douala decried limited access to information in the region experienced by journalists on a daily basis.
To Maureen Ndih, “Most government structures in the Littoral region under the pretext of instructions from hierarchy deny journalists access to information. It is more frustrating to journalists of English expression especially when the little window opened for the press does not respect the bilingual character of Cameroon. Documents conceived in French are hardly translated into the English Language”.
Reacting to this challenge, the governor of the Littoral region has promised to institute Wednesday as a day all conversations in the governor’s office will be done in the English language.
The commitment has been criticised by some Cameroonians describing it as a way to further downgrade the English language by limiting its use to just a day out of five working days in Cameroon despite being an official language.
While pledging a frank collaboration between English speaking Journalists in Douala and the administration for the general interest of the public, Maureen Ndih stated categorically that the collaboration will not in any way infringe on the professional practice of journalism.
The president of CAMASEJ Douala regrets that since 2016, journalists of English expression have unfortunately been regarded as sympathisers of separatists.
“We, members of CAMASEJ Douala have been victims of vilainous tags by some public personalities who see us as sympathetic to agitators in the security and social crisis that has hit North West and South West regions. Some of our colleagues have been arbitrarily detained based on unsustained suspicion of not sitting on the fence. This is so frustrating…”.
The CAMASEJ Douala executive has enumerated several projects aimed at reinforcing professional practice .
The visit to the governor’s office is the first since the Maureen-led executive was elected on 16th May 2021.
Mimi Mefo Info.
CAMASEJ Douala: Littoral Governor promises unreserved access to information
