After reorganization exercise:

CPDM emerges more disunited, vulnerable

-Divisive antics, exclusion, corruption, scores settling, tribalism, buying of votes etc combined to mar elections at grassroots of Biya’s party

By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde

Jean Nkuete

When the newly created CPDM Academy headed by Prof. Elvis NgolleNgolle will eventually go operational hopefully, sooner than later, it will have to first of all school the barons of the party on the values and tenets of party discipline, priority of the general interest, respect for hierarchy and perhaps, moral rectitude. This, because the on going renewal of internal organs of the party has given the public the impression of a CPDM party whose policy makers are the first to break their own rules and even the instructions of their national president, Paul Biya.

                Judging from the petitions and complaints of irregularities that have continued streaming into the secretariat of the Central Committee in Yaounde and which this newspaper either stumbled on or had copies sent to its newsroom, it is evident that the ruling party has emerged from the reorganization exercise more divided, disoriented, weakened and vulnerable. Some militants are even calling on opposition parties to hurry and take advantage of the situation.

                In many sections of the party militants are now spoiling to either sanction the party during forth coming elections or quit the party and join ranks with the opposition outright. At least this is what reporters of The Median gathered from irate militants, after listening to their utterances both in private as well as in public.

                Also, many militants of the CPDM have accused the leaders of their party of blatantly and deliberately sowing seeds of discord within the ranks of the party. The militants regret that the reorganization exercise has been characterized by divisive antics and at times incredibly corrupt practices by some of the so called resource persons sent from the central committee to monitor and supervise elections in the field. Some militants say after the reorganization exercise they are left with the unshakable conviction that their party is more rotten at the top than at the grassroots; that the resource persons sent to oversee the affairs of the party at the grassroots are anything but exemplary and clean.

                “We expected the teams from Yaounde to show a high sense of responsibility, morality, impartiality, strict respect for the presidential circular and the guidelines of the SG of the Central committee. Unfortunately what we have seen on the field is the exact opposite,” observed a militant, who opted not to be named. He noted that contrary to the instructions in the presidential circular, what obtained on the field was utterly shameful: “resource persons holding nocturnal meetings with particular candidates, buying of consciences with money and near total absence of transparency and disregard for the principles of democracy.”

                Some CPDM militants have heaped the blame for the cacophony on the SG of the Central committee, Jean Kuete, whom they say is either confused, helpless and at a loss of solutions to the very bizarre developments on the field or is the brain behind them.

                Militants have also criticized Jean Kuete for the disorder that characterized the distribution of party cards. Some said they could not easily comprehend how party cards were procured at the central committee for onward redistribution to militants. Militants noted that just any body could get to the party secretariat in Yaounde and obtain as many cards as they wanted, provided they had the cash to pay. They say this practice only gave undue advantage to candidates who were more financially viable than their challengers. It was also contrary to the prescriptions of the presidential circular of 27 July 2015 which instructed the SG of the central committee, as well as the militants, to eschew all forms of influence peddling and cheating.

                As the exercise to reorganize basic organs of the CPDM rounds up on 10 December 2015, many informed militants have remarked that those calling the shots at the party secretariat in Yaounde have not lived up to their bidding: Jean Kuete and his hatched men have shown that they only programmed the reorganization exercise to fail; the exercise has only exposed the not too attractive posterior of Paul Biya’s party.

                They say if this were not the case, how come a section like Akwaya in Manyu Division has a section executive even though no election really took place there? Also, what has the CC done about the situation in Buea where the mayor’s list was controversially rejected after he refused to subscribe to a consensus imposed from Yaounde. Today Buea has two parallel CPDM sections, one headed by MafanyNamanga and another headed by Mayor Patrick Ekema.

                Many militants have also expressed surprise that the Central Committee validated elections in places like Kumba, Jakiri, Mbonge, Akonoetc in spite of the objective complaints and petition about flawed elections in these places.

                Then militants of the CPDM say they are yet to comprehend the taciturn indifference of the SG of the Central Committee Jean Kuete, in the face of the generalized confusion, anti-party activities and lawlessness that has characterized the reorganization exercise so far.

                               In the Akwaya section in Manyu for instance, a corrupt envoy confessed how he received firm instruction from the president of the section organizing committee, H.E. Mbianyor Clarkson to make sure the mayor of Akwaya wins as section president. Mr. Tambi Joseph Tabe also confessed to have collected bribe (FCFA 2 million) from the said mayor to orchestrate the very anti-democratic plan.

                The same complaints were also reported in Kupe-Muanenguba division where the president of the divisional supervisory committee, Hon. Emilia MonjowaLifaka was said to have manoevered albeit unsuccessfully to ensure that the mayor of Tombel, Madam Rose Ngassa, wins as WCPDM section president. Reports said because Hon. Lifaka and the SDO for Kupe-Muanenguba, HaddisonKwetong had been corrupted by Rose Ngassa, they did everything to get Ngassa’s list to triumph. Lifaka reportedly travelled to Tombel on three separate occasions to make sure things worked out for Ngassa. But her efforts could not stand the mobilization capacity of the ‘unity list’ which incidentally Ngassa had refused to be part of. Observers questioned why Hon. Lifaka did not pay even a single visit to Nguti which was also within her sphere of control?