Group of 20 Political
Parties support candidature of President Paul Biya
By Francis Ekongang Nzante
With the count down to the 7th
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 21st 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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