Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle Calls On Journalists To Avoid Being Accomplices In Election Rigging

  Says accomplices in election rigging are accomplices in putting the wrong people into office

 Halle advices journalists covering elections to have a mastery of the Electoral Law in particular, avoid corruption and sensationalism, and strive to report the simple truth  

The reputed peace crusader and international legal consultant, Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle, who is also an election expert and observer, has stressed the fact that to be able to  cover an election well, a journalist must have a mastery of the Electoral Law or Electoral Code in particular, and also the relevant  part of the Constitution. He said if a journalist does not master the Electoral Law, it will be difficult for the person to properly cover the 2025 presidential election which everybody is talking about, because the journalist will not be a position to even know how the election is supposed to be organized, what institution or who is supposed to do what, and so on.  He has also asserted that when a reporter who goes out to cover an election does not know the Electoral Law, he can easily make mistakes, and he can as well be easily manipulated by politicians or political parties.

Halle has told journalists that the coverage of an election is not just the voting day proper. The election expert has explained that the complete coverage of an election, is the complete coverage of the electoral process of an election, which starts with voters’ registration through the period when parties officially register their candidates, through the official campaign period, then culminating in the voting proper on election day and the publication of the official results.  Any legal battle that happens to come up at the Administrative  Bench of  the Supreme Court for municipal elections,  or at  the Constitutional Council for the other elections, is also part the  election and has to be covered by the media, to keep the public informed.  Ntumfor Halle has thus pointed out that effective election coverage is a long process, as it is not just the election or voting day.

Seminar For Journalists Based In Littoral Region

Meanwhile Ntumfor Halle was speaking on November 5, 2024. The occasion was a seminar organised by the Littoral Regional Delegation of Communication in the countdown to the 2025 presidential election, on the theme: “Journalistes Du Littoral Et Defis De La Couveture Mediatique Des Elections Presidentielles: Pour  La Preservation De La Paix Et Du Climat Social Dans La Region”.  This is approximately translated as:  “Littoral Journalists And Challenges of Media Coverage Of Presidential Elections: For The Preservation Of Peace And A Conducive Social Environment In The Region”.

The venue of the November 5 seminar which brought together journalists from across the Littoral Region was the Conference Hall of GECAM, and Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle who was  presented as Special Invitee  by the Littoral Regional Delegate of Communication, talked on : “Legal Dispositions Relating To The Electoral Campaigns And The Organization of The 2025 Presidential Election In Cameroon, In Peace”.

Accomplices In Election Rigging

 Meanwhile Ntumfor Halle who opted to talk about elections in general than limiting himself to the 2025 presidential election, called on journalists to strive to report nothing but the truth in their election coverage, and by that feed the public with good or credible information about the election. He asserted that a credible report is not only good for the public, but also does good to the reporter who covered the story and to his or her media organ, as the report also projects them as being credible. “Always strive to tell the truth in your reports. Telling the truth is a good thing, it is laudable. The truth shall set you free”, Halle ha hammered into the ears of journalists.

Halle condemned journalists who allow themselves to be manipulated by politicians, most a times with small money, to cover up election rigging or other r malpractices in elections. He said when a journalist for example allows himself or herself to be manipulated by a candidate or political party with some small money to cover up election rigging with false reports (fake news) and the wrong person thus ends up ‘winning’ the election, the journalist should know that he or she is an accomplice in the mafia that has put the wrong person into office. He said if a  journalist covers up  election rigging and somebody succeeds to rig  his way into an office as mayor for example, that journalist is not only an accomplice, but will  also take the blame when the wrong person who became mayor, fails to deliver.

Halle urged journalists covering elections to strive to desist from all forms of corruption.  He asserted that when a journalist receives money from a politician during elections, the journalist’s hands becomes tied, and he ends up misinforming, instead of informing the public of what really happened. Besides that, Halle said when a journalist receives money and tells lies about what happened, he discredits both himself and his media organ.

“Somebody Who Is Really Out To Serve, Will Not Rig Election” 

Ntumfor Halle argued that somebody who sincerely wants to serve his people, society or country, will not try to rig election or to buy votes to become a mayor, a member of the National Assembly or whatever. He thus said that a candidate or a party that rigs or tries to rig  election,  is not of good intention, and is not out to serve the people. He noted that if somebody becomes mayor by election rigging, it will be difficult, or even impossible for the person to do what the population expects from the council, because the person will instead be faced with the task, of trying to compensate all those who helped to fraudulently get him into office as mayor. The compensation will come through appointments, award of contracts, money from council’s coffer, and so on.

He explained that such a mayor will in making appointments think instead of fulfilling the promises he made to those who helped him to the rig  election into office, than consider competence in the appointments. Also, a council under such a mayor will not award contracts to the best bidders or to the contractors than have the capacity to deliver, but rather to those who helped him to rig his way into the office of mayor. All these will of course have serious effects on the council.

Journalists Should Be Careful With Politicians    

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that Ntumfor Halle was a member of the National Elections Observatory commonly known by the French acronym, ONEL. He was in charge of the Northwest Region, but  was also assigned to supervise elections re-runs in the Littoral and  West Regions,

Halle asserted at the Douala seminar, that  he has over the years noted that when  there  is the talk of election rigging, many people tend to look only at the ruling party. He said that was not right. He insisted that there are unscrupulous politicians in both the ruling party and the opposition, who try to rig election, or who try to manipulate journalists to publish lies or tell lies, for their selfish reasons.

Halle thus advised journalists to be careful with politicians when covering elections. He said besides election rigging or electoral malpractices,  there are unscrupulous politicians on both sides,  who  in their political games at elections, try to give reporters distorted or false information in a bid to discredit the other side.

Ntumfor Halle said though he is not a politician, and thus belongs to no political party, he however has no problem with fellow Cameroonians who decide to do politics. He said that is their choice, and he respects that, just as they are supposed to respect his own choice to stay neutral or to belong to the civil society. He thus told the journalists at the Douala seminar not to misunderstand him by thinking that he hates politicians or that he is critical of politicians. He said politicians in general are not bad people. But Nrumfor minced no words that he has no kind words for those politicians who rig elections, and that he has no apology for that.

  Media Is A  Major Stake Holder In Elections /  Whistle Blower/ Responsible Reporting  

Ntumfor Barrister Nico Halle stated that the media, just like Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), as well as the Forces of Law and Order, political parties and others, is a major stakeholder in elections organized at both local and national levels by the State. He said the media has the responsibility of monitoring or observing the election, and reporting it right to the public. He said journalists are also whistle blowers in the society, and as such   journalist covering elections must be bold or courageous, to report the truth to  the public.

The election expert went back to the issue of the Electoral Law, pointing out that to be able to report it right at an election, journalists covering the election must have the mastery of the Electoral Law. He said if a reporter does not know the  Electoral Law, he can be easily manipulated by a politician to report for example that an election official did something wrong,  when  the person acted in line with the  Electoral Law. Same thing as a reporter with no knowledge of the Electoral Law can be manipulated to report that something that happened was right, when in reality it was wrong.

The crusader for peace and justice, Ntumfor Halle, also laid emphasis on the need for journalists covering elections to strive not only to report the truth, but to also strive to report the truth in a responsible way to maintain peace. He once more remarked that many conflicts across the world emanate from elections, and said reckless or sensational reporting can spark off violence or even a bloody conflict. Ntumfor recalled for example what unfortunately happened in   Rwanda in 1994, when reckless reporting by a certain radio station, sparked off a conflict that quickly degenerated into ethnic cleansing. Ntumfor Halle was in pains that several thousands of Rwandans (fellow Africans) lost their lives as a result of irresponsible reporting by a radio station. “I am not a journalist, but I know that a journalist’s job is not to escalate a potentially explosive situation”, Halle insisted.

Peace and Justice (Core Moral Values)

Ntumfor Halle thus caution journalists covering elections to strive be responsible in their reporting, and should be very careful when reporting on a potentially explosive situation. He stressed that the role of the journalist is to inform, and not to cause the escalation tense situations with sensational reports or false information. Halle, the crusader for peace and justice, stressed on the importance of peace and justice in a society, which he insist are interwoven or have to go hand-in– hand, and urged journalists to also  in  their work be crusaders for peace and justice in the society. He asserted that peace has no price, and that when there is no peace in a family, society or country, nothing works. He thus urged journalists that will be covering the crucial 2025 presidential election in the country, to strive to report the truth, but to also do so in a responsible way to preserve peace.

Halle asserted that peace and justice are part of the core moral values that a society needs. The others include love, accountability, transparency, patriotism, and above all the fear of the Lord.  He asserted that if a society embraces the core moral values, and do things in the fear of the Lord, there will be no electoral fraud or election rigging, corruption, embezzlement and so on.

By Joe Dinga Pefok (Uncle Joe)

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