The People’s Call:

 MbomboNjoya cautions Biya to be careful

Sultan Ibrahim MbomboNjoya

In a grand CPDM rally that held in Bafoussam last week, Ibrahim MbomboNjoya, the Sultan of Bamum and permanent head of the party’s Central Committee delegation in the West region, showered praises on President Paul Biya but failed to call on him, as other CPDM barons have been doing all over the country, to stand for the upcoming presidential election. Rather, the no-nonsense king of the Bamums in his scripted remarks at the meeting insinuated that the President, after ruling for so long a time (33 years), should take a well-deserved rest. The Median stumbled on a copy of MbomboNjoya’s speech and translated it. It makes for enriching reading. (The subtitles are ours).

In this exceptional circumstance where the pulse of the entire West region beats so harmoniously in our beautiful regional capital Bafoussam, it is a real privilege for me to take the floor, for the first time, in my capacity as permanent regional chief of delegation of the Central Committee for the West, to wish you a warm welcome to this Bafoussam ceremonial ground.

                Before anything else, let me seize this opportunity offered me to express to the National President of our great party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM), my very profound gratitude for this mark of confidence which he gave my modest person, as well as my team, to animate the activities of the party in our beautiful region.

                Also permit me to sincerely thank His Excellency NiatNjifenji Marcel, President of the Senate, for this important initiative to assemble us on this memorable day in the political life of our party and of our nation.

                Mr. Senate President, dear comrades, I would not want to hurt your modesty here by declaring loud and strong that the great success of this meeting is by chance; it is clearly your work.

                Mr. Vice-Prime Minister Jean Nkuete, Secretary-General of the Central Committee of our great party, the CPDM…I would tell you that your presence does not only honour us but increases the brilliance of this ceremony, and reassures us through your ever-pertinent advice, that we can always count on you to make us go forward.

Memory lane

YourExcellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

                We can recall that on Saturday, 18 February 2012, we gathered at this same place in Bafoussam for a meeting of thanks to the West population after their massive plebiscite for candidate Paul Biya in the presidential poll of 9 October 2011, at the end of an election which we have justly qualified as historic and eloquent. Yes! 66.22%.

Through this massive adhesion to the President of the Republic’s socio-economic blue-print placed at the time under the sign of “Greater Achievements”, we were demonstrating and this, in an irreversible manner that the President of the Republic had to continue counting on us.

Unalloyed attachment to Biya

                Since then, our militant fervour and our attachment to his person and to the ideals which he so fortunately incarnates at the head of our country have not failed. On the other hand, we have maintained our deferential engagement, and this, once more, illustrated itself through the massive plebiscite of CPDM lists during the parliamentary and municipals elections of 30 September 2013. In fact, if the number of MPs has remained unchanged, that is, 20/25, we have conversely noticed an increase by 18% of regional councillors in the West region, moving from 844 in 2007 to 978 in 2013. This leap of the West translates the will and determination of our region to support His Excellency Paul Biya in the engagement he took together with the Cameroonian people, to lead Cameroon to  democracy and prosperity.

CPDM will outlive Biya

Dear comrades,

                Let us never forget that in democracy, the major and essential vocation that every political party is targeting is and remains to conquer and conserve power, without which its presence on the national political scene is meaningless. You should therefore not be fooled. Besides, you yourselves can realize this practice in the young as well as in the oldest democracies. That is why in this fight to conquer power, we perfectly understand the sometimes bellicose behaviour of our political opponents whom we respect all the same, for it is through his permanent fight that we are giving meaning to our democracy.

                What we should bear in mind is that they will never give us a gift tomorrow neither will we. We should therefore not mistake a person’s longevity in power and the conservation of power by a political party. That is why, even in the case of limitation of mandates, the outgoing President still fights so that his party can conserve power after him. The news of today in one of the oldest democracies is a perfect example. Besides, a political party, in its daily life, as well as in its projections, must always take into account the local, regional and global environment.

CPDM strong since creation

                Our party, the CPDM, has acquired the solid bases of a veritable democratic, serious and sufficiently alert political formation, thanks to the personal and constant implication of its national President, His Excellency Paul Biya. I can say this powerfully because I was amongst the founding members of this party in 1985 in Bamenda.

                This is how the CPDM has always known and been able to find appropriate solutions in the face of the political necessities of the moment. As a reminder, we recall that at the beginning of the 1990s the CPDM took off its beautiful clothing of single party to dress in that of multi-partyism without any serious worry. All of which is proof of its capacity to adapt to every political situation which it finds coherent and in concordance with the objectives of the party.            

Cameroon’s problems abound

Dear comrades,

                It is no longer a secret to anybody. The current economic environment is marked at the economic level by the drastic fall in the prices of fuel and of some solid mineral resources. Given that an ill luck never comes alone, security problems in our northern and eastern frontiers are added to this problem. This situation can compromise the attainment of the noble and pertinent objectives of the great vision of President Paul Biya to make our country emerge by 2035, through the great projects conceived and progressively put in place under his very transparent leadership.

                That is why the CPDM, a responsible political party, faced with this exceptional situation, has to take exceptional measures so as to avoid a worse situation tomorrow.

CPDM should hold extraordinary congress, not make people’s call

                We, the political officials of the CPDM in the West region, therefore believe that it is not necessary to wait for three years to take appropriate political measures, for given the rhythm in which things evolve in the world today, we are not spared from pleasant surprises.

                It therefore becomes, dear Cameroonians, very urgent and imperative to envisage the holding of an extraordinary congress of our party, with the aim of discussing the preoccupying situation which is rearing its head on the horizon and which can seriously threaten the peace which is so dear to us and which  was acquired from a huge fight.

                This extraordinary congress should have only one point on its agenda, that is, to find pertinent and durable solutions to the problems of today. From these discussions, we can therefore permit our National President to answer validly to the call made today by the supporters and sympathizers of our party. The pertinent solutions that would come out of these discussions would enable us to resolve with lucidity a certain number of problems that Cameroonians want from us.

Ordinary congress also imperative

                As to what concerns us, we could, for instance, seize the opportunity to plan the holding of our ordinary congress, statutorily provided for this year, so as to enable our great party to not only do its rejuvenating cleaning…but also adhere to the new solutions that would come out of our extraordinary congress, and eventually to some legislative provisions which the two houses could be called upon to take in the light of this situation which preoccupies everyone.

                We are convinced, Mr. National President, that your answer to this call will come to fulfill the ardent wish of supporters of the West region and elsewhere. We encourage you to, and you can count on our indefectible support.

Biya, master of his destiny

Dear Comrade National President,

                At a time when we are trying to write a new page of the history of our country, note, Your Excellency, that the key to the fortune and misfortune of our country is still found today in your hands. Let the Almighty God guide you as always, in the choice of the good key.