2018 Presidential Elections in Cameroon:

Group of 20 Political Parties support candidature of President Paul Biya

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

With the count down to the 7^th October 2018 Presidential Elections, repositioning of political parties is entering high gear with the various political outfits completing formalities for the registration of their respective Presidential candidates. The last major move in this direction has been the decision by some 20 opposition political parties in Cameroon to throw their weight behind the candidacy of President Paul Biya. This event took place at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel on Friday July 20 with all 20 political parties present.

These 20 Political parties include the following; Unions des Populations du Cameroun , UPC represented by honourable Bapooh Lipot, Secretary General of the party. Action pour la Meritocratie et l’Egalite des Chances AMEC represented by its National President Tabi Owono. Movement des Ecologistes represented by its National President Fritz Ngo Pierre. Mouvement pour l’Emergence et le Reveil du Citoyen(MERCI) represented by Isaac Fezeu. Union pour la Bienveillance du Cameroun UBC represented by Essomba Benoit Olivier. Union Camerounaise pour la Democratie UCD represented by Ombiono Brice. Front Patriotic de Liberation represented by Mendeng Ebanda Guy Roland. Les Patriotes Democrates Pour le Developpement du Cameroun PADDEC represented by its National President Jean de Dieu Momo. Parti Vert pour la Democratie au Cameroun, PVDC represented by Fogoum Justin Aime. Revolution Camerounaise du Peuple Uni RCPU represented by Mme Abba Marie Gisele. Front des Forces Republicaines, FFR represented by Doka Narke Jean. 

Alliance National pour le Progres du Cameroun ANPC represented by its National President Hamadou Haminou. Nouveau Mouvement Populaire, NMP represented by its National President Banda Kani. Union pour la Republique, la Democratie et la Solidarite, URDS represented by Mohamadou Oumarou. Cameroon Peoples Party, CPP represented by Tita Fon Samuel. Cameroon Democratic Party, CDP represented by its National President Benz Enow Bate. Parti pour la Dynamique du Cameroun et ses Valeurs Institutionnelles, PADY CAMVALINS represented by Bobo Abega Juste Martin. Mouvement pour la Reconciliation et l’Unite des Camerounais MRUC represented by Nzesseu Tchiengang Mathieu. Parti Ouvrier du Cameroun Unifie, POUC represented by Nkou Essomba Maguerite Flore and Alliance Plus pour l’Emmergence, APPEC represented by Ngoumou Jean Paul.

In a four page declaration jointly made by these Political Parties, they explain why they took this move to throw their weight behind incumbent, His Excellency President Paul Biya. The complete declaration is published here.

Declaration of a Group of 20 Political Parties to Support the Candidature of the Head of State, H.E Paul Biya, in the 7 October 2018 Presidential Election.

Every citizen who has decided to create a political party has as ambition, the supreme magistracy of his country. Since the reintroduction of multi party politics in 1991, Cameroon has recorded more than 250 political parties. In democracy, the opposition plays the role of checks and balance thereby ensuring a certain level of stability in the running of State institutions. Leading a political party is not synonymous to a systematic opposition of all government initiatives neither does it confer on its leader national stewardship as it is considered in Cameroon and in most African Countries.

Since the Presidential election of 2011, some members of our group requested the putting in place of a dynamic framework for change to take place in the political arena in Cameroon. To this effect, three (3) preconditions were suggested as follows:

a)   A single  candidate for the opposition parties for the 2018 presidential election;

b)   The implantation of branches  of our group in the 360 subdivisions of Cameroon;

c)     Create a platform to work in collaboration with Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) in order to obtain a massive registration of citizens of voting age on the electoral roll;

It is evident that the opposition in Cameroon cannot succeed to win a presidential election by presenting multiple candidates. This way, their votes would be divided leading to mediocre results. As such, the candidate for the CPDM being the only political party well represented in the 360 subdivisions will always have an urge on the opposition.

Our proposals for a single opposition candidate met resistance from those who think that they are strong and can win the presidential election single-handedly.

Since 2011, the CPDM elite has been carrying out sensitization on the field  to encourage their  militants to register on the electoral roll, unlike the opposition which only woke up from slumber on the eve of the poll .

How can you think of winning a presidential election without any important electoral base? Most opposition leaders are contented with the “ONE MAN SHOW” syndrome characterized by frequent appearances on television channels and social media, forgetting that elections are won on the field.

Due to this lack of organization of opposition political parties, the egoism of some of its  leaders, the inflated ego of some pretenders to the presidential seat who are all in the logic of “ME Or NO BODY, “  the lack of a credible manifesto, and lack of means, the opposition can only dream of change.

We the leaders, of the opposition parties united under the “Group of 20,” have decided to give our total and unconditional support to the candidature of the H.E. President Paul Biya for the 7 October, 2018 presidential election. In our opinion, the Head of State possesses the qualities and wherewithal necessary for the maintenance of peace, stability, national unity, economic progress and the respect of Cameroon in the international community.

We are neither CPDM militants nor its sympathizers but after a thorough analysis of the economic and political challenges, as well as those in the domain of sports, we think that the candidature of President Paul Biya merits the support of all Cameroonians of goodwill and those having love for country and the future of our children.

Notwithstanding, our support for the candidature of H.E Paul Biya is not without conditions. We are requesting that after his brilliant re-election, he should look into the preoccupations of our militants and those of Cameroonians in general. These include:

1.       The acceleration of the Decentralization process and the provision of the necessary means to the new Ministry of Decentralization and Local Development to carryout concrete projects  on the field;

2.     Speeding up construction works on infrastructure for the CAN 2019, so that all the major projects (Construction of stadia, hotels and hospitals etc.) should be ready before the D-day as promised by the Head of State. Our credibility is at stake;

3.      Proceed with the revision of the contract between the State of Cameroon and ENEO, so that the quality of their services to the population, especially those in the East, North West, Adamawa and the Far North Regions is  improved;

4.     Harmonize retirement age at 60 for all State agents: We think that there is no reason to allow a certain category of State agents to retire at 55 when they are still useful to our country.

Our position on the situation in the North West and the South West Regions is unambiguous. Unity, peace and social cohesion must be preserved so that Cameroon remains that nation admired in Africa. The Government addressed all the grievances raised by teachers and lawyers which caused the crisis in November 2016. Available facts indicate that the Head of State even went beyond the demands of the striking lawyers and teachers. 

Nothing can, therefore, justify the attitude of a minority who wants to take hostage the two Regions of our country, causing pain and desolation to families. Cameroon, the cradle of our ancestors, does not deserve this image in the 21^st century.

Taking into consideration the above,

a.     We reiterate our position for a Cameroon that is neither Anglophone nor Francophone,  but a united and indivisible Cameroon  in its  linguistic and cultural diversity;

b.     Request for government to maintain a firm attitude of no tolerance towards our compatriots who have taken the risk to undermine national unity;

c.      Request government to hasten the trial of persons arrested for violence and crimes carried out in the North West and South West Regions. The guilty should be punished while the innocent are freed;

d.     Reject all appeal for amnesty for terrorists  arrested in fragrant delito  of rape of our children, destruction of public and private property, burning of schools hospitals and health centers, cowardly murder of elements of our defense and security forces in the North West and South West Regions;

e.     Request the government to take appropriate measures to track down terrorists who recruit, drug and enlist children aged between 11 and 16 years in their militia and living in  makeshift camps and bushes causing terror in certain localities in the North West and South West Regions;

f.       Exhort some of our naïve compatriots in the North West and South West Regions following the terrorists in their senseless quest to create an imaginary state to drop their arms and return within the Republic for disorder doesn’t benefit any one for Cameroon being a country of freedom offers legal framework where grievances can be expressed without violence, racketeering, organized crime, intimidation and blackmail.

g.      Thank the Head of State for putting in place the Emergency Humanitarian Plan for the North West and South West Regions, hoping that this plan will bring the necessary assistance to all the Internally Displaced Persons and Cameroon refugees in Nigeria.

Convinced that the Head of State is the custodian of our constitution,

We the “Group of 20” opposition political parties, through our declaration of this day make our modest contribution to nation building. This justifies our support for the re-election of the Head of State for the 7 October 2018 Presidential election. /- 

                                              Done in Yaounde, this Friday 20 July 2018

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HOW TO AND HOW NOT TO APPROACH AND MARKET 'THE ANGLOPHONE PROBLEM'

HOW NOT TO APPROACH THE PROBLEM

- It is not AN ANGLOPHONE PROBLEM but A SOUTHERN CAMEROONS or A WEST CAMEROON PROBLEM. The Anglosphere (Anglophone) is quite hazy and does not hold much water

- It is not about appointments or designations from Yaounde

- It is not an infrastructure or development problem

HOW TO APPROACH THE PROBLEM

- It is a judicial problem: show how since 1961 the SC judicial system has been undermined

- It is an educational problem: show how since 1961 the SC educational sub-system has been corrupted

- It is a local government problem: show how since 1961 the SC local government system has been undermined

- It is a system of administration system: show how since 1961 the SC system of administration has been abandoned

- It is about values: show how SC values of probity, accountability, integrity, solidarity etc have been trampled upon.. 

 

 Canute Tangwa Tangwa

The Military carted away all my money and communication logistics

-Momo Elite

Felix Teche Nyamusa, former aspirant for the post of National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front and Presidential Hopeful has in an elaborate interview recounted his ordeal at the hands of the military recently at Njikwa in Momo Division. He said following announcements that villagers who had been scared away by violent clashes from their homes in Njikwa could now return home and that the Divisional Officer for Njikwa had returned to base, he as an elite decided to go home and get an on-the-spot evaluation of the situation. To his surprise, he and those accompanying him were molested, asked to lie down in mud and his money and communication logistics carted away by Forces of Law and Order. In this interview which took place in his Bamenda residence, Felix Teche Nyamusa also takes us through his political Odyssey which saw him resigning from the Social Democratic Front and then getting elected as National Chairman of the Cameroon National Democratic Party CNDP and then eventually resigning from there as well. He was interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante.  He begins by recounting what happened during his visit to Njikwa.

“As a politician from Momo I went to Njikwa to visit following the killings that have been going on there. A number of Cameroonians were killed specifically Anglophones. Three weeks or so ago it was announced that the DO had returned to base and that the people should return since the situation had returned to normalcy. I therefore decided to visit the place and see the burnings that had been going on. To my syrprise, when we got there around the D.O.s office after the bad roads we were stuck in mud. After struggling to get out of the mud we were surrounded by the army at gun point. They said we were Ambazonians and Southern Cameroons Liberation fighters and that we wanted to come and kill them since there was nobody in the village. They threatened to shoot us and burn the car. They made us lie down in mud. They searched the car and carted away all my money and communication logistics. After treating us real bad they told us to turn back. That’s how we left and went to the Seniour Divisional Officer for Momo in Mbengwi. I wrote a report to the Governor of the Northwest Region explaining what had happened. The Head of State should go to the root cause of the problems in Cameroon rather than cough out 12.5 billion FCFA as humanitarian aid to displaced people.”

   

We know It’s been a Political Odyssey for you but can we know what made you leave the SDF?

I left the SDF because of differences with leadership of the party. The two major components of the nation called Cameroon is the Anglophones and the Francophones and once one of these components are shaken the very foundation of the country is destabilized. I told them to postpone the Convention of the party and listen to the problems plaguing the country and the Anglophones specifically, dialogue with them and seek solutions. However, since there was insistence, I absented myself from the convention. I said that you get to elective positions because of the people and I cannot be part of a convention that did not seem to take into consideration the fact that the people needed it. The real divide however started when I eyed the position of National Chairman and expressed my intention of becoming the Presidential candidate of the Party. Pro- Fru Ndi Party members who expected me to have gunned for a different position became apprehensive and put a lot of stumbling blocks on my path. I and John Fru Ndi are in the Bamenda II Electoral District and we were supposed to conduct elections there because there were two candidates but they conducted elections without me. An Electoral Conference in Bamenda II is supposed to take place with about 800 militants but they organised an election with just about 50 militants in an Electoral District. It was supposed to be a District Executive Meeting and they turned it to be an Electoral Conference which was illegal. They only came and told me that Ni John Fru Ndi had won. In the buildup to the convention they also came up with an accusation that I was importing arms. That I and my Lawyer Barrister Tanifum and another friend former councilor of the Mbengwi Council were importing arms. The judicial Police investigated the two of them and said they were going to get to me. Since then nobody has come to me. I saw that this was the handiwork of an immature democracy. With the manipulation in the SDF at the level of leadership I felt that it was not the right place to begin. I came out of the SDF but not out of politics.

Ideologically where do you belong?

I am a Federalist and a Pan-Africanist. I do not cherish the idea of countries splitting up. We can however not be going to equity with dirty hands. We cannot strive on injustice because we want a big group. Africa as one can form a bigger force but this cannot be done with a lot of injustice.

Why did your brush with the CNDP not work?

CNDP is the Cameroon National Democratic Party. This party belonged to late Mulluh, the proprietor of Penn Pan Hotel in Bamenda. When I left the SDF I thought that creating a new Political Party might take much time considering the fact that President Paul Biya could announce Presidential Elections at anytime. That’s why I decided to join the CNDP, a party already existing and bring it up because I have a reasonable following. The owners whom we met were initially very enthusiastic when we said that we were going to transform CNDP into a leading party in the country. They elected me as the National Chairman and the wife of the former Chairperson of the party as the Treasurer. However when the first resolutions were sent online, people started coming in. They came in and simply intoxicated the old executive that we wanted to hijack the party from them and that the Party was Presidential Majority while I Teche Nyamusa was criticizing both Ni John Fru Ndi and President Paul Biya. I was therefore forced to leave CNDP because I could not criticize and leave the SDF only to turn around and join the Presidential Majority. We think that not only the Parliamentary Elections should be postponed but all the other elections.

What route do you pave for the future in politics?

I remain a frontline politician in Cameroon. Many elections are coming but we are saying that the country should be brought to a halt. The management of the country, the leadership, the governance should be checked. We cannot be running a system which is a one man show.

What is your immediate way forward considering the fact that a good majority of English speaking Cameroonians are not in favour of secession?

In my manifesto I have always stood for a two state federation. French speaking Cameroonians should be instructed to understand that Federalism is not secession. The Biya Regime does not want a Federal System because there will be checks and balances since you don’t remove resources from a region of the country without permitting that region to have a reasonable bulk of it.

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A look at the evolution of the Anglophone Crises in Cameroon

Viewed from the perspective of Newspaper Publications over the years.

March 29, 1993

May 14, 1993

 

 

 

20th May 1993

Aprile 1993

The similarity between the issues highlighted in these publications about 15 years ago and issues resurfacing in present day publications point to one thing; Simply that when a problem is not looked at from the correct perspective and completely solved, then it will always rear its head again, and when it resurfaces, it assumes greater proportions.  

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Ebai Lottin bags the Entertainment King 2018 Life Time Award

Ebai Lotin, one of Cameroon’s entertainment kingpins and owner of the renowned Bamboo Lounge in the Coastal Petroleum town and Tourist haven, Limbe has been conferred with the Entertainment King 2018 Award by Life Time Newspaper, a Cameroonian weekly. This Award was handed to him by the publisher Tim Finian on Wednesday June 27, 2018 within the confines of Bamboo Lounge, one of the most popular destinations in entertainment circles in Cameroon. 

In a brush with the media during the occasion, Ebai Lotin in a self effacing manner said he was surprised that such an important award had been conferred upon him. He said he was impressed to see that there were people out there who appreciated what was already being done in the entertainment sector in Cameroon. “There are a lot of young talented Cameroonians out there that would like to come into the sector but due to difficulties their dreams are dampened.”

Narrowing down on Bamboo Loungue in Limbe, Ebai Lotin acknowledged that while this leading entertainment destination started as a Limbe joint it inevitably grew to attain the national dimension that it now enjoys. He said “when we launched Bamboo Lounge in 2010 our intention was to bring back the original Makossa guys onto the scene. We decided due to the nature of our clientele to get the population of Limbe involved and to make them get to see the musicians that they usually only listened to on radio. We embarked on inviting musicians like Ben Decca, Dina Bell, Manulo, Sammy Diko, Erico, Henry Njoh and many more.”

He said about 60 to 70 veteran artists had been invited to Bambou Lounge since its creation. The place he explained had not closed its doors to younger musicians adding that they had also tried to provide a platform for younger artists as well. “Bamboo Lounge is a house of entertainment and that’s why we also provide a platform for younger musicians. The younger ones need a platform and the older ones also need a platform so that they don’t get forgotten.

The uniqueness of Limbe he said makes it ideal for entertainment. “Limbe is a town of friendship; it is the cleanest and the most beautiful city in Cameroon. It’s a touristic town, it’s welcoming and has beautiful hotels and is clean and anybody in Cameroon would want to relax in Limbe.” He praised the Government Delegate to the Limbe City Council for successfully implanting his vision of a beautiful city in Limbe. As a parting shot, he said “anything that you do should always be taken seriously because there is always somebody watching.”

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Free Health Consultation Campaigns billed for 8 Cameroonian Cities

By Francis Ekongang Nzante

As a prelude to the 40^th Anniversary Celebrations of Dr. Dewah and Bros Modern Traditional Clinic International, open door days and free consultations have been billed for eight cities across the National territory.

This decision was one of the resolutions arrived at during a preparatory workshop which held in Kumba on Saturday June 9, 2018. This preparatory Meeting brought together stake holders who came in to prepare for the buildup to the event in their various domains of competences.

The Open Door days which will be characterized by free Consultation and a 30% reduction on treatment cost will begin in Limbe from Tuesday the 3^rd to Saturday the 7^th of July. From Limbe, the campaign will move to Douala where Open Door Days will take place from Monday the 15^th to Friday the 20^th of July. The other towns in this campaign will include; Bafoussam, Dschang, Nkongsamba, Bangante, Bafia and Yaounde where the campaigns will end on the 12^th of August.

In an interview at the end of the preparatory workshop, Dr Dewah summed up the raison d’être of the meeting in the following manner. “After we have been working for forty years I think it is normal to celebrate when you reach that age. We must therefore prepare for the upcoming celebration which we envisage will take place in the Month of November. This celebration was supposed to take place on the 14^th of October but I decided to shift it to any date that will be convenient in the month of November because of my family feast that comes up every first of November. The family feast this year is going to be in its 11^th edition. As a result, the 40^th Anniversary celebrations will take place on the 30^th of November. This important event according to my reckoning will witness the presence of administrative, cultural and religious personalities and many people of goodwill especially those who have benefitted from my services and those who still intend to benefit from my services.”

He further said the success of the preparatory meeting as seen in the resolutions arrived at was an indication of a successful 40^th Anniversary celebration that will take place on the 30^th of November. 

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