Barrister Eta Bisong Jr. Is New Bar Council President

By Kini Nsom & Nformi Sonde Kinsai

The Buea-based Lawyer, Barrister Eta Bisong Jr., has been elected President of the Cameroon Bar Council.He was elected during the General Assembly, GA, of the Cameroon Bar Association that wrapped off at the Yaounde Conference Centre in the night of November 9.

Barrister Eta who contested with a team mate, Barrister Henri Job, had 280 votes out of the 504 registered voters while his opponent scored 200. Barrister Henri Job had gone out of an unwritten agreement to challenge Eta Bisong Jr.

Except at a single instance, an unwritten agreement held by members of the Bar indicates that when the President of the General Assembly is from the Francophone judicial sub system, the President of the Bar Council would come from the Anglo-Saxon judicial sub system of Cameroon and vice versa.

Going by this arrangement, Barrister Eta Bisong would have smoothly worked into the Presidency of the Bar Council unopposed. But Barrister Henri Job, a member of the same group with Eta, calling themselves a "Team for Change" insisted, tabled his candidature and challenged Eta at the elections.

The Post gathered that in 2006 when the out gone Barrister Asongwe of Anglo-Saxon judicial sub system was elected President of the GA, Henri Job wanted to table his candidacy as Bar Council President on grounds of the unwritten agreement. But Barrister Eta Bisong, who had more votes than Henri Job in the general election of members into the council reportedly insisted and contested with Charles Tchoungang who carried the day.

Even though Henri persistently campaigned in the hall invoking the 2006 scenario, most of the members decided to give their votes to Eta Bisong.A lawyer told The Post that the Bar had to grapple with a lot of crisis the year the presidency of the GA and of the Bar Council were both occupied by Francophones.

The "Team for Change" campaign platform centred on the restoration of regular functioning of the Bar Council with the holding of monthly sessions; transparency in management; respect of ethics and deontology of the profession; periodic visits to different localities where advocates are installed for professional exchanges and regular publication of the Bulletin du Batonnier.

Other areas targeted for immediate action by the team headed by Eta Bisong is the continuous training for free of advocates in training; the search for ways and means towards the creation of a viable social security system for advocates; payments of emoluments to advocates as is the case with sheriff bailiffs, etc.

Why Tchoungang Withdrew From Race

The incumbent and out gone President of the Cameroon Bar Council, Barrister Charles Tchoungang, who aspired for a second term, was technically knocked out of the race. A member of Tchoungang's team and incumbent President of the GA, Barrister Peter Anye Asongwe, who failed to retain the post, orchestrated the withdrawal of Tchoungang from the race to the Bar Council Presidency. Asongwe was beaten in the race by Barrister Hippolyte Meli Tiakoung whose vice is Dominique Eteki Fousse.

The Post learnt that when results to occupy the post of GA President were declared, members of Tchoungang's team were embarrassed that Barrister Asongwe was defeated signalling trouble for them. A lawyer narrated to The Post that arguments by Tchoungang's team that the President of the GA must be elected by at least a two-third majority was rejected by the electoral commission that was put in place.

He, however, noted that there is a nuance in the text governing the election of the President of the GA. He said while the organic text talks of a two-third majority, the internal rules and regulations talk of a simple majority.

Some lawyers attributed the failure of Tchoungang's team to ineptitude, opaque management, unilateral decision making by the executive bureau and poor communication between members of the executive and the Cameroon Bar Association. A fervent supporter of the out gone President of the Bar said Tchoungang's performance was hampered by an accident which rendered him inactive for over six months.

Some men and women of the wig, who described Tchoungang's performance as dismal, even pointed accusing fingers at his team for plotting a postponement of the elective assembly by engineering the Divisional Officer, DO, for Yaounde II to place a ban on the event, thereby giving them more room to campaign and gather more support.

But The Post learnt that attempts to ban the assembly because the organisers failed to procure an authorisation came early in the day before elections into the post of President of the GA were conducted late in the night of Saturday.

When The Post visited the assembly grounds Sunday afternoon, the premises were void of supporters of Barrister Charles Tchoungang, whom a source insinuated, were preparing a legal complaint to challenge the elections in a law court.

Comments

[foh nefoh]

A little bit of fair play Barrister Tchoungang!

Your 4 years matching with 2 mandates at the Presidency of Cameroon Bar Council had been marked by a "white rock".
In fact,you succeeded to put in application the New Code of Cameroonian Penal Procedure into our judicial system.
Also,the laxity and lethargy observed since 7 years ago for the organization of the Bar examination had been broken down by your efforts.In this,you organized with success the last Bar examination on December 2007,where hundreds of Cameroonians will find jobs after their 2 years of training in different law offices.
Then,you built a Headquarters for the Bar council.
However,Barrister Tchoungang with your "Rainbow Team",the barristers of cameroon Bar council didn't find enough the works you did during you 2 mandates.So,they decided to rely next Barrister Eta Bisong of "Team of Change"
Certainly is hard for you,but you had to bend at the ballot verdict.That is one of the the internal regulation laws.
With fair play,you should leave the place to the new President like Barrister Ewodo did it for you there was 4 years ago.
Above all,in awaiting the realization of the campaign promises, Welcome,good luck and a lot of courage to Barrister Eta the New President of Cameroon bar Council, and to his "Team of Change".
Nkue Sop-Lawyer

[s.akamembulle]

Some of us who left the country many years behind may be trailing on a different mode on the organisation of the Cameroon Bar. I will like the writer of this article to enlighten me on the diference between the General Assembly (of what association)headed by either a francophone or some one else and the Bar council headed by either Anglophone or someone else whose presidency is won by Barrister Eta.
My congratulations to Barrister Eta Bisong Jr for his geat victory.I will greatly appreciate if he advocate for the regular organization of the Bar exams and most importantly the scrapping of the so-called orals instituted on those candidates who have already succeeded in the written part of the Bar exams.A legalised form of fraud and corruption.
Ousted Barrister Tchoungang should show a proper example by conceding a defeat.
This is what is killing Cameroon today where the old do not want to relief their functions to the new.