Paul Biya and his Yaounde diplomats: Why did the president not receive SA’s departing head of mission? Why this unprincipled treatment of accredited d

When it comes to relating to Yaounde diplomats Paul Biya is just as unpredictable as in other respects. That uncertainty makes for unnecessary (and even meaningless) distance between him and the accredited representatives of foreign countries.
But the president has become nice one small respect. He nowadays receives new diplomats’ letters of accreditation early enough upon their arrival in Yaounde. In the past it was never so. He would leave you there until you begin to doubt your welcome. In other African countries diplomats are readily received by the head of state when they ask to meet him, sometimes for nothing other than courtesy. But not so in Yaounde where manners are a bit stiff. Yaounde diplomats as such never have a one-and-one meeting with Paul Biya until they leave at the end of their tour of service. But when it comes to the representatives of the bigger and more powerful countries political expediency dictates otherwise. And so the US ambassador is readily received. Nowadays the French ambassador is received at a moment’s notice. Even then things haven’t always been smooth with all occupants of Rosa Parks avenue castle or residents of Atemengue Plateau. Jean-Francois Valette did not always find it easy obtaining audience at Unity Palace. Five years or so ago Paul Biya who had for long ignored a Churchill street request for audience chose to receive George Boon, the British High Commissioner on no other day than July 14th, obliging CRTV to make it the main news of the day, with the deliberate attempt to play down the traditional prominence of the reception. Jean-Paul Veziant the French diplomat at the time took Biya’s affront with equanimity. Not even with their might do the Americans have it much better with Biya. After a very warm relationship turned sour Paul Biya turned his back on Niels Marquardt the US ambassador and wouldn’t receive him again come rain come shine. But the president overdid it. Even the usual departure audience Biya tried every trick possible to avoid until Marquardt in exasperation announced his departure date. Most reluctantly, Biya yielded. But that was all. No send-off dinner! Marquardt happened to be the US ambassador and so there was absolutely no question of shifting that onerous duty to the Prime Minister. And that is exactly what Biya does systematically to African diplomats. He has no time for them and relegates them to the PM! That was the fate of the South African Simeon Selby Ripinga last week. Ripinga had already said goodbye to Ephraim Inoni earlier in the week and expected to be received by Biya when he was returned to the star building. You could see that both Inoni and the diplomat had nothing more to say to each other, not talk of being somewhat embarrassed. The president’s un-courteous treatment of the South African was easily brought to the public by the juxtapositioning of two CRTV reports, one showing Biya receiving the Chinese ambassador and the very next one Inoni receiving Ripinga. Why didn’t Biya also receive Ripinga who surely left Yaounde with a sour taste in the mouth? The only departing African Biya received in recent memory was the Nigerian Godwin Edobor, for obvious reasons. With the delicate issue of Bakassi still very high on the agenda of both countries’ relations it would have been an unpardonable and costly diplomatic gaffe for Biya not to have received Edobor. All said, it must be admitted that in spite of his high-handedness, the president like every cloud has his silver lining. When he receives Paul Biya seems to know what to do to charm his guests. Over the years we have witnessed diplomats who came out of a meeting with Biya and changed from critic to admirer! Instantly! The question they never are able to answer is how the man could be so “nice and knowledgeable on issues” and yet the regime is so unprogressive. The case of a lady special envoy of an important international organisation was dramatic. After frustrating the lady on two occasions by leaving town when she was due in on a proper appointment, Paul Biya finally yielded, not without pressure, to receive her. What did he do to the lady? Did the audience become a hypnosis exercise? When she came out of the meeting which lasted a good hour and a half her anger and frustrations were all gone! “Now I know what is happening,” the lady confided to this newspaper later at her Hilton suite, “Your president is being badly misled by his advisers and those who surround him.” The lady stuck to that view of Biya in the discussion that followed, insisting that he thought Biya was a good man. Biya completed his gallant hospitality by inviting his guest to accompany him to football Cup of Cameroon.She surely learnt better only long afterwards. But why does Biya disregard behaviours prescribed by world-wide conventions cheerfully respected by all? Does he realise that he makes himself a laughing stock by his quirkiness? How does receiving an ambassador lower the prestige and loftiness of his presidential status? What concept of power is the president trying to convey?
The Observer