TIPTOPSTARS

Yesterday, TIPTOPSTARS, in a straight news story, reported that Cameroonian actors living at home and abroad are geared towards electing new leaders under the banner of the National Actors’ Guild of Cameroon (NAGCAM) this Saturday, February 28, 2015. In the article, we mentioned that the organizers (the current acting bureau under the leadership of Ala Leo) complained that the silence of Moma Pascal (said to have been deposed) and Otia Vitalis (actor and Cameroon Film Industry, CFI Board chair) was a major challenge to the smooth running of the upcoming elective General Assembly. The acting president explained that he had tried to reach both personalities to no avail. We wrote to Moma and Otia for their reaction but by press time, none of them had responded. The former later reached us for his views and professional ethics (balanced reporting) requires us to publish his own side of the story.

On the line to Yaounde, Moma Pascal who said he is still the President of the National Actors’ Guild of Cameroon (NAGCAM), dismissed claims that the acting bureau had tried to reach him. “He has never called me,” he said, referring to interim NAGCAM President Ala Leo.

Speaking to Editor Ernest Kanjo, the Yaounde-based actor who said he was democratically elected for a three-year mandate which is yet to end, distanced himself from any elective General Assembly arrangements by “an inexistent group” (as he put it). “There is no election on February 28 and any such arrangement is unconstitutional. By the way, the President of CFI, Otia Vitalis has put up a communiqué, condemning the so call GA,” Moma told us. “I’m therefore declaring the said elections null and voids, in my capacity as the national president of NAGCAM.”

Moma has since late last year been considered as erstwhile president when it was reported that he had been deposed and impeached for financial misappropriation, allegations which the actor refuted in strong terms. “I have never mismanaged funds nor been impeached. Ask them if they are registered members. Non-members don’t impeach. I have NAGCAM branches all over and members believe in me. The organization is doing fine,” Moma retorted.

According to Moma, he took over NAGCAM which at the time, looked like a regional thing, run from Bamenda with only English-speaking Cameroonians and empty coffers. In less than a year, he created branches, opened an office in Yaounde and is about now heading to make the guild national by including French-speaking Cameroonians. With such achievements, Moma say he has nothing to be guilty about and whoever wants to challenge him should do that via the ballot box at the end of the mandate, if at all he would want to run for another term.

It is not clear what the outcome will be after Saturday’s elections. At press time, Moma was rushing to a movie set when we would have loved to know if he was ready for a consensus with the opposite camp. TIPTOPSTARS will definitely be back with both parties.