President Biya Alludes to the "Gay Outing" Saga

(Youth Day Message, February 11, 2006)

"My dear young compatriots,

The society of freedom and progress that we are trying to build implies common attachment to the democratic institutions which we are putting in place and respect for human beings as regards their most fundamental and most sacred rights. For, it should be borne in mind, human beings are the cornerstone of that society. It is, unquestionably, a difficult and exacting task because of our ethnic, social and cultural diversities which require the cooperation of each and everyone in strengthening social peace and national unity.

It is therefore intolerable for anyone, under cover of an unverified rumour, to take the liberty, as was recently the case, of speculating about the vices and virtues of other persons, thus perhaps unconsciously invading their privacy and damaging their reputation.

Writing and communicating are, of course, a way of expressing our freedom. But freedom knows limits imposed by respect for privacy and law and order.

I am therefore appealing to the spirit of responsibility and to the wisdom of communicators and journalists for them to respect the rules of ethics of their noble profession and henceforth take into consideration the principles of propriety inherent in all civilized societies."

Tags: Cameroon Africa

Comments

[drdann]

Shiver me timbers. The man actually cares about something?

[Ebai Michael]

I think the Cameroon Government has taken the position that the law is an inconvenience, which is superseded by the right to privacy. Today's issue of the Government-owned Cameroon Tribune states after all that:

"There is no gainsaying the fact that any media statement should be based on facts and not rumours. How factual the press reports are still beats the imagination especially on issues that remain so secret and personal. Here too lies the second aspect which featured in the Head of State’s message — the respect for privacy and law and order. As far as it is illegal to practice homosexuality in Cameroon it also contravenes basic human rights and State laws to speculate on the private lives of individuals, be they top officials or not."

On another note, according to the French Language Daily "La Nouvelle Expression" (www.nouvelleexpression.net) the British High Commission in Cameroon has sent a note to Cameroon's Ministry of External Relations seeking clarification on the Cameroon Government's position on the implementation of the British "Civil Partnership Act" on Cameroonian soil.

"The Foreign and Commonwealth Office would like to know if the Government of the Republic of Cameroon objects to the British High Commission
performing same sex civil marriages; be it between two british citizens, a British citizen and a Cameroonian citizen, or a British citizen and a citizen of another country." (loose translation from French original).

Question: Is the High Commission unaware of Cameroonian law on this matter? Is it trying to surrepticiously force the hand of Cameroon on this issue? This is similar to the Cameroonian embassy in London or the US seeking for clarification whether it can celebrate polygamous marriages in these countries... We all know the answer to that one, and I can already picture the newspaper headlines ...

[Ma Mary]

We are still waiting for a memorandum from the British to la Republique Francais du Cameroun regarding the question of the Southern Cameroons. Self serving as usual.

[Richard Sony Ngwa]

COULD ANY CAMEROONIAN WHO READS THIS CIRCULATE THIS WEB LINK TO ALL THOSE YOU KNOW. IT MAY SEEM UNBELIEVEABLE, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS, JUST EMAIL ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU BACKING OR MORE EVIDENCE TO THIS STORY. OUR COUNTRY REALLY NEEDS HELP.

The weblink is : http://ambazonia.indymedia.org/en/2003/04/375.shtml

My email address is [email protected]

[Richard Sony Ngwa]

COULD ANY CAMEROONIAN WHO READS THIS CIRCULATE THIS WEB LINK TO ALL THOSE YOU KNOW. IT MAY SEEM UNBELIEVEABLE, BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY DOUBTS, JUST EMAIL ME AND I WILL GIVE YOU BACKING OR MORE EVIDENCE TO THIS STORY. OUR COUNTRY REALLY NEEDS HELP.

The weblink is : http://ambazonia.indymedia.org/en/2003/04/375.shtml

My email address is [email protected]

[Peter Ndeh Sang]

Is Biya of Cameroon out of his mind? This an issue not to think of, homosexuality in Cameroon should not be a debate topic. But a do or well issue. Mr Biya are you stil a Chritian or not? Hopefully you are still one. If you are answer this question " What does the Bible says about homosexuality"? God will punishe Cameroon if we get into this fucking shit.
Thanks

[Frank Wolfe]

There is a stark difference between a pedophiliac and a homosexual.
In all there is a lack of responsibilty Journalism on the cameroon media landscape. After all the media made themselves scapegoats because they shall still sit sentinel to their masters and bark when asked to do so.

[Murray]

Regarding Peter Ndeh Sang's comments on March 1, 2006: The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals and 362 admonishments to heterosexuals. This does not mean God does not love the heterosexuals, it just means they need more supervision.

[Vic Katte]

Richard Sony Ngwa

The bible is not a book about which one should base a moral or ethical code. If that were so, you would kill your child if they insulted you, or stone people to dead for some trivial infractions. Or you would observe the cleanliness rules as given in Leviticus (Lev. 11, Lev. 12 2-7,). Or you would treat women as second-class citizens as required in 1 Corinthians (1 Cor. 11: 3 - 9, 1 Cor 14: 34-35, 1 Cor 14: 34-35). Or you would indulge in human sacrifices for the palliations of god's wrath as in Lev 27:29.

And don't say Jesus was supposed to have made these laws obsolete for in Matt. 5:17 he implored his followers not to abandon the laws of old.

So you see your dilemma (or multi-lemma)! Which bits of the bible are you to take literally and which to reject or re-intepret? In my experience, christians cherry-pick to suit their particular agenda.

It's about time this book is picked into the cesspit from which it came.

Vic Katte