ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — A fiery member of incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo's Cabinet urged supporters of the leader, who was declared the loser of elections last month but refuses to give up power, to seize a hotel where the winning candidate has been organizing a shadow government under U.N. protection.
Charles Ble Goude was quoted by a pro-Gbagbo newspaper Thursday as saying Alassane Ouattara, whom the United Nations declared the winner of the Nov. 28 vote, and his prime minister "have until January 1, 2011 to pack their bags and leave the Golf Hotel."
West African leaders on Wednesday took possible military intervention off the table for now so negotiations can continue on Monday to have Gbagbo hand over power in Ivory Coast. ECOWAS, the Economic Community of West African States, has sent combat troops to several nations in the past two decades. Defense officials from the member states met Wednesday in Abuja, Nigeria, where the bloc is based.
"He who attacks Laurent Gbagbo will sorely regret it," Ble Goude was reported as telling Gbagbo supporters in the Yopougon neighborhood, where a U.N. patrol was surrounded by a mob on Tuesday and one peacekeeper was wounded by a machete. "No on can remove our president from power."
U.N. peacekeeping chief Alain Leroy said the U.N. has become a target of violence after a campaign of "disturbing lies" on state television suggested that the UN is arming and transporting anti-Gbagbo rebels.
Ble Goude is Gbagbo's minister of youth and employment, known as the "street general" for organizing a violent anti-French and anti-U.N. gang that terrorized the foreign population in Ivory Coast in 2004-2005. The beachside Golf Hotel is protected by a strong contingent of blue-helmeted U.N. peacekeepers.
Under a 2007 peace deal that was to seal an end to frictions that erupted in civil war in 2002 and 2003, the U.N. was tasked with certifying the results of the election. The U.N. declared Ouattara the winner, echoing the country's own electoral commission chief. Gbagbo insists he won, pointing out that the Ivory Coast constitutional council declared him the winner. The council, which is led by a Gbagbo ally, had invalidated half a million ballots from Ouattara strongholds in the north.
The United States and other world powers have insisted Gbagbo hand over power to Ouattara. For many, the credibility of the international community is at stake if it is unable to ensure that Ouattara takes power.
Chaos in Ivory Coast, once a West African economic powerhouse with skyscrapers dominating this seaside commercial center, already has kept Gbagbo in power five years beyond his mandate.
Ivory Coast's new U.N. ambassador, Youssoufou Bamba, said he is worried about his country's future and is consulting with members of the Security Council ahead of a meeting next week on ways to help Ouattara assume power.
"We are on the brink of genocide," Bamba said after presenting his diplomatic credentials to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York.
Practical obstacles may prevent ECOWAS troop deployment to Ivory Coast, said Africa security analyst Peter Pham. The best troops from ECOWAS states are already deployed on missions elsewhere such as Sudan, and even if soldiers could be found, transport logistics would be a challenge, he said.
"Gbagbo called their bluff on their ability to follow through on any sort of military threat," said Pham, of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, a New York-based think tank. "Sending a peacekeeping force is one thing, but an invasion force that will be resisted by the national military is quite another."
U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the United States has begun planning for the possible evacuation of its embassy in Ivory Coast amid concerns of a full-blown conflict.
Associated Press writers Anita Snow at the United Nations; Nastasya Tay in Johannesburg; and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
At least 173 people killed in Ivorian post-electoral violence, says UN
A UN report on the Ivorian crisis, presented at a special session in Geneva Thursday, said at least 173 people were killed in post-electoral violence. There were also reports of nearly 500 arrests or deportations over the past week.
AFP - United Nations human rights officials said Thursday that at least 173 people have been killed in Ivory Coast in the past week, during the fragile West African state's post-election crisis.
The report to the UN Human Rights Council came as Ivorian strongman Laurent Gbagbo came under mounting pressure from world powers to step down.
UN staff have been able to confirm allegations of 173 killings and 90 cases of torture or ill treatment in Ivory Coast in the past week, UN deputy human rights chief Kyung-wha Kang told ambassadors in Geneva.
"Unfortunately it has been impossible to investigate all the allegations of serious human rights violations, including reports of mass graves, due to restrictions on movement by UN personnel," she added.
The report came as world powers turned the screw on the stubborn leader, demanding that Gbagbo step aside in favour of Alassane Ouattara, whom UN members have recognised as the winner of last month's Ivorian election.
The United States and Nigeria brought a draft resolution before the UN Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva, seeking to bolster their position before an important West African regional summit.
"Unfortunately it has been impossible to investigate all the allegations of serious human rights violations, including reports of mass graves, due to restrictions on movement by UN personnel," she added.
The report came as world powers turned the screw on the stubborn leader, demanding that Gbagbo step aside in favour of Alassane Ouattara, whom UN members have recognised as the winner of last month's Ivorian election.
The United States and Nigeria brought a draft resolution before the UN Human Rights Council, meeting in Geneva, seeking to bolster their position before an important West African regional summit.
On Friday, Nigeria will host a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in Abuja, at which an appeal will be made for new troops to reinforce hard-pressed UN peacekeepers in Ivory Coast.
But on the ground in Ivory Coast, Gbagbo's position remains strong.
The streets of Abidjan were crowded, with traffic jams snaking back into the suburbs as many private and government employees obeyed the regime's call for them to return to work.
Ouattara's shadow government remains trapped in the Golf Hotel, a luxury waterfront resort on the edge of the city protected by 800 UN troops and besieged by Gbagbo's forces.
The incumbent Gbagbo and long-time rival Ouattara have been locked in a standoff since the November 28 presidential election, which both claim to have won.
In Geneva, Nigeria, acting for the African group of nations, submitted a draft resolution that would place Ivory Coast under international scrutiny.
In Geneva, Nigeria, acting for the African group of nations, submitted a draft resolution that would place Ivory Coast under international scrutiny.
It expressed deep concern "about the atrocities and violations of human rights committed in Ivory Coast in relation to the conclusion of the 2010 presidential election" and called for the election results to be respected.
The United Nations gave Ouattara's beleaguered shadow government a boost Wednesday when it recognised his nominee for ambassador to the body, the latest in a string of measures to pressure Gbagbo.
World Bank president Robert Zoellick said in Paris that he had agreed with the leaders of Ivory Coast's partners in the West African economic and monetary union that Abidjan be cut off from international funding.
"They are also convening a meeting of ministers this week to affirm and strengthen this approach," he said of the West Africans, after holding talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
"They are also convening a meeting of ministers this week to affirm and strengthen this approach," he said of the West Africans, after holding talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
The United States has said it was seeking to muster African troops to support the 9,000-strong UN mission, which Gbagbo has demanded leave the country but is holding on in the face of harassment.
Ouattara's camp has welcomed international support, but his would-be prime minister, former rebel leader Guillaume Soro, has demanded military action and international prosecutions for rights abuses.
"After all the international pressure and the sanctions which did not have any effect on Mr Gbagbo, it's obvious that only one solution remains, that of force," Soro said Wednesday.
Gbagbo, meanwhile has deployed his armed forces to put down pro-Ouattara protests and to bottle up his adversary in the Golf Hotel. He remains defiant, declaring that his battle to hang on is a fight for Africa's freedom.
"We are strong, we are resisting, we are brave," he told African youth leaders. "It's a combat to lead, it's an indispensable struggle, it's the route we must take so that tomorrow you will be free."
Gbagbo, meanwhile has deployed his armed forces to put down pro-Ouattara protests and to bottle up his adversary in the Golf Hotel. He remains defiant, declaring that his battle to hang on is a fight for Africa's freedom.
"We are strong, we are resisting, we are brave," he told African youth leaders. "It's a combat to lead, it's an indispensable struggle, it's the route we must take so that tomorrow you will be free."
Source:www.france24.com
Cameroon says 200 bln CFA T-bond oversubscribed
YAOUNDE Dec 23 (Reuters) - Cameroon's sale of 200 billion CFA francs ($400.6 million) of treasury bonds was oversubscribed, the chair of the Douala Stock Exchange said late on Wednesday.
"The government requested 200 billion CFA francs but received more," DSX chair Benedict Belibi told a press conference, adding a commission would examine the subscriptions by Dec. 29 to see which would be retained.The bonds, yielding 5.6 percent and maturing from 2012 to 2015, were offered for a 15-day period starting Dec. 6 and listed on the Douala Stock Exchange.
Cameroon's finance ministry said in October the country's first treasury bond issue was intended to raise funds to major infrastructure programs including the Lom Pangar dam seen as key to raising hydropower generation.
Cameroon, central Africa's largest economy and among the region's commercial oil producers, is seeing to triple electricity output by 2020, in part to pave the way for a slew of energy-intensive mining developments.
Analysts have said the electricity bottleneck is among the country's largest obstacles to growth.
The government has said it plans to issue a second batch of bonds worth 150 billion CFA in 2011.
(Reporting by Tansa Musa; editing by richard Valdmanis, Ron Askew)
"The government requested 200 billion CFA francs but received more," DSX chair Benedict Belibi told a press conference, adding a commission would examine the subscriptions by Dec. 29 to see which would be retained.The bonds, yielding 5.6 percent and maturing from 2012 to 2015, were offered for a 15-day period starting Dec. 6 and listed on the Douala Stock Exchange.
Cameroon's finance ministry said in October the country's first treasury bond issue was intended to raise funds to major infrastructure programs including the Lom Pangar dam seen as key to raising hydropower generation.
Cameroon, central Africa's largest economy and among the region's commercial oil producers, is seeing to triple electricity output by 2020, in part to pave the way for a slew of energy-intensive mining developments.
Analysts have said the electricity bottleneck is among the country's largest obstacles to growth.
The government has said it plans to issue a second batch of bonds worth 150 billion CFA in 2011.
(Reporting by Tansa Musa; editing by richard Valdmanis, Ron Askew)
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Cameroon:Elections, Handshakes and Postponements.
By Tazoacha Asonganyi in Yaounde.
Not to worry: elections are being held left and right with varying outcomes. That in Côte d’Ivoire left the people Mugabe’ed or Kibakied, whichever you like. Do not mind the motions of support trickling there from ‘social democratic’ and ‘leftwing’ groupings. The Biyas, Wades and others of the same feathers are chuckling in amusement at the fact that they are usually confronted by noises about commitment to values like social justice, democracy, liberty, mutual obligation, opportunity for all, responsibility… The ‘left-wingers’ may retort that it is precisely because of these values that they refuse to hand-over power on a platter of gold to the other side, whatever the decision of the people. Pity for those who thought that ‘leftwing’ politics could bring progress to Africa; pity for Africa and the prospect for continental peace and tranquillity!
Our turn will come soon, in 2011, just like that of our next door neighbour, Nigeria. However, Nigeria will have a go at it several month before us. It is probably because their turn is more around the corner than ours that they seem to be taking it more seriously than we are. Whereas we are still clamouring at the door of our moribund ELECAM for the biometric system to be introduced into the electoral process, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Nigeria has since acted decisively.
Unlike ELECAM that is daily giving excuses about their hands being tied by the electoral laws they met in place, the renewed INEC and its President Attahiru Mohammadu Jega appointed in July 2010, have since forced the Executive and the Legislature to expunge all obstacles from the electoral law, and ‘Electoral Act 2010’ has since been published; INEC has produced a budget that would permit it to organize free, fair, and credible elections, and has since been granted the budget; it has launched a national/international bid for the procurement of 132.000 Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines.
The DDC machines have since been supplied as follows: Zinox Technologies Ltd (Nigeria), 80.000 units at 1.771,73 US$ per unit; Messrs Haier Electrical Appliance Corp Ltd (China), 30.000 units a 1.699,60 US$ per unit; and Avante International Technology Inc (USA), 22.000 units at 1.699,60 US$ per unit, all including taxes and charges. The machines were delivered within some 35 days of the orders, and are being distributed all over the Nigerian territory for electronic registration of voters that will last for 15 days from 15 – 29 January 2011. The timetable of activities for the 2011 general elections established by INEC shows that the elections will take place on 2nd April 2011 (National Assembly), 9th April 2011 (Presidential), and 16th April 2011 (Governorship/State Assemblies).
All this is to tell our ELECAM and Paul Biya that for October 2011, it is not yet late to stop the masquerade presently going on in the field, to start seriously all over again. It all depends on political will, and on the seriousness of those legally asked to help the nation to organize free, fair, and credible elections.
Then the handshake galore! Remember every other person outside the CPDM - leaders of political parties, trade unions, and associations - used to be nothing but ‘quacks and apprentice sorcerers’. Remember also that during his 2008 end-of-year message to the nation, Paul Biya told us that the role of these quacks of yesterday was to act "as intermediaries to transmit to government the grievances of their constituents (and militants) ...", and he swore with his hand on his breast that he would always give a keen ear to their demands!
Of course, who did not doubt the sincerity of the promise that he would become a keen listener? In any case, political parties, trade unions, and associations passively transmitted information to him when they were consulted on the set-up of ELECAM, like had been done for NEO, but since their opinions were not "well founded" - as Biya would say - he ignored them!
The build-up to the recent visit of Paul Biya to Bamenda caused drumbeats for a Paul Biya – Fru Ndi encounter to rise to frenzy, with Fru Ndi almost dancing himself lame to the drumbeats! Meeting Paul Biya became like the finality of his life-struggle. And he finally met and shook Biya’s hand, a dream come true?
Well, let Fru Ndi keep this in mind: no neo-colonial regime can be changed with handshakes from positions of weakness. His cronies may drink their champagnes to celebrate his meeting Biya – at last – but there is still a formidable task ahead! They should better quickly dismiss this cock-and-bull story about people blocking meetings between the two: who really believes it? You imagine that Paul Biya really wanted to meet Fru Ndi and could not do so because somebody prevented him from doing so? For over 20 year? That must be a big joke!
In any case, while Fru Ndi celebrates his symbolic victory over the handshake, he should ponder the following: “One of the trademarks of Paul Biya in 28 years has been his failure to respect the terms of political deals struck with other stakeholders. He has repeatedly trumped opponents with his single card of reneging on political deals on term limits, NEO, ELECAM, and others, over which he has always behaved like a man of second thoughts. Thus, symbolic victories usually thought to be won by his opponents with the striking of deals and the clinching of promises, sooner or later, turned into defeat. This is because much attention is not usually paid to the practical politics of the new deal of exploiting the gullibility of opponents and friends alike, to further the single, obstinate goal of the life presidency of the prince...”
About postponements, Paul Biya took another devastating postponement decision, and everybody seems to be blaming everybody for the postponement, except Paul Biya himself! Indeed, everybody seems to have borrowed the lenses of Ateba Yene, who sees everything wrong with barons of the regime, except Paul Biya himself. Paul Biya suffers these days from the disease of postponement and secrecy. Like has happened in the past over many state issues, he recently postponed his visit to Bamenda, without giving any real reason. While in Bamenda, he postponed his famous handshake with Fru Ndi, we hear because he was ‘resting’. Now he has postponed the historic Ebolowa Agric Show at the last minute! And everybody has jumped onto the commentary arena, and is saying that everybody was telling a lie about the work that was going on in preparation for the show.
Nobody is telling us what the lie was: what was already done, and what was still to be done to make the holding of the show possible? Will it be done by “January”? Why would Paul Biya wait till the last minute to postpone the Show, without consideration for the losses the farmers will incur? Could the postponement be due to the ‘tiredness’ of Paul Biya following his “hectic” visit to Bamenda? Nobody wants to say anything concrete: only that everybody was telling lies to Paul Biya. Including his security network?
We already have a lot of governance problems. This culture of postponement and secrecy breeds speculation. In a regime like the one we have, speculation leads to suspicion and demobilisation. We deserve better than these, especially in the domain of agriculture which is the bulwark of the national economy, and the life-line of rural populations.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Cameroon: Hon .Ayah Paul to run for 2011 presidential election!
By Christopher Ambe Shu
 |
| Hon.Ayah:People's Representative |
Outspoken( ruling CPDM) Member of Parliament and career magistrate, Hon. Ayah Paul Abine, has announced with confidence, his candidature for the 2011 presidential election, apparently in answer to calls by his hundreds of thousands of admirers from the ruling CPDM ,the opposition, and the civil society, that he should gun for the country’s number one top job: president of the republic.
Hon. Ayah broke the news in an email to The Recorder Newspaper, and later confirmed it in a telephone conversation with its Editor ,Christopher Ambe Shu
It is no secret here that ,many see probity, hardwork, transparency, commitment, and other democratic values in the man Ayah Paul Abine
Hon.Ayah, who is currently MP for Akwaya, one of the least developed regions of Cameroon, has since his entry into Cameroon’s National Assembly in 2002 been described as a people-and development-minded representative because of his objective criticisms of government actions and policies that he is strongly convinced are “not genuinely people-and-development oriented”.
Even as a magistrate of the bench for more than two decades, Ayah who is now a second-term MP, passed some landmark judgments on matters of national interest, which prompted many pundits to describe him as a “true and independent-minded judge”.
In August 2007, he was elected as Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly of Cameroon, but he later resigned from the post after realizing that he was not allowed to perform his duties as required.
In 2008, Hon Ayah was the only CPDM MP who was against the amendment of the Constitution of Cameroon, which removed term limits that would have prevented President Paul Biya from standing for re-election in 2011.
According to Ayah, the constitutional changes were "not democratic".He is quoted to have said that, if the bill were adopted it "will take us back some 200 years”.
But unfortunately, the bill was adopted and enacted into law.
Following is Hon. Ayah‘s Declaration for the 2011 Presidential election:
“ Let it be known by all persons that this Sunday, the 12th day of December, 2010, HRH Hon Lord Justice AYAH Paul ABINE, Member of Parliament for Akwaya, born about 1950 at Ngali-Akwaya of Ayah Abine and Omar Ayah, made a formal declaration that he shall be a presidential candidate in the 2011 presidential election in the Republic of Cameroon.
Some persons have been quick to ask how possible this is in the face of the provision by the CPDM Constitution that the national chairperson of the party is automatically the presidential candidate of the party.
Much as the question is pertinent and logical, we may not lose sight of the declaration by the Secretary General of the Central Committee of the CPDM in the recent past that he has been instructed to prepare an imminent ordinary congress of the party. Seeking for an answer to the question now is seeking a solution for a problem that does not yet exist. When a national chairperson has been elected during the ordinary congress, the new situation will call for a consequential solution.
As of now, therefore, all options are on the table. In consequence of which Ayah Paul Abine alias Paul Ayah hereby declares his candidature as aforesaid. The declaration is dedicated to the youths and women of Cameroon in special, and to all Cameroonian patriots at home and abroad in general.
In witness whereof this declaration has issued under my hand at Buea, this 12th day of December, 2010
God bless Cameroon!
PAUL AYAH
A SERVANT OF ALL THE PEOPLE OF CAMEROON”
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Cameroon: President Biya & Arch Rival Fru Ndi meet for the first time in 20 years
A new chapter in Cameroon‘s political history
For those who have monitored the political history of Cameroon since the rebirth of multi-party politics in 1990, with the launching, on May 26, 1990, of the Social Democratic Party (SDF), Cameroon’s Leading opposition party, headed by Ni John Fru Ndi, it had never happened- until December 10, 2010 in Bamenda:
President Paul Biya, who is chairman of the ruling CPDM since its creation in 1985, and who has ruled Cameroon for about 28 years had his first handshake and face-to- face chat with opposition leader, Ni john Fru Ndi,20 years after the launching of the SDF.
 |
| Fru Ndi & President Biya:face-to-face for the frist time |
Many political pundits have described the Fru Ndi-Biya handshake and their over 30- minute meeting and discussion as a landmark event and the opening of a new political chapter in Cameroon
The two political leaders, probably suspicious of each other or due to sheer arrogance exhibited by one or both of them stayed apart against public opinion that they should meet and dialogue for the of country’s socio-economic and political growth.
Although apart for decades, both leaders would claim that they were all fighting for the interest of Cameroon
Both accused each other of not wanting to engage in meaningful dialogue.
But Fru Ndi took advantage of President Biya's planned visit to Bamenda(headquarters of the SDF) last week for celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Cameroon
And it finally happened, to the surprise of the entire Cameroon
"The Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, who was accompanied by a very important delegation... met the Head of State. Ni John FRU NDI and President Paul BIYA had their first ever face- to -face encounter and handshake after nearly twenty years of confrontation on the political scene of the country. After they had intimate discussions for over thirty minutes, the delegation accompanying him was ushered in to greet the Head of State”, according to a report posted on the website of the Presidency of the Republic.
John FRU NDI was quoted as saying after the meeting: "It was a nice meeting and a good opportunity to dialogue. We have come together and started the dialogue, but because of constraint of time, we will continue the dialogue. We discussed frankly and he repeated the statement he made on France
Fru Ndi and Biya met outside Yaoundé, political capital of Cameroon but many political pundits say there is need for another encounter in Etoudi, the official residence and office of the president of Cameroon
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Cameroon:President Biya's Speech At Military Golden Jubilee In Bamenda
Following is President Paul Biya's Speech on the occasion of Cameroon's Armed Forces' Golden Jubilee, celebrated in Bamenda ,8-9 December 2010.(The speech is a mixture of English and French, to reflect the country's bilingual status):
The Governor of the North-West Region,
The Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council,
Traditional and Religious Leaders,
My Dear People of the North-West Region,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be back in Bamenda. Your Region is my second home and this city in 1985 became the birthplace of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). I also bring you warm greetings from your sisters and brothers in Yaoundé. Thank you, Mr. Government Delegate, for your kind words of welcome. As Fon of Fons, I warmly salute the traditional rulers of the North-West Region.
Your Region is remarkable for its economic dynamism, patriotic population and rich cultural values. Your sons and daughters have been in the forefront of our political history. You produced statesmen such as NGOM JUA, NGU FONCHA, TANDENG MUNA and NDE NTUMAZAH.
Officiers,
Sous-officiers,
Officiers Mariniers,
Gendarmes,
Gradés,
Soldats et Marins de l’Armée camerounaise,
Your Excellencies,
Celebrations of the 50th anniversary of independence started and will continue. These 50 years of stability and peace have taught us a wonderful lesson. Peace and stability are preconditions of political, economic and social development. I am confident that you will continue to respect national institutions, because citizens and the state must work together in order to build a prosperous nation. Nation-building requires patience, courage and determination. 2 Après Koutaba et Ngaoundéré où furent célébrés les 30
La ville de Bamenda se trouve en effet intimement liée à la naissance même de l’Armée camerounaise.
Car il faut savoir que ce sont de jeunes officiers et sous-officiers originaires d’ici qui, au lendemain de la Réunification du Cameroun, constituèrent la 13
Pour ces raisons, la célébration du Cinquantenaire à Bamenda est en quelque sorte pour l’Armée camerounaise un retour aux sources.
Le thème retenu pour cette célébration et que je cite : « Armée camerounaise et Nation, cinquante ans de symbiose exemplaire au service de la paix, de l’intégrité territoriale et du développement, gages d’un Cameroun prospère et émergent », ce thème, disais-je, constitue à lui seul un hommage solennel à nos Forces de Défense, au terme de 50 ans d’existence. Il exalte la valeur de notre Armée, son bilan particulièrement élogieux dans l’exécution de ses missions régaliennes, et son lien indissoluble avec la Nation.
L’Histoire et les générations présentes et futures retiendront en effet que l’Armée camerounaise aura toujours été loyale et républicaine. Elle n’a jamais failli. Et à chaque fois que les circonstances l’ont exigé, elle a fait son travail, tout son travail et rien que son travail.
Force est de reconnaître aujourd’hui, qu’en dépit de quelques incidents isolés, l’ordre public et la paix sociale règnent sur toute l’étendue du territoire national, que notre intégrité territoriale est préservée et que le Cameroun peut conduire sereinement son développement économique, social et culturel.
Je tiens en particulier à saluer le courage et l’abnégation, mais aussi le sens des responsabilités dont nos Forces de Défense ont fait preuve tout au long du différend frontalier de Bakassi, lequel a connu un dénouement pacifique, grâce à la volonté de paix partagée des parties en cause et au soutien de la communauté internationale.
Dans l’évolution de ce différend, la mission de notre Armée n’a pas toujours été facile. Elle s’est souvent effectuée au péril de la vie de nos soldats. Aussi, du haut de cette tribune, voudrais-je exprimer ma sympathie à tous les soldats blessés et accidentés au cours de ces ème et 40ème anniversaires, je suis heureux de fêter avec vous ici à BAMENDA, le Cinquantenaire de l’Armée camerounaise. ème Compagnie rattachée au 2ème Bataillon à Dschang, avec pour Poste de Commandement Bamenda. 3 opérations. Je salue avec émotion la mémoire de ceux d’entre eux tombés au champ d’honneur pour la défense de la Patrie. Je tiens à assurer leurs familles que leur sacrifice ne sera jamais oublié.
Pour récompenser le mérite et le sens du sacrifice dans les rangs, j’ai décidé de créer la Croix de la Valeur militaire, dont le premier contingent de récipiendaires vient d’être honoré devant vous. D’autres contingents suivront. Et pour perpétuer le souvenir de ceux qui sont allés jusqu’au sacrifice suprême, j’ai fait ériger des Monuments et des Stèles à travers le territoire national.
Officiers,
Sous-officiers,
Officiers Mariniers,
Gendarmes,
Gradés,
Soldats et Marins de l’Armée camerounaise,
L’importante réforme que j’ai entreprise en 2001 vise à moderniser et à accroître l’efficacité opérationnelle de nos Forces de Défense. Comme je m’y étais engagé, cette réforme est appelée à se poursuivre, avec comme axes majeurs le rajeunissement et la professionnalisation des effectifs, la modernisation des équipements et l’amélioration du cadre de vie des personnels militaires.
Dans le but d’apporter des réponses concrètes à ces préoccupations, j’ai décidé, s’agissant des statuts particuliers des personnels officiers et non officiers :
De supprimer le 4
D’harmoniser les âges de départ à la retraite des personnels non officiers et des officiers subalternes de la Gendarmerie Nationale et des Armées.
Pour ce qui concerne les conditions de vie des personnels militaires, j’ai décidé de mettre en oeuvre un Programme d’urgence de construction de logements pour militaires en activité et en même temps d’instruire le Ministre de la Défense de finaliser avec le Crédit Foncier les négociations devant aboutir à l’accès des militaires à la propriété immobilière. ème échelon du grade de capitaine et de lieutenant de vaisseau, pour permettre un passage plus rapide des officiers subalternes à la catégorie d’officiers supérieurs. 4 J’ai décidé
d’ordonner une étude urgente devant déboucher sur la création d’une Mutuelle des Armées, pouvant permettre une meilleure prise en charge des soins médicaux des personnels militaires.
de revaloriser la prime d’alimentation à un taux plus compatible avec la conjoncture économique nationale actuelle.
de créer un Secrétariat d’Etat aux Anciens Combattants, Anciens Militaires et Victimes de guerre.
Comme vous le voyez, en dépit d’une conjoncture difficile, je reste attentif à vos attentes et je puis vous assurer que le Gouvernement ne ménagera aucun effort pour vous accompagner dans l’exercice de vos responsabilités.
Je suis bien conscient en effet que la mission qui vous incombe est parmi les plus difficiles. Mais elle est aussi exaltante, car rien ne vaut l’honneur de servir sous les drapeaux pour la défense de la Patrie. Quelles que soient les responsabilités qui vous seront confiées, vous devrez veiller au respect scrupuleux des valeurs qui gouvernent le métier des Armes : le loyalisme sans faille aux institutions républicaines, la discipline et la rectitude morale et intellectuelle. J’ai la profonde conviction que, comme par le passé, vous saurez relever un tel défi.
Même si, par définition, nos Forces Armées ont pour mission prioritaire d’assurer la paix et de défendre l’intégrité territoriale de notre pays, elles n’en participent pas moins à la création de conditions favorables à son développement. Le thème de cette célébration le rappelle opportunément. Car nous le savons bien, sans paix et sans sécurité, il n’est pas de développement possible.
C’est donc le lieu pour moi, m’adressant particulièrement à nos compatriotes du Nord-Ouest, d’évoquer brièvement les efforts faits par l’Etat pour accélérer le décollage économique et culturel de votre belle région.
S’agissant de l’amélioration des infrastructures routières, je n’ignore pas qu’elle ne répond pas encore aux demandes des populations. Pourtant, des travaux ont été réalisés pour relier Bamenda à diverses localités de la région. La voirie de votre capitale régionale a également été améliorée. En ce qui concerne la Ring Road dont je connais l’importance 5 pour l’économie locale, sachez que des négociations se poursuivent avec de grandes sociétés de travaux publics en vue de la réfection totale de cette voie qui permettra d’exploiter le potentiel agricole et pastorale de cette Région.
Je puis vous assurer que la réhabilitation de votre réseau routier sera poursuivie. A moyen terme, il conviendra sans doute aussi d’envisager entre Bamenda et les régions voisines un axe routier mieux adapté aux exigences du développement de votre Région.
De la même façon et pour assurer une fourniture satisfaisante d’énergie à votre région et mettre fin aux coupures incessantes, j’ai donné des instructions pour que l’on installe à Bamenda une centrale électrique dans le cadre du programme thermique d’urgence. Ceci ne nous empêchera pas, à plus long terme, de prévoir la construction d’un barrage hydro-électrique sur le cours de la Menchum.
Mais le développement c’est aussi l’accession du plus grand nombre aux sciences et aux techniques. C’est ce que nous nous sommes appliqués à faire en ouvrant à l’Ecole Normale Supérieure Annexe de Bambili, en mars 2009, 18 départements couvrant autant de disciplines au niveau des 1
Ainsi se trouve déjà posé le problème de sa transformation en université de plein droit, jouissant de l’autonomie que sa taille et son rôle justifient pleinement. That is why I am pleased to announce to You that I have decided to create the University of Bamenda !
Je sais également que les infrastructures de santé ne sont pas encore à la hauteur des attentes des populations de votre région. Pour y répondre, j’ai instruit le Gouvernement de mettre à l’étude la construction d’un hôpital de référence dans votre capitale régionale [ j’ai bien dit une Etude] et de faire aboutir ce projet dans les meilleurs délais possibles. Votre région dispose d’un Centre régional d’Hémodialyse fonctionnel. En 2011 sera construit un Centre régional d’Imagerie médicale.
Comme vous le voyez, chers compatriotes du Nord-Ouest, les problèmes de votre région ne sont pas absents des préoccupations du Gouvernement. J’ai pour ma part la conviction que dans la mise en er et 2ème cycles de l’enseignement supérieur. L’offre de formation à l’ENSAB est désormais l’une des plus importantes du Cameroun. Elle accueille actuellement environ 3500 étudiants et pourra ultérieurement en recevoir davantage lorsque le programme d’extension des infrastructures en cours aura été mené à bien. 6 oeuvre de notre stratégie pour la croissance et l’emploi qui devrait nous mettre, au cours des dix prochaines années, sur la voie de l’émergence, votre région, avec ses ressources reconnues et sa population industrieuse, a un rôle important à jouer pour atteindre nos objectifs.
Car nos objectifs sont communs. Et il est bien évident que, quelles que soient les spécificités de chacune de nos régions, ce n’est qu’en renforçant notre unité nationale que nous pourrons atteindre les objectifs élevés que nous nous sommes fixés. Notre diversité linguistique et culturelle est en effet une richesse quasi unique au Monde qui nous apporte des atouts supplémentaires. Sans rien renier de ce qui fait l’identité de chacun d’entre nous, rassemblons nos efforts au bénéfice de tous.
Avant de conclure et m’adressant à vous,
Officiers,
Sous-officiers,
Officiers Mariniers,
Gendarmes,
Gradés,
Soldats et Marins de l’Armée camerounaise,
En ce jour historique de la célébration du Cinquantenaire de l’Armée camerounaise, je veux dire mon estime et ma confiance à tous les membres de notre Armée, tous grades confondus, qui, au cours du temps, ont assuré et continuent d’assurer la défense de notre Patrie. Ils méritent au plus haut point notre reconnaissance.
My dear compatriots,
We are a great country: one people, one nation, one prosperous future. Do not be afraid of the future. Together, we will succeed and become an emergent nation. We must learn to see the coming decades as sources of hope and numerous aspirations. I promise you that in our programme of national development, no region, division, sub-division or village will be forgotten. My objective is to give hope to every person in our nation.
Thank you very much.
Long live to the North West Region,
Long live Cameroon.
The Governor of the North-West Region,
The Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council,
Traditional and Religious Leaders,
My Dear People of the North-West Region,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is a great pleasure for me to be back in Bamenda. Your Region is my second home and this city in 1985 became the birthplace of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). I also bring you warm greetings from your sisters and brothers in Yaoundé. Thank you, Mr. Government Delegate, for your kind words of welcome. As Fon of Fons, I warmly salute the traditional rulers of the North-West Region.
Your Region is remarkable for its economic dynamism, patriotic population and rich cultural values. Your sons and daughters have been in the forefront of our political history. You produced statesmen such as NGOM JUA, NGU FONCHA, TANDENG MUNA and NDE NTUMAZAH.
Officiers,
Sous-officiers,
Officiers Mariniers,
Gendarmes,
Gradés,
Soldats et Marins de l’Armée camerounaise,
Your Excellencies,
Celebrations of the 50th anniversary of independence started and will continue. These 50 years of stability and peace have taught us a wonderful lesson. Peace and stability are preconditions of political, economic and social development. I am confident that you will continue to respect national institutions, because citizens and the state must work together in order to build a prosperous nation. Nation-building requires patience, courage and determination. 2 Après Koutaba et Ngaoundéré où furent célébrés les 30
La ville de Bamenda se trouve en effet intimement liée à la naissance même de l’Armée camerounaise.
Car il faut savoir que ce sont de jeunes officiers et sous-officiers originaires d’ici qui, au lendemain de la Réunification du Cameroun, constituèrent la 13
Pour ces raisons, la célébration du Cinquantenaire à Bamenda est en quelque sorte pour l’Armée camerounaise un retour aux sources.
Le thème retenu pour cette célébration et que je cite : « Armée camerounaise et Nation, cinquante ans de symbiose exemplaire au service de la paix, de l’intégrité territoriale et du développement, gages d’un Cameroun prospère et émergent », ce thème, disais-je, constitue à lui seul un hommage solennel à nos Forces de Défense, au terme de 50 ans d’existence. Il exalte la valeur de notre Armée, son bilan particulièrement élogieux dans l’exécution de ses missions régaliennes, et son lien indissoluble avec la Nation.
L’Histoire et les générations présentes et futures retiendront en effet que l’Armée camerounaise aura toujours été loyale et républicaine. Elle n’a jamais failli. Et à chaque fois que les circonstances l’ont exigé, elle a fait son travail, tout son travail et rien que son travail.
Force est de reconnaître aujourd’hui, qu’en dépit de quelques incidents isolés, l’ordre public et la paix sociale règnent sur toute l’étendue du territoire national, que notre intégrité territoriale est préservée et que le Cameroun peut conduire sereinement son développement économique, social et culturel.
Je tiens en particulier à saluer le courage et l’abnégation, mais aussi le sens des responsabilités dont nos Forces de Défense ont fait preuve tout au long du différend frontalier de Bakassi, lequel a connu un dénouement pacifique, grâce à la volonté de paix partagée des parties en cause et au soutien de la communauté internationale.
Dans l’évolution de ce différend, la mission de notre Armée n’a pas toujours été facile. Elle s’est souvent effectuée au péril de la vie de nos soldats. Aussi, du haut de cette tribune, voudrais-je exprimer ma sympathie à tous les soldats blessés et accidentés au cours de ces ème et 40ème anniversaires, je suis heureux de fêter avec vous ici à BAMENDA, le Cinquantenaire de l’Armée camerounaise. ème Compagnie rattachée au 2ème Bataillon à Dschang, avec pour Poste de Commandement Bamenda. 3 opérations. Je salue avec émotion la mémoire de ceux d’entre eux tombés au champ d’honneur pour la défense de la Patrie. Je tiens à assurer leurs familles que leur sacrifice ne sera jamais oublié.
Pour récompenser le mérite et le sens du sacrifice dans les rangs, j’ai décidé de créer la Croix de la Valeur militaire, dont le premier contingent de récipiendaires vient d’être honoré devant vous. D’autres contingents suivront. Et pour perpétuer le souvenir de ceux qui sont allés jusqu’au sacrifice suprême, j’ai fait ériger des Monuments et des Stèles à travers le territoire national.
Officiers,
Sous-officiers,
Officiers Mariniers,
Gendarmes,
Gradés,
Soldats et Marins de l’Armée camerounaise,
L’importante réforme que j’ai entreprise en 2001 vise à moderniser et à accroître l’efficacité opérationnelle de nos Forces de Défense. Comme je m’y étais engagé, cette réforme est appelée à se poursuivre, avec comme axes majeurs le rajeunissement et la professionnalisation des effectifs, la modernisation des équipements et l’amélioration du cadre de vie des personnels militaires.
Dans le but d’apporter des réponses concrètes à ces préoccupations, j’ai décidé, s’agissant des statuts particuliers des personnels officiers et non officiers :
De supprimer le 4
D’harmoniser les âges de départ à la retraite des personnels non officiers et des officiers subalternes de la Gendarmerie Nationale et des Armées.
Pour ce qui concerne les conditions de vie des personnels militaires, j’ai décidé de mettre en oeuvre un Programme d’urgence de construction de logements pour militaires en activité et en même temps d’instruire le Ministre de la Défense de finaliser avec le Crédit Foncier les négociations devant aboutir à l’accès des militaires à la propriété immobilière. ème échelon du grade de capitaine et de lieutenant de vaisseau, pour permettre un passage plus rapide des officiers subalternes à la catégorie d’officiers supérieurs. 4 J’ai décidé
d’ordonner une étude urgente devant déboucher sur la création d’une Mutuelle des Armées, pouvant permettre une meilleure prise en charge des soins médicaux des personnels militaires.
de revaloriser la prime d’alimentation à un taux plus compatible avec la conjoncture économique nationale actuelle.
de créer un Secrétariat d’Etat aux Anciens Combattants, Anciens Militaires et Victimes de guerre.
Comme vous le voyez, en dépit d’une conjoncture difficile, je reste attentif à vos attentes et je puis vous assurer que le Gouvernement ne ménagera aucun effort pour vous accompagner dans l’exercice de vos responsabilités.
Je suis bien conscient en effet que la mission qui vous incombe est parmi les plus difficiles. Mais elle est aussi exaltante, car rien ne vaut l’honneur de servir sous les drapeaux pour la défense de la Patrie. Quelles que soient les responsabilités qui vous seront confiées, vous devrez veiller au respect scrupuleux des valeurs qui gouvernent le métier des Armes : le loyalisme sans faille aux institutions républicaines, la discipline et la rectitude morale et intellectuelle. J’ai la profonde conviction que, comme par le passé, vous saurez relever un tel défi.
Même si, par définition, nos Forces Armées ont pour mission prioritaire d’assurer la paix et de défendre l’intégrité territoriale de notre pays, elles n’en participent pas moins à la création de conditions favorables à son développement. Le thème de cette célébration le rappelle opportunément. Car nous le savons bien, sans paix et sans sécurité, il n’est pas de développement possible.
C’est donc le lieu pour moi, m’adressant particulièrement à nos compatriotes du Nord-Ouest, d’évoquer brièvement les efforts faits par l’Etat pour accélérer le décollage économique et culturel de votre belle région.
S’agissant de l’amélioration des infrastructures routières, je n’ignore pas qu’elle ne répond pas encore aux demandes des populations. Pourtant, des travaux ont été réalisés pour relier Bamenda à diverses localités de la région. La voirie de votre capitale régionale a également été améliorée. En ce qui concerne la Ring Road dont je connais l’importance 5 pour l’économie locale, sachez que des négociations se poursuivent avec de grandes sociétés de travaux publics en vue de la réfection totale de cette voie qui permettra d’exploiter le potentiel agricole et pastorale de cette Région.
Je puis vous assurer que la réhabilitation de votre réseau routier sera poursuivie. A moyen terme, il conviendra sans doute aussi d’envisager entre Bamenda et les régions voisines un axe routier mieux adapté aux exigences du développement de votre Région.
De la même façon et pour assurer une fourniture satisfaisante d’énergie à votre région et mettre fin aux coupures incessantes, j’ai donné des instructions pour que l’on installe à Bamenda une centrale électrique dans le cadre du programme thermique d’urgence. Ceci ne nous empêchera pas, à plus long terme, de prévoir la construction d’un barrage hydro-électrique sur le cours de la Menchum.
Mais le développement c’est aussi l’accession du plus grand nombre aux sciences et aux techniques. C’est ce que nous nous sommes appliqués à faire en ouvrant à l’Ecole Normale Supérieure Annexe de Bambili, en mars 2009, 18 départements couvrant autant de disciplines au niveau des 1
Ainsi se trouve déjà posé le problème de sa transformation en université de plein droit, jouissant de l’autonomie que sa taille et son rôle justifient pleinement. That is why I am pleased to announce to You that I have decided to create the University of Bamenda !
Je sais également que les infrastructures de santé ne sont pas encore à la hauteur des attentes des populations de votre région. Pour y répondre, j’ai instruit le Gouvernement de mettre à l’étude la construction d’un hôpital de référence dans votre capitale régionale [ j’ai bien dit une Etude] et de faire aboutir ce projet dans les meilleurs délais possibles. Votre région dispose d’un Centre régional d’Hémodialyse fonctionnel. En 2011 sera construit un Centre régional d’Imagerie médicale.
Comme vous le voyez, chers compatriotes du Nord-Ouest, les problèmes de votre région ne sont pas absents des préoccupations du Gouvernement. J’ai pour ma part la conviction que dans la mise en er et 2ème cycles de l’enseignement supérieur. L’offre de formation à l’ENSAB est désormais l’une des plus importantes du Cameroun. Elle accueille actuellement environ 3500 étudiants et pourra ultérieurement en recevoir davantage lorsque le programme d’extension des infrastructures en cours aura été mené à bien. 6 oeuvre de notre stratégie pour la croissance et l’emploi qui devrait nous mettre, au cours des dix prochaines années, sur la voie de l’émergence, votre région, avec ses ressources reconnues et sa population industrieuse, a un rôle important à jouer pour atteindre nos objectifs.
Car nos objectifs sont communs. Et il est bien évident que, quelles que soient les spécificités de chacune de nos régions, ce n’est qu’en renforçant notre unité nationale que nous pourrons atteindre les objectifs élevés que nous nous sommes fixés. Notre diversité linguistique et culturelle est en effet une richesse quasi unique au Monde qui nous apporte des atouts supplémentaires. Sans rien renier de ce qui fait l’identité de chacun d’entre nous, rassemblons nos efforts au bénéfice de tous.
Avant de conclure et m’adressant à vous,
Officiers,
Sous-officiers,
Officiers Mariniers,
Gendarmes,
Gradés,
Soldats et Marins de l’Armée camerounaise,
En ce jour historique de la célébration du Cinquantenaire de l’Armée camerounaise, je veux dire mon estime et ma confiance à tous les membres de notre Armée, tous grades confondus, qui, au cours du temps, ont assuré et continuent d’assurer la défense de notre Patrie. Ils méritent au plus haut point notre reconnaissance.
My dear compatriots,
We are a great country: one people, one nation, one prosperous future. Do not be afraid of the future. Together, we will succeed and become an emergent nation. We must learn to see the coming decades as sources of hope and numerous aspirations. I promise you that in our programme of national development, no region, division, sub-division or village will be forgotten. My objective is to give hope to every person in our nation.
Thank you very much.
Long live to the North West Region,
Long live Cameroon.
Cameroon: Military Golden Jubilee Gives Birth to State University in Bamenda
By Christopher Ambe Shu
President Paul Biya on Wednesday 8 December 2010 used the start of the two-day celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of Cameroon's Armed Forces in Bamenda to announce the creation of a state-owned University in Bamenda.
The president ,who stressed in his speech that in his development plan no region would be left,also announced the imminent construction of a referral hospital in Bamenda and several other facilities for the North West Region such as the completion of the Ring Road, the installation of a thermal electric plant to guanrantee constant electric power.
President Biya while hailing the military for their loyalty and defence of the fatherland, promised to improve their working conditions,so to ensure greater efficiency in service delivery. He promised the harmonization of retirement age in the armed forces,increase in basic allowances and the shortening of the time required
for promotion from one grade to the another..
President Biya was accompanied to Bamenda for the two-day visit by First Lady Chantal BIYA,who has realised several projects in the region including a school recently built in Bmaenda,christened “Les Champions de Chantal BIYA”
Earlier ,the Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council, Vincent NJI NDUMU ,while welcoming the head of state, in a speech ,lauded him for efforts so far put to modernize the city of Bamenda,which is the seat of Cameroon's leading opposition party,the SDF.
In Bamenda,the presidential couple was presented with various gifts- from Northwest Traditional rulers(fons),the ruling CPDM,Women groups and some elite.
The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Armed Forces continued today with military
displays at the Bafut Airport ,chaired by Paul Biya who as Head of State is also Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
President Paul Biya on Wednesday 8 December 2010 used the start of the two-day celebrations of the 50th Anniversary of Cameroon's Armed Forces in Bamenda to announce the creation of a state-owned University in Bamenda.
 |
| Biya addressing public in Bamenda |
By announcing the creation of a state-owned university in Bamenda,President Biya has, at last,listened to one of the loudest cries of the population of the Northwest region.
President Biya while hailing the military for their loyalty and defence of the fatherland, promised to improve their working conditions,so to ensure greater efficiency in service delivery. He promised the harmonization of retirement age in the armed forces,increase in basic allowances and the shortening of the time required
for promotion from one grade to the another..
 |
| President Biya & First lady ,Chantal |
Earlier ,the Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council, Vincent NJI NDUMU ,while welcoming the head of state, in a speech ,lauded him for efforts so far put to modernize the city of Bamenda,which is the seat of Cameroon's leading opposition party,the SDF.
In Bamenda,the presidential couple was presented with various gifts- from Northwest Traditional rulers(fons),the ruling CPDM,Women groups and some elite.
The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Armed Forces continued today with military
displays at the Bafut Airport ,chaired by Paul Biya who as Head of State is also Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Cameroon: Six persecuted for supporting SCNC
By J.K. Akam
The struggle for the
restoration of the independence of Southern Cameroons is gaining more grounds
among English-speaking Cameroonian youth despite the molestation, harassment,
arrests, torture, and prosecution of adherents of the Southern Cameroons
National Council (SCNC).
The SCNC, formed in
1994 -barely a year after the All-Anglophone Conference (ACC) took place in
Buea, is championing the independence of Southern Cameroons, the
English-speaking part of what is today called the Republic of Cameroon.
President Paul Biya has ruled Cameroon
since November 1982, as his electoral victories have regularly been contested
(in vain) by the opposition parties.
Because the Cameroon
Government considers the SCNC as an outlawed movement and secessionist group
intended to divide the so-called “one and indivisible” country, it has since
declared a war against the movement’s members and activities.
But SCNC pioneer
Chairman, Barrister Sam Ekontang Elad has argued and still argues that, what
the SCNC stands for is “genuine in history and law
It is on record that many SCNC
members have been persecuted and prosecuted while many others have fled the
country to other countries for safety.
Recent Reports say
on December 1,2010, armed forces swooped on a group of six
SCNC including strong activists Orume Lovert and Ebai P. Besong who were
on a peaceful demonstration in Ekondo Titi ,Ndian Division of the Southwest
of Cameroon.
The crack down on the SCNC
has become almost a routine activity since an SCNC group led by Justice
Frederic Ebong ,on December 30, 1999, seized a local government
radio station (CRTV Buea) and proclaimed the Independence of Southern Cameroons
for at least three hours.
Prominent SCNC activists such as
Akwanga Ebenezer and Cho Ayamba had since fled the country for safely abroad.
It should be noted that October 1 is
celebrated yearly by the SCNC as Southern Cameroons Independence.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Cameroon:Ensuring transparent elections not solely ELEACAM’s responsibility, says Njeuma.
By Christopher Ambe Shu
Political parties have been implored to be more active and join ELECAM in the various stages of the electoral process to ensure the most-sought for transparency.
She disclosed that as at November, almost 94,000 voters had registered in the sothwest region, out of which, 35,000 are new entrants.
NB:First published in The RECORDER newspaper,Cameroon ,of 2nd December,2010
Political parties have been implored to be more active and join ELECAM in the various stages of the electoral process to ensure the most-sought for transparency.
 |
| Professor Dorothy Njeuma:ELECAM official. |
Professor Mrs. Dorothy L. Njeuma, one of 12 members of the Electoral Board of ELECAM, Cameroon’s election management body, who made the appeal, was speaking on Monday in Buea at a press conference to mark her end of a three-week tour of the Southwest region to assess the functioning of ELECAM, its facilities and get suggestions for improvement.
“It is not the sole responsility of ELECAM to organize transparent elections. It is also the responsility of political parties, as stake holders, in ensuring that the electoral processes are transparent. That is why they are represented in various commissions”, Njeuma said.
Njeuma stressed that ELECAM cannot on their own provide all the means to commission members, noting that the state gives subvention to parties to help facilitate their functioning.
She was reacting to some views held by opposition party representatives in electoral commission that they ought to be taken care of by ELECAM.
The ELECAM board member narrated her experiences during the tour that took her to all six divisions of the region and to 20 out of the 31 subdivisions of the Southwest.
She said problems got from her tour begging for solutions included poor communication /telephone network in some areas, complaints of high cost to have identity cards by many in remote areas, insufficient personnel and equipment.
Njeuma said the various problems and suggestions would be tabled for consideration at the next ELECAM board meeting.
She disclosed that as at November, almost 94,000 voters had registered in the sothwest region, out of which, 35,000 are new entrants.
NB:First published in The RECORDER newspaper,Cameroon ,of 2nd December,2010
CAROSAF Remembers Road Victims
The World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (approved by the United Nations Organization) is observed on the third Sunday of November each year worldwide.
Edwin Achimbom Minang, director of CAROSAF, told The Recorder that he was happy that CAROSAF‘s earmarked activities were successfully carried out to raise road safety- awareness.
The CAROSAF activities took place at Buea Mile 17 Motor Park and Mutengene, a road junction town, under the theme “We Support a Decade of Action for Road Safety: 2010-2020”
At Road safety stickers were also put on passing vehicles and drivers and passengers advised to always wear their seat-belts.
Minang was thankful to the delegation of Police officers, Ministry of Transport officials, The SDO of Fako,the Mayor of Buea,Fako Independent Transport Workers’Assocaition and Union of Fako Transporters, the road safety club of The National Advanced School of Public Works-Buea Annex- who all facilitated the success of the ceremony in one way or the other.Minang said his involvement of many classes of people in the road safety campaign was simply due to the fact that road safety should be everybody’s concern.
The public was later given a lecture on over-speeding and over –loading by Simon Ngembo(Traffic Engineer and CAROSAF consultant).Another talk on “Good Driving Habits’ was delivered by CAROSAF director,Achimbom Minang,who strongly condemned drunk-driving
The CAROSAF executive noted that road-safety campaigns are intended to reduce by at least 50% the number of deaths on the road.
The NGO is currently running a traffic controllers’ project to help cross school children in high traffic areas.Minang also disclosed that CAROSAF was already involved in a project designed to identify road accident victims for assistance, and to get them, in their numbers, join next year’s celebration.
According to Minang, “The Road-crossing project was a major success in the 2009/2010 academic year. No incident of a child being injured or killed in a road crash was registered at any of the location where CAROSAF Traffic Controllers operated”.
The CAROSAF director, regetted that since 2005 when the UN approved the Day of Remembrance, “Cameroon-
CAROSAF activities so far have had a greater impact in Fako ,the division where its head office is found.
Cameroon:Tiko Mayor Fombon Needs More Time to Fully Execute Development Blue-print
 |
| Mayor Richard Tita Fombon |
“One can really achieve much during a second mandate”
Following is an interview Mayor Fombon granted to The Recorder Editor Christopher Ambe Shu,last week.
Mr. Mayor, when you were elected Mayor of Tiko in 2007, you promised to transform Tiko into a modern city .Can we know how far you have gone with the promised transformation?
Like you said when I took office I had all the visions and dreams to make Tiko a better city. From 2007 to 2010, I think I have done quite some work in Tiko Municipality
To transform anything does not come so easily .It does not come in a day. When we talk of transformation, it takes a while. It is not something that you sleep and then get up to find say a tarred road, or other new facilities in front of your door.
We have achieved quite a bit: we have worked on the stadium, constructed a ceremonial grand stand; improved some of our roads, constructed culverts, built bridges –just to name a few
When you took office your first budget for 2008, stood at FCFA 515 million, an increase of 5.9 against that of the previous year. What has been the budget situation of your council up to date?
Well you know that budgets are voted based on the previous administrative accaounts.Previous administrative accounts determine the next budget and that is also based on actual collection. If you see our budget up it means actual revenue collection is also going up.
I think in 2009, our budget went down. That was very strenuous on the council. We worked on it and I don’t think we performed poorly. The budget of 2010 was FCFA 419 million and that of 2011 has gone up. It is FCFA 518 million. Then, we have an annex budget of 1.2 billion
Would you say revenue collection is a major problem of Tiko Council?
I don’t think it is a major problem. It is a normal problem in all councils. The problem we have with revenue collection is just the fact that you have people in the field that you have confidence in, you realize on them but sometimes you realize that their actual collection does not reach the treasury. Those things happen, but we try to put checks here and there because one can not be everywhere all times.
Tiko market, I think, used to be your major source of revenue, but unfortunately several months ago it was completely reduced to ashes. What is the situation of the market now?
Yes, the market got burnt. That was a big blow to us; a blow to the municipality. The market was the main source of our revenue. We have accepted that situation and are trying to move on.
We solicited help from various ministries and the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralization came in. Through FEICOM, they gave us about FCFA 500 million for the first phase of reconstruction. The reconstruction is in two phases. The first phase is the inner part of the market and the second the outer part of the market.
Upon assuming office, you very much talked about twining Tiko council with foreign cities. How far have you gone? What has Tiko council benefited from this partnership?
The truth is that we have tried as much as we can. But to actually twin with a council takes a while. Twining is a process and the process is really long. If you ask any other mayors they will tell you that it is not as easy as we think. We have done our best. We have contacted many foreign city councils- such as Dallas City council, Oklahoma City council and several others in Europe . We are still on talking terms. We think that things will mature and materialize. It takes time. Knowing our people they just want things done now. But that is not how it works.
If I understand you well, are you saying that since you started twining, Tiko council has not yet benefited any thing?
Yes, I can actually say that. But the truth is that we are still on talking terms; the process is still on-going. I think with time we are going to benefit from that and when the benefits start coming they may not stop.
For more than two years now you are still on talking terms. Don’t you think this feet-dragging is because your target foreign cities have not seen anything that can benefit them in Tiko?
I don’t think so. Like I said it is quite a process .They have their own laws that govern their twining. Our discussions so far have been positive, because what we have to offer is what they need. I am optimistic it will work out sooner or later
What have you achieved so far as mayor that you can proudly cite any time without fear of contradiction?
When Ijust came to office that was when our football team-Tiko United, went to Elite One football. With that I spent to rehabilitate the Tiko stadium; now when it comes to gate-takings our stadium is one of the highest in the country. This is because of the work that was done in the stadium.
Now Tiko has a ceremonial grand-stand, which did not exist before; we have improved on our roads; constructed culverts in the municipalities; extended street light to some areas and rehabilitated street lights.
When I came into office, one of the things I advocated for was the cleanliness of the town. But I think in that respect, I have not been very successful-due to the fact that whatever you want to do, if you want people to do something different then you have to give them an alternative. I have not been able to come up with an alternative to the population on how to treat trash. I am still wooing HYSACAM. I don’t think I have been successful when it comes to hygiene and sanitation in Tiko. But that does not mean it can not be done or will not be done. Come 2011, I think it will be done because I am working closely with HYSACAM right now and I think at the beginning of next year, we should have HYSACAM in Tiko and the town will take its shape.
You also promised computerizing Tiko Council Office, increasing revenue collection base and the settlement of CNPS debts owed by your council. Have you achieved all these?
We bought some computers for the council but the office is not computerized the way I wanted it to be. Not that I did not want. This is because I am constructing a new council office, which will be modern and completely computerized.
I want to assure you that the debt the council owed the CNPS has been paid.Tiko council does not owe CNPS; does not owe Taxation service. The debt the council owes elsewhere is at the barest minimum. With the new law of decentralization and budget nomenclatures, we have been able to impute about 90 % of our debt in to the budget, we hope to clear all of these debts next year or by the end of our mandate.Tiko Council should be debt-free by the end our mandate.
Some people claim your leadership is divided. What is your reaction?
You know there are always detractors-people who must hate what you do- no matter how good or beautiful it is. Whoever comes up, he must have detractors. It is not only me. It does not bother or distract me. Critics will always be there. But it is sad when their criticisms are always destructive or negative. This is harmful to society and not to me as a person.
But do you welcome criticisms?
Of course. I am very open to criticisms. Being criticized makes me see my weaknesses, and work harder. Positive criticisms are good for the development of society.
Recently, Tiko council signed a convention with the Community-driven Development Program (PNDP).Can you tell us a bit about the convention?
We signed the convention so that the PNDP Southwest office can give us technical and financial assistance. So far, we have had a series of seminars with them.PNDP has already disbursed to Tiko council about FCFA 28 million as first part of the deal. And the second disbursement will come sometime next year, after we are done with the community development plan, because it from this plan that we will get the priority projects that will be financed.
What have you identified as the major obstacles that prevent you from totally executing your development blueprint for Tiko?
Apart from financial constraints, the major obstacle is the people themselves. Some people are not willing to understand; others are headstrong and they don’t want things done the right way.
Have you bothered to find out why they are hesitant to significantly collaborate with you for development sake?
Like I said before, these people who, no matter what you say or do, don’t see anything good in it. They are just bent on obstructing your development plans. They write and say all sorts of negative things about you just to discredit you. These are the people who make the public believe that we are not working for their good.
You have lived in the USA Cameroon
I think I have a cordial relationship with the media. But I am not always out there for them, and so journalists don’t have access to me the way they want to.
Why?
It is not because I don’t like or want the media. It is because I think I should do things without making noise about them. I not really a media person, but I admit that the media is very important in society.
As a public figure, when you feature negatively in the media-be it audio-visual or print, how do you feel?
To me it is normal. It does not matter whether I feature in the negative or positive way. I welcome criticisms. The truth is that the media is there and will always write about whatever somebody brings to it. But professional journalists give objective reports and or criticism.
I am having fun in what I am doing and putting in my best. Nothing will distract me from doing the right thing.
What would you say is left to be done by you-the mayor?
There is a lot to be done. Like I said, just keeping Tiko clean is a lot to do. I think that will be done. We don’t have good roads, we will work on that. It is said that where a road passes, development follows. We still have a lot to do when it comes to roads.Tiko is very blessed in the sense that it is one of the towns with a good plan. It has planned out streets.
If we have the means we can do a lot of good things in Tiko.That is my goal, vision and dream
Do you have a new appeal to the Tiko population?
The only thing I can tell them is to have faith in the people they voted into power; they should just give us the chance to work; for, things will materialize.
Being a mayor you try as much as you can, but most of the things that you intend to achieve may not be achieved during the first mandate. Most of the things you do in the first mandate may just be planning. And by the time they start materializing you may be out of office. I think the time one can really achieve much is during a second mandate.
Are you politely asking for a second mandate? If The Tiko electorate asks you to stand for reelection as mayor, would you accept?
Of course, I obviously do because I would like to achieve what I had in store for them and do more. If I am given a chance, they won’t regret, as more good things will happen.
NB: First published in The RECORDER Newspaper,Cameroon ,of 3rd December ,2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)