Chief A .S Ngwana(pictured) Chairman of Cardinal Democratic Party(CDP) in Cameroon has called on President Paul Biya to dissolve ELECAM,which is supposed to be an independent Electoral commission but is not! Biya recently appointed a majority of his ruling CPDM members to serve as Board of Governors of ELECAM contrary to the law which calls for the appointment of independent personalities.
According to sub-paragraph 11 article 13 of the December 29, 2006 law creating ELECAM, “the post of chairperson, the vice chair and members of the electoral council are incompatible to functions or quality…of a member belonging to a political party or a group supporting a political party, a candidate or list of candidates”. It states that the appointment of members into the electoral council of ELECAM are chosen from amongst Cameroonian personalities known for their competence, moral integrity, intellectual honesty, sense of patriotism and their spirit of neutrality and impartiality.
"ELECAM is not an Independent Electoral Neutral body to conduct any elections in Cameroon, but an organ of the CPDM, a tool in the hands of Paul Biya, to guarantee his life presidency",argued the CDP chair.
Chief Ngwana was addresing a press conference on January 6, 2009 in the Conference Hall of Akwa Palace,Douala-Cameroon ,in reaction to the appointment of ELECAM management team.He also nailed Biya and his ruling party in his speech.
Below is his speech to the independent and state-owned media which was sanctioned by a question -and answer session
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Distinguished members of the media,
I welcome you here today to wish you a Happy and prosperous New Year and to ask God to bless you in your difficult task of decimating information accurately, enlightening and educating the public and exposing crimes fearlessly. In fact, as the fourth organ of the realm, after the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, you are indispensable to any democratic dispensation.
Since 1960 when French Cameroon achieved Independence as the Republic of Cameroon, and 1961 when British Southern Cameroon united with the Republic of Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon, Cameroon has never practiced democracy or understood what free and fair elections means.
Southern British Cameroon which later became West Cameroon, understood and practiced democracy. In a free and fair election there was a change of Government from the CPNC Government of Dr. E.L.M. Endeley to the opposition KNDP government of Dr. J.N. Foncha
From 1961 to 1972 When Cameroon was a Federation, West Cameroon, practiced democracy with all its attributes of fair and free elections, respect for human rights, the rule of law, and enjoyed economic prosperity.
Since the abolition of the Federation in 1972, the United Republic of Cameroon under Ahidjo and later the Republic of Cameroon under Biya, Cameroon has never enjoyed democracy. Under Ahidjo, Cameroon suffered the one-party dictatorship, with all the atrocities of press censorships, BMM, exit visas, arbitrary arrests etc. No opposition Parties were allowed. See the book “ The struggle for Political Pluralism and Democracy in Cameroon”.
In 1982, Paul Biya was appointed president of Cameroon, by Ahidjo, when he decided to resign voluntary. No elections.
On the departure of Ahidjo. We challenged the one-party dictatorship, which Biya inherited by launching in 1983 the first opposition Party, “The Cameroon Democratic Party”, for which I was forced into exile for six years. (see above).
In 1992, Biya was forced by the Cameroon people and the International Community, to allow multi parties in Cameroon. The Cameroon Democratic Party, protested that multi parties cannot operate under the one party rules and asked for the Constitution to be amended to reflect the multi party state of the country. Biya refused, and conducted the first multiparty elections under the one part rules. The elections were conducted by the CPDM Minister of Territorial Administration ( no Independent Electoral Commission, See the recommendations of the NDI report in the above book)
We said we would not contest the elections unless there was an Independent Electoral Commission. The SDF party under John Fru Ndi contested the presidential elections against Biya, and Fru Ndi actually won the elections, because all Cameroonians wanted a change of government at all cost, but Biya was declared winner by the Minister of Territorial Administration and confirmed by the Supreme Court, said their hands were tied.
After this surprising defeat, Biya decided to perfect the art of rigging the elections. He still refused to appoint an Independent Electoral commission, instead Biya appointed NEO to observe the elections, with no powers to conduct the elections, his appointed Minister of Territorial Administration still conducted the last elections and gave his party more than 80% of the present Parliament, in his preparation for the final coup on the Cameroon Democracy.
The opposition parties which took part in the elections cried foul, but Cameroonians did not mind because by the Constitution proclaimed by Biya himself limiting the tenure of the president to two terms of seven years each, Biya’s tenure would end and he would be barred from contesting any further elections. Biya would finally go.
Then the bomb shell fell. Biya amended the Constitution, to make himself life president. He would be re-elected with monotonous regularity, as many times as he would like to stand the elections, until his death and if he resigns he would enjoy immunity from all crimes committed during his life presidency. Cameroonians and the International Community cried foul, but his hand clapping Parliament amended the Constitutions and gave him the immunity he asked for.
Now the only hope Cameroonians had was the Independent Electoral Commission, which he had promised the world (Common Wealth) that he would set up. With an Independent Electoral Commission, Cameroonians saw a flicker of hope of changing the Government through the democratic process of the ballot box.
According to sub-paragraph 11 article 13 of the December 29, 2006 law creating ELECAM, “the post of chairperson, the vice chair and members of the electoral council are incompatible to functions or quality…of a member belonging to a political party or a group supporting a political party, a candidate or list of candidates”. It states that the appointment of members into the electoral council of ELECAM are chosen from amongst Cameroonian personalities known for their competence, moral integrity, intellectual honesty, sense of patriotism and their spirit of neutrality and impartiality.
The Prime Minister, Inoni conducted extensive consultations with the opposition parties represented in Parliament and they made suggestions as to the type of people they wanted to compose ELECAM. ELECAM was to be made of outstanding men and women of high integrity, Politically neutral, and transparently honest. Men and women who would inspire confidence in the electoral process. But what has Biya done?
Distinguished members of the media, on the 30th December 2008, President Paul Biya signed “Decreet No.2008/463 du 30 decembre” appointing members of ELECAM.
He appointed all of them from his CPDM party, a party ridden with corruption and embezzlement, a party which has produce the most corrupt government, winning twice the trophy of the world’s most corrupt governments. Biya appointed from a corrupt party, men and women of questionable characters, men and women some who had headed organizations where innocent blood of Cameroonians had been shed, to guarantee that he and his party will always win any election conducted in Cameroon.
ELECAM is not an Independent Electoral Neutral body to conduct any elections in Cameroon, but an organ of the CPDM, a tool in the hands of Paul Biya, to guarantee his life presidency.
Distinguished members of the media, we reject ELECAM and call on President Paul Biya to disband the present ELECAM he has appointed and appoint a true INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION.
We, the Cardinal Democratic Party will not contest any elections conducted by the present ELECAM. We call on all political parties to boycott all elections conducted by the present ELECAM. We call on all Cameroonians to boycott all elections organized or conducted by the present ELECAM. Let all Cameroonians and the whole world know that Cameroon is a ONE PARTY STATE, and that there is NO DEMOCRACY in Cameroon. Biya has killed Democracy in Cameroon.
Of course some stupid money mongers will be quick to say that if we boycott the elections, the CPDM Party and Biya will be declared winners, but the truth is that if we contest the elections, the CPDM and Biya will still be declared winners, so why then, give them that legality by contesting the elections. Let us not deceive our selves for love of money, and destroy Cameroon. Any person or party who or which contests any election under the present ELECAM is an enemy of democracy, is an enemy of Cameroon, is a traitor to Cameroonians..
The CPDM and Biya will buy people with money to contest the elections, but that will only help them to be there for a short time. Biya knows, unless he is deceiving himself, that if he contested an election against a monkey, an Election conducted by a true Independent body, the monkey will defeat him.
Men and women of the media, the truth is that the CPDM government and President Paul Biya cannot be removed through the democratic process of the ballot box. We must wait for Biya to resign voluntary or die through the natural process of all mortals.
I am ready to bet 50 million francs in cash or kind with any person who proves that the CPDM or President Paul Biya can be defeated by any party or person in an election conducted by the present ELECAM.
However we must not forget the wise council of President Kennedy who said that those who prevent peaceful change must be ready for violent change. No condition is permanent. Under the CPDM government headed by life President Paul Biya, Cameroon has no Constitution, but a set of laws which are changed by Biya at will, at his convenience.
Biya is the law. Biya is in full control of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary (no separation of powers}. As commander in Chief, Biya is in full control of the army and all security forces. Biya is all powerful in Cameroon.
Under Biya’s long tenure in Office (26 years already} Biya must be responsible for all our miseries and hardships and sorrows. We are a rich country, but we are now among the poorest countries of the world. Cameroon has sunk to the lowest depths of corruption, winning the World corruption trophy twice.
Under the CDPM government, justice is no longer guaranteed, since with money you can manipulate the judiciary. Our criminal Code provides penalty for many crimes, but under the CPDM government the laws are no longer enforced. Prostitution is an offence punishable under section 343 of the Cameroon Penal Code. The punishment ranges from six months to five years imprisonment or a fine of 20,000 to 500,000 CFA.
Yet we see on our television screens, University girls in Yaounde, advertising that they charge 5,000 CFA for sex without condoms and 3,000 CFA for sex with condoms. How many times have we read in the papers about aborted babies dumped in latrine pits or abandoned on railway tracts after abortion, yet abortion and murder are criminal offenses under the Penal Code, but the culprits are never arrested.
Homosexuality, punishable under section 347 of the Cameroon Penal Code, is widely practiced by “big men” and now Students in colleges and universities practice it, but no legal actions taken. Adultery and bigamy are offences punishable under sections 361 and 359© respectively, but Biya say that all these offences are private matters for which the press must not be involved.
Ahidjo was no doubt a great dictator, but under Ahidjo these laws were enforced. Police and gendarmes paraded streets at night to arrest prostitutes. If a person stole more than two million francs CFA, he went to jail for life. Today, billions of francs are looted , stolen or embezzled and the culprits move about freely. Civil society is so fed up with the legal system, that when a thief is caught, they take the law into their hands and apply jungle justice. They put tyres on the person and roast him. We fear that they will soon start roasting the “big men and women” who have stolen billions of francs.
The collapse of morality and probity in our society is affecting not only the young people in schools and universities, but even God’s consecrated Servants. Despite the preaching by the hierarchy, some consecrated servants of God, have been corrupted by the rotten society and some are guilty of the crimes committed by the criminals of our decaying society.
Distinguished members of the media, our society is rapidly driving down to chaos.
My Party and myself have written to President Paul Biya several times about the Anglophone problem which borders on the corporate existence of Cameroon, but to no avail.
The Anglophones complain of marginalization, discrimination and treatment as second class citizens. They are fed up with Cameroon and want to Separate from the Republic of Cameroon. The only lasting solution to this problem is to return to the Federal Republic of Cameroon Constitution. A Constitution which guaranteed equality of States, equality of all Cameroonians, and the rule of Law.
We must never lose sight of the fact that unification was based on federalism.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media,
I employ you and all Cameroonians to invoke God’s mercy on our Country. We are economically bankrupt, democratically bankrupt, and morally bankrupt. We are drifting fast into Chaos, anarchy and doom, and only God can safe us.
Thank you.
Chief A.S. Ngwana, National Chairman. CDP
Tel. (237 )77 75 71 73 Email: ngwanasamba@yahoo.com
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