Kini Nsom & Leocadia Bongben
9 January 2009
The Permanent Secretary of the Civil Society Platform for Democracy, Hilaire Kamga, has taken exception to the AFP party that is suing President Paul Biya for violating the law by appointing CPDM officials into ELECAM.
The human rights activist and jurist manifested this disapproval January 6 while addressing journalists at a press conference that was hinged on the recent appointment of ELECAM (Elections Cameroon) members.
While tacitly reacting to the Alliance of Progressive Forces, AFP's bid to sue Biya, Kamga condemned those who criticise the presidential decree of December 30, for violation of article 13 of the law creating ELECAM, stating that it is the law that is bad.
He said in conceiving the law, the ruling party did everything to confiscate ELECAM for private use as demonstrated in their campaign at the national and international level for the past one year, for the rectification of the law on Elections Cameroon.
Quoting article 13, which provides that "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", Kamga argued that in simple terms Biya could appoint 12 members of the Central Committee of his party into the electoral council and would still be within the context of the law.
Going by him, it suffices for the members to address their resignation letters to the Secretary General of the party once appointed and the deal is sealed.The essential thing, he added, is that this should be done before the swearing in conformity with article 8.6 of the law.
He further argued that the veritable master of election is the Director General and not the elections council as the latter, according to this law, is under no obligation to be neutral.
Kamga is of the opinion that the political parties and the diplomatic missions did not understand the civil society's analyses of the law on ELECAM when they indicated that it was retrogressive in nature and dangerous to Cameroon.
He expressed regret that the civil society was in a minority in trying to lobby for a change of the law through their meeting with the Commonwealth officials and diplomatic missions.
He said since the President has confided the organisation of elections to the CPDM, ELECAM members should avoid acts that could provoke citizens.
To Kamga, ELECAM cannot stop the alternation of power in Cameroon come 2011. He announced that the civil society platform is determined to put in place a "citizen electoral commission" that would ensure a Parallel Vote Tabulation for the next presidential elections.
Stating that all hands are on deck for power alternation through the ballot box and in peace, he called on all citizens to be armed with their electoral cards as part of the new advocacy for operation 10 million voters in 2011.
Meanwhile, the AFP, in a release, accused President Biya of violating the law in his December 30 appointment of ELECAM members.Quoting article 13 of the law creating ELECAM, the release signed by Saidou Maidadi Yaya, holds that the appointments are grossly unconstitutional and represents nothing but a miscarriage of the law.
The release states that to the dismay and deceit of Cameroonians, the electoral council has CPDM members, members of the Political Bureau and the Central Committee who have been actively implicated and engaged in campaigning for the party.
The so-called resignation of these members from the CPDM, according to Maidadi, is a ruse to mask them to serve the party under cover, for they cannot change their mentality, behaviour and habitual reflex in a day.
AFP, led by Barrister Ben Muna, has called on the political world, civil society and trade unions to come together in a concertation to arrive at an appropriate action to oust the regime.
They are of the opinion that the many conflicts in central Africa are a result of bad governance.Speaking to the press in his Yaounde office on January 6, Saidou Maidadi said his party was dragging Biya to court for violating the law creating ELECAM.
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