The recording of a monthly debate slot on CRTV Radio dubbed: “Political Forum” with panellists drawn from political parties represented at the National Assembly, was called off at the last minute due to the absence of a delegated CPDM official to the programme.

In tandem with the rule which stipulates that the recording of the debate programme to be broadcasted on TV and on radio on the last Thursdays and Fridays of the month respectively, it must be done 48 hours ahead of time.

Representatives of the SDF, NUDP, UPC, MRC and CDU who showed up at the National Station on September 24, left frustrated, because, the CPDM representative failed to honour the appointment.

The one-hour programme broadcast on CRTV Television on the last Thursdays of each month is recorded on Tuesdays, while that on CRTV Radio which runs for two hours from 8.30 pm on the last Fridays of every month, is usually recorded on Wednesdays.

One of the Vice National Communication Secretaries of the SDF, Denis Nkemlemo, who was a panellist at the debate, narrated to The Post that on Tuesday, September 23, all members of the panel with the exception of MDR, that has not been participating, successfully recorded the programme for television. The moderators of the slot were Blaise Testelen Nana and Claris Achu.

He said as it has always been the tradition, when the panellists went to the radio on Wednesday, September 24 to record the programme for the Friday September 26 edition, they were kept waiting in the guest room for over two hours until they became worried.

“It was when we ran out of patience and started expressing anger that one of the moderators, Blaise Testelen Nana, came back and told us that the representatives of the CPDM was not present and, as such, they don’t see how they could go ahead to record such a programme in their absence. He contacted CRTV hierarchy and they were advised to get in touch with the CPDM authorities,” Nkemlemo narrated further.

He said the political party representatives were told that when Christophe Mien Zok of the Communication Department of the CPDM was contacted, he said the party had duly delegated a representative and, as such, there was nothing he could do about it. He was quoted as saying that the CPDM had not prohibited the moderators of the programme, who are journalists at CRTV, from going ahead with the recording in their absence.

Nkemlemo disclosed that the theme of the debate consensually accepted by the political parties was: “Ethnic diversity and national unity.” He said the moderators expressed the fear of burning their fingers especially as the debate had to touch on the recent Lekie Declaration accusing elite of Northern Cameroon as being accomplices of Boko Haram as well as the reaction of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, on behalf of his kith and kin of the north.

The SDF Vice National Communication Secretary observed that the moderators probably engaged in self censorship arguing that the representative of the NUDP party was absent in the edition of last August where they debated on school resumption, remarking that their absence did not stop the moderators from going ahead to record the programme for radio.