Usually, one is used to seeing political parties abstaining from taking part in debates on certain Television channels or radio because of the editorial policy that they deem not fit for their political agenda. But the recent decision by the National Party for the Reconciliation of Cameroon has been seen as a bombshell.
The party’s Communication Director, Armand Okol said the Douala-based private media has been constantly reporting against the party ‘We have noticed that for nearly four years now, just after the double legislative and municipal elections of 2020, the treatment of the news and activities of the PCRN in your communication media has been very unorthodox. Every time or almost every time, the reports are incriminating, unbalanced, and devoid of any professionalism, with the bonus of an excessive bias that rivals in skill with disinformation, flippancy, hypocrisy, mischievousness, pettiness, malice, and even defamation.’
This statement that was sent to the founder of Equinoxe Television, Severin
Tchounkeu, came after the party’s founder Robert Kona travelled back to his Guidiguis base in the far north region, after interrupting a Convention. Mr. Robert Kona accused the party’s 2018 Presidential election’s flagbearer, Hon. Cabral Libii of ignoring his calls, not toeing party lines and not responding to party orders, meanwhile, he was aware of these guidelines before his investiture.
Eequinxoe television in its 8 PM prime time news on Boxing Day broadcast the return of the party chairman.
This angered Cabral Libii and co who swiftly reacted by prohibiting Equinoxe television from talking about them.
‘This surprising stance is reflected in the categorical refusal to broadcast our activities in the field, even though logistical arrangements have been made to facilitate media coverage of the teams. But curiously, the journalists in this media group are highly motivated and lash out unmercifully at the slightest opportunity when a news item incriminates or works against the PCRN, confirming the theory o
f a cleverly hatched plan and a strong suspicion of instructions formally given to denigrate and undermine the PCRN.’ The statement partially read.
As a result, the party decided ‘to prohibit the use and/or mention in any way whatsoever of anything related to the PCRN by all communications media, staff, and guests of Groupe Équinoxe media programs. Similarly, media coverage of PCRN activities is strictly forbidden to all Groupe Équinoxe media personnel.
Observers have wondered how they will succeed with such a warning when the media is supposed to talk about everything news. It has also baffled many who wonder how a party that is out to reconcile Cameroonians is fighting the media that projected its candidate during the 2018 polls.
Source: Cameroon News Agency
Minister of Family, Women, Children and the Elderly Amel Belhaj Moussa, Wednesday, presented the 2022 National Report on the Situation of Children in Tunisia on the theme of « Childhood in Rural Areas.»
This report was based on statistics relating to the evolution of services made available to children across all governorates in 2022 and comparing them with services offered in 2020 and 2021, without taking into account inequalities between cities and urban, rural and semi-rural areas.
The Family Minister pointed out that her department is committed to provide preschool education to all and consolidate public kindergartens, adding that the contribution of the public sector has increased within one single year from 6% to 7.5% in 2023 across all governorates.
According to her, 10,000 children benefited from the «Our Kindergarten in Our Neighborhood» programme in 2021, while 20,000 children benefited from the same programme in 2022.
The report shows that the healthcare system faces several challenges, restri
cting children’s access in rural areas to healthcare services, given the discrepancies in the distribution of doctors, children’s services and the number of beds in local hospitals.
Pediatric services are only available in 54 hospitals out of a total of 139 regional and local hospitals, a rate of 38%, while the number of doctors in Greater Tunis stands at 374, in the northwest (189) and only 162 doctors in the southeast, according to the same report.
Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse