They are also the ones who think that, their father,
Denis Sassou Nguesso was born to rule Congo everlastingly. This wing doesn’t
like freedom of speech nor democracy. They were the ones who considered that, I
had a mission to destroy their divine rule with my independent reporting and
independent management of MNTV/MN Radio. They were also the ones who not only
began attacking me and MNTV/MN Radio, but were bent at destroy the media group
of their uncle (Maurice Nguesso). Their attacks was not only directed on MN Radio,
they also attacked the print media that was publishing the newspaper called Le
Fanion. That was suspended for a long while just to satisfy the whims and caprices
of Ninelle Sassou Nguesso, who is the wife of the Lord Mayor of the Greater Brazzaville
City Council. But where they used all weapons available in their distructive armory
was on MN Television. It is true that, most of what Maurice Nguesso does as
investments don’t seem to succeed simply because his ambition is simply to
create or offer jobs to Congolese. Maurice
Nguesso is not interested in making money, but wants to help launder the dismal
image of his younger brother.
And as already mentioned, on several occasions, most Congolese
coming to work for Maurice Nguesso or in any of his companies think, that, they
don’t need to invest much time to work. They (Congolese and some foreigners) are
bent at taking away from Maurice Nguesso or any other Nguesso what they think
is state money looted by the ruling family.
As far as most Congolese, who nevertheless adore Maurice Nguesso were
concern and even within the ruling family, in particular amongst the Ninelle
Sassou Nguesso wing of the ruling Nguesso family, they had all predicted that, MNCOM,
in particular its Radio and Television station subsidiaries, were bound to
follow the same trajectory of failure that most of Maurice Nguesso’s
investments have taken before. This negative prediction was not only made by
the children or ordinary members of the ruling family as abovementioned. Even
the President of the Republic, who is the younger brother of Maurice Nguesso,
wrote off the media ambition of his elder brother. No one believed MNCOM MEDIA
GROUP will last long or make any meaningful impact within the media landscape
of Brazzaville or the country.
I can still recall what Maria Maylin told me
regarding, the President Denis Sassou Nguesso’s reaction, when she(Maria Maylin)
told her that, I had decided to work with Maurice Nguesso who is the elder
brother to the president. Marie Maylin told me that, the president of the Republic
told her in French: “Elie SMITH est fini” or in English: it is all over
professionally for Elie SMITH. For as
already mentioned, even President Denis Sassou Nguesso never believed that
MNCOM will have any impact and since he had respect for me or so I thought, he
never wanted me to come and destroy my career working for his older brother. Or
it might have been the other way round, the president was perhaps afraid that,
my decision to come and work in Congo would enable me to see the reality of his
administration that outsiders seldom see. And sometime, in July 2011, when I came
back to Brazzaville and along with Maurice Nguesso and the president of the Republic,
we went to the Brazzaville cathedral to attend a special church service. It was
a mass in remembrance of a certain Louemba, who was related to first lady: Antoinette
Sassou Nguesso.
I don’t know or can’t recall with precision the kind of
relationship that related Antoinette Sassou Nguesso with late Louembe, but I
think he might be a brother or very close relative. After the service, the
president Denis Sassou Nguesso called me in the presence of Maurice Nguesso,
Jean Dominique Okemba, Antoinette Sassou Nguesso and his chief of protocol,
Colonel Ibovi and he( Denis Sassou Nguesso) said: so you have decided to come
and work for those things of Maurice? His
statement regarding his brother’s activities was disdainful, for he also
believes that, almost all what his elder brother does, doesn’t work or he is
being hoodwinked by those he hires to work for him. What President Denis Sassou Nguesso did not
know was that, if his brother was opening companies and offering employments to
Congolese it was in a bid to launder his dismal image amongst the population. And it also partly explains the reason why,
Maurice Nguesso was not rigid in the way those companies were being managed. Maurice
Nguesso was naturally not happy with what his junior brother said and I felt
that, what the President had said might
be true.
But I was determine to show them all that, MNTV/Radio
under my command won’t follow the same path of disorganization and lack of
action plans or targeted objectives as
most of Maurice Nguesso’s companies may have taken. Hence I fought tooth
and nail to gain autonomy for my entity (Television and Radio) and that desire
for autonomy and the elevated degree of professionalism bore fruits. And those
who were greatly surprised when they discovered that, MNTV /Radio were not a
failure but a success, were first members of the ruling Nguesso family. They were
followed by cadres of the Congolese Workers Party abbreviated in French as PCT.
Oba Apounou told me that: For the first time, the Nguessos have created or done
something in the county that most Congolese do like and admire . Oba Aponou is a
member of the ruling party and former head of the ruling party in Brazzaville.
He added: it was only Maurice Nguesso who could be capable of creating
something that gives some credit to their family.
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