Am I Free to speak?

HAPPY PRESS FREEDOM DAY TO SOCIAL AND MEDIA WARRIORS....OUR PRESS DESERVES BETTER

Some of my foreign colleagues tell me the use of security and surveillance in some European Countries limits the space for free press. While reports indicate that Yaqublu was convicted for mass disorder and sentenced to five years in prison in March 2014,  other news sources reveal that reporters are accused for treason and espionage. In Cameroon where I have been practicing for 8 years, Press Freedom seems to be a reality and a myth at the same time. Journalists work under very deplorable conditions that News has become money and many a times, facts are the amount of money paid into the account of the writer. We don't see a lot of imprisonment or murder of Journalists as much as we do in Syria, Afghanistan and war infested areas, but that doesn't mean there aren't other threats that undermine a free press in Cameroon. Female Journalists still face sexual attacks from well placed citizens and this leads to home breakages in some cases. The low salary wages, unpaid dues, exploitation of personnel, enslavement of talented breed willing to do all it takes to move the industry forward,  plunge many into some sort of vulnerability. 

Recent sanctions by the regulatory board to bring professionals to practice under the strict respect of the canons, has narrowed the debate to a confusing state. Who is sanctioned? Under what criteria are the Journalists and media organs sanctioned? Is the NCC only a public whip or an organ willing to put order in the sector? are amongst other questions littering the lips of reporters as they mark this day under the theme: 'Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms - This is your right!' And as Journalists over the globe commemorate World Press Freedom Day, I ponder on what field reporters can celebrate given the Cameroonian context.

Long working hours without pay, probation or internship for one year for some, no contracts (and so you can be dismissed at any time) no affiliation to the social insurance fund (and so no guarantee of pension) and above all the ‘bribe taking-or gombo syndrome that has infested the press corps. Yes. Some colleagues have sold their souls for few coins of Biya-CFA while others use all unorthodox means to get to the top and suppress the green horns.
The owners of media houses continue to exploit vulnerable journalists who look at journalism as a means of ‘survival’ without necessarily acting as watchdogs of society.

While Solomon AMABO USES THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THE MANAGEMENT OF EQUINOX RADIO AND TELEVISION TO PAY MR THOMAS AWAH JR, THE SUM OF 1.8 MILLION FRS .THE COURTS IN DOUALA IN MARCH 2016, ASKED THEM TO PAY HIM FOR ABUSIVE DISMISSAL, I ASK MEDIA ORGANS TO RESPECT THE COLLECTIVE CONVENTION IN THE RECRUITMENT OF JOURNALISTS. HE IS JUST ONE AMONG MANY VICTIMS.PAYING WOULD BE JUSTICE AND CHECKING THE ABUSE OF THE RIGHTS OF JOURNALISTS ! HE MUST BE PAID!

The government of Cameroon too, since independence has been muzzling the press as best as it could. They have never bothered to respect international treaties such as the Florence Convention which demands tax exoneration for press imported stuff. They are unable to apply the Collective Convention for Cameroonian journalists which require that particular salaries be paid journalists based on certain criteria. Now, they want the media practitioners to own press cards, which are no guarantee to accessing information from complicated news sources who voluntarily drop bottlenecks for unknown reasons on the journalist's path to producing an accurate and balanced story for broadcast. 

Personally as my colleagues would be handing over memorandum to Governors in the ten regions of the country, I think it is time for us to close ranks and put off a stiff resistance against all abuses on pressmen and the media as a whole. Only then shall we be able to celebrate Press Freedom which is the right to circulate opinions in print,  online, on radio and Television without censorship by the government.

Until that time comes we do expect the Cameroonian people to always stand for an unfettered- a reliable and credible press. The freedom of the press constitutes part of the freedom of a people, can ensure transparency, accountability and the rule of law, promote participation in public and political discourse, and contribute to the fight against poverty.

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To all colleagues who have kept the steam in the midst of the vicissitudes of working in a shaky media environment, we must keep the flame alive because an independent media sector draws its power from the community it serves and in return empowers that community to be a full partner in the democratic process. . No compromise. Colleagues, who are not yet members of the Cameroon Journalists Trade Union, SNJC, and the Cameroon Association of English Speaking Journalists - CAMASEJ should join these organizations without delay. And why not international federations. We must always remember that Freedom of Information and freedom of expression are the founding principles for open and informed debates. New technology will continue to evolve and allow cotizens to further shape their media environments as well as access a plurality of sources. The combination of access to information and citizen participation in media can only contribute to an increased sense of ownership and empowerment.

In unity we have a vibrant and free press for information does not only change the way we see the world around us, our place in it and how to adjust our lives in order to maximise the benefits  available through our local resources, but its the most precious instrument that defines the community's objectives making course corrections when society or its leaders have lost touch with each other or gone astray. The fuel that drives this engine is information and therefore access to information is critical. Freedom of information laws, which permit access to public information are essential, but so are the means by which information is made available, be it through ICTs or the simple sharing of documents.

Happy Press Freedom day, to colleagues and listeners, tele-viewers, social media combatants, noiseless elocutionists and all those who provide the press with credible information. The press is there because all of us are there.