Hit With Tough Questions,Bamenda City Mayor Takes On Journalist

By Raymond Dingana

The Mayor of the Bamenda City Council, Paul Achobang has described a journalist working for Abakwa FM Radio as not being normal when he sought to know from him why Mayors, Members of parliament and others find it difficult to press for another dialogue to end the war in the two restive regions of the country. This was during one of his campaigns to end ghost town operations in Bamenda that took place recently at the Commercial Avenue Grandstand which he said was also in solidarity with those that have suffered losses as a result of the Anglophone Crisis. 

The question came when the mayor said from 2021,ghost town operations will be history and that those that will continue to heed to calls from separatists to respect ghost towns will have themselves to blame.

The Journalist who was driving the worries of The population as to what they think should be the best way out asked the Mayor.

"Mr City Mayor,the population thinks that,the best way out of this is through dialogue, why it that, the Mayors,Members of Parliament find it difficult to call for a genuine dialogue to end all these so that we don't continue having rallies like this?"

The mayor was visibly angered when the question was asked and reacted in a way that took many by surprise. ''Dialogue with who, you want us to dialogue with who, someone kills you your son and you want me to dialogue with the person, are you normal?

Bamenda City Mayor, Paul Achobang During the Event At Commercial Avenue

Both Journalists and the population have reacted differently to the Mayor's comments. According to a journalist who chose to remain anonymous, the question is prove that,  journalists want to transfer their flaws to politicians.

"Listen to the question; listen to how it is put across. When we do that, then we can have a deeper look at his response. I’m afraid Journalists now shift their flaws to politicians," he said.

To  Mbaku Jude, when something is wrong, it is wrong no matter where it's coming from.

"We can't think that Fru Ndi was wrong for insulting a Journalist of Crtv and then feel that the mayor is good to ask if a colleague is normal because the question doesn't suit him. The point is; we are accustomed to asking questions that secure our packages, most often. I also don't blame us". Mbaku indicated.

A Bamenda citizen also Ngong Eric also expressed his disappointment of the statement stating that, such a reaction should not come from an elected official with a mandate to serve the people unless that person is afraid that, he might end up losing his position.

"How can an elected official ask a journalist if he is normal just because a question he never expected was raised? Is he afraid that, if the crisis is finally settled through dialogue, they may end up losing their positions? Such should not come from people like them.'' Ngong asked.

Worthy of note is the fact that, calls from the population for another dialogue to be initiated in order to end the Anglophone crisis have not stopped pouring in. the man in the streets still thinks, the crisis will only see its logical end when the belligerents start talking.

 Photo credit: Neba Jerome Ambe.