By Christopher Ambe
A meeting convened by the Mayor of Buea, Charles Mbella Moki
recently at the Capitol Hotel in the Southwest Regional capital and dubbed Buea
Transparency Initiative (BTI) intended to evaluate the development efforts of
Buea Council, also turned out to be the occasion where the CPDM political
wizard made public his ambition to run for senatorial election.
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| Mayor Mbelle Moki delivering an address at BTI |
President Paul Biya had announced that Senatorial elections will
take place this year and it is now almost certain that it is municipal councilors
who will vote for 70 senators while President Biya will appoint 30 others to complete
the 100-member senate.
Mayor Moki’s public declaration, which was provoked by a
question as to what he will become if his 11-year mandate as Mayor of Buea ends
in just a matter of months, has, for now, put to rest the speculations and
fears of those within the CPDM party in Buea who wish to compete for the
mayoral job, that Mr.Mbella Moki will seek reelection.
But because Mr. Mbella Moki, who is also the President of the
CPDM in Buea, is described by many as a political tactician and or wizard,
pundits still think that he may change his mind if he does his final political
calculation and sees that the road to the senate is thorny. Pundits say one of
his greatest assets is his unpredictability and political long-sightedness
Hear Him: “I want to use this occasion to announce my
intention to run for Senate…
“Whoever is thinking of benefiting from the generosity of
councilors of the Southwest Region must work with me,” said Mayor Mbella Moki,
who for years now, has served as Southwest Regional President of the United
Councils and Cities of Cameroon (UCCC).
In other words, he is President of all Southwest mayors and
is said to be enjoying popularity within the UCCC in the region.
It is thought that since Mayor Moki commands respect within the
assembly of South west mayors, he will be very influential during
electioneering for senatorial elections. This justifies his public statement that,
those with an eye for the senate who want to woo councilors must consult him.
The Buea Transparency Initiative (BTI), which was in its
maiden edition, came after a similar one in 2010, called Buea Town Hall Meeting (a Public Dialogue) that held under theme
“Participation, the Challenge for Decentralization in Cameroon”.
The BTI,Mayor Moki
said in his keynote address, is a new vision
that should pull community participation and involvement requiring that “By
2035, Buea should be a strong, economically active municipality, with adequate
and equitable distribution of social infrastructure allowing citizens to live
in a secure, healthy and comfortable environment”.
The
mayor said as a goal, “Buea municipality strives to develop, maintain, enhance
and sustain the socio-economic, cultural and physical well-being of its
residents by providing a solid base for technical services, Civil Society
Organizations, Corporations and Industries to operate”.
The massively
attended three-hour BTI meeting, whose major highlight was the question-and
–answer session, was moderated by Author/Writer Mathew Takwi.
The
Mayor was backed on the high table by eight panelists who included: Roland
Kwemain,former JCI World President;Mrs.Francisca Biaka,Southwest Regional
Delegate for Chamber of Commerce;Mrs Hedwig Ngwa Akum,University of Buea
don;Ekema Monono,former Director of Cameroon OIC;Tedd Eyong,development
consultant and Director of GREMPCO, Mrs Elizabeth Lifongo,Deputy Mayor of
Buea;Mosoko Edward Deputy Mayor Buea,and Madam OjongKpot Comfort, University
don.
The panelists,
described as Buea-friendly and development-focused, in their various remarks,
urged the entire Buea public and friends of the town to support the development
drive of the mayor.
Participants’
questions centered on the Buea water crisis, electric power cuts, hygiene and
sanitation, demolitions of makeshift structures and poorly constructed roadside
buildings, markets, security of people and property etc
Concerning frequent electric power cuts, Mayor
Moki said Government has already awarded contracts to light all the streets of
Buea and change all the old transformers before the celebration of the golden
jubilee of Reunification.
The
mayor also gave assurance that that the acute water crisis in Buea will soon be
a thing of the past.
It was evident from the reactions of the
questioners that their worries were adequately addressed by the mayor
First published in The Recorder Newspaper ,Cameroon,of Feb.15,2013
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