Duplication, interference, confusion:

What mission for appointed CPDM delegates?

The secretary general of the CPDM Central committee is currently moving round the country installing recently appointed regional and divisional delegates of the party. Jean Kuete is using the opportunity to warn the delegates to eschew any interference in the day-to-day running of the party at the base. He reminds them that section presidents are the managers of the party at the grassroots.

By Ojong Steven Ayukogem in Yaounde

CPDM SG Jean Kuete here installs

Cavaye Yeguie and co in Far North

The Secretary General of the CPDM Central Committee, Jean Kuete has been going round the country installing permanent regional and divisional delegates of the Central Committee appointed recently by the national president of the party, Paul Biya.

                Last week, Jean Kuete led a high-powered Central Committee delegation to the Northern regions of the country where he installed the permanent delegates of the Far North, North and Adamawa regions.

                Thus the National Assembly Speaker, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril was installed as regional delegate for the Far North, the Lamido of Rey Bouba, Aboubakary Abdoulaye was installed in the North region, while business mogul Alhadji Abbo was installed in Adamawa.

                This week, Jean Kuete and his team will be in the East, South and Centre regions to install the permanent delegates there.  

                However, even as Jean Kuete is going around installing the permanent delegates, many militants of the party are still at a loss as to the missions and functions that these appointed officials are expected to play at the grassroots. Many CPDM supporters say if anything the permanent delegates will only brew confusion in the functioning of the party at the grassroots, especially if their role is not clearly defined by the party hierarchy.

                It was perhaps for this reason that Jean Kuete while installing the permanent delegates also used the opportunity to enlighten them on their role. Jean Kuete told the appointees that they are not expected to interfere in the day-to-day running of the party at the base. He reminded them that the day-to-day running of the party at the base is the prerogative of the elected section and sub-section presidents and not appointed officials. He therefore warned the delegates not to try to strangle the elected officials of the party.

                Jean Kuete told the permanent delegates that their role would be defined to them during seminars that the party will organize in the days ahead.

                But Jean Kuete at once also reminded the appointees that by virtue of their supposed political maturity, tact and civic responsibility, they are expected to guide the section presidents on how best the party should function at the grassroots.

                But Jean Kuete outing in the regions is not only to install permanent delegates; he is also out there to appease feuding militants, reconcile the divided camps and bring back serenity within the ranks of Paul Biya’s party.

                It should be recalled that because of the glaringly undemocratic manner in which some grassroots officials were elected during the last reorganization of basic organs of the party, tension, frustration, division and even decampment by some militants have become common features of the party.

                Jean Kuete is therefore expected to appease these disappointed militants and bring them back to their good humour vis-à-vis the party, especially at this time when it is widely speculated that President Biya will call early presidential elections in 2017.

                In an editorial in the CPDM newspaper, L’Action no 1059 of Wednesday 1st June 2016, the Editor-in-chief, Christophe Mien Zok called on CPDM militants to decide either to be or not to be militants. He said if they choose to be militants then they must at all circumstances, subdue their individual interests and align with the general interest of the party; they should know how to be militants and how not to be.

                Analysts have interpreted Mien Zok’s message to mean that militants of the CPDM have a choice to stay in the party or quit; any body who chooses to stay in the party should not question what comes from above; they should take whatever comes from above as dogma.