Compiled by Kini Nsom, Chris Mbunwe, Nformi Sonde Kinsai, Olive Ejang, Ernest Sumelong, & Leocadia Bongben
It Has Accentuated Greed
I would like to thank President
Biya for being the man he is. Since he launched the idea of multiparty politics, we have seen the true nature of the Cameroonian politician.
It has been the greedy struggle for positioning from the time Bouba Bello threw Samuel Eboua out of his party and from when Issa Tchiroma and Amadou Moustapha left and formed their own party.
We all know what happened between Kodock and Ntumazah over the UPC. Now we have Fru Ndi and Ben Muna fighting over the SDF. Multiparty has brought a lot of confusion in this country. Cameroonians do not need multi-partism, they are desperately in need of power. I can tell Paul Biya to stay on and rule until we find a better leader.
Charles Ade, Bizman, Yaounde.
It Has Brought Unity and Love
The birth of multiparty politics in Cameroon has led to advancement of policies in the nation. When one party system gave birth to multiparty system, there was political tension as politicians saw themselves as enemies. But as the years go by, politicians have realised that politics is not war.
The ruling party and the opposition are striving for the same goal, which is development, thus awakening the government. Since 1990, there has been freedom of speech and the press with lots of advancement. I will like to advise political parties that there should be love, understanding and togetherness in the politics of Cameroon. Today Fru Ndi advises Biya, which shows some political maturity in the nation.
Stephen Mbonda Motia,YCPDM Section President, Meme II, Mbonge
Wrongly Perceived
We have gone a long way because things are not the way they used to be. We have a vibrant and flourishing media. In the political party domain, I think multiparty politics was wrongly perceived. Things are not moving.
Lawrence Nyamngoh, Yaounde
Paper Politics
Multiparty politics in Cameroon is only on paper intended to deceive the international community. Opposition parties that came up after 1990 like the UNDP and UPC are CPDM in disguise. SDF, which bought the conscience of Cameroonians, is also playing a pretentious game with the CPDM.
You cannot be condemning the ruling party and you receive aid from her. Cameroon is still in one party state because the different parties have no influence over the state or the people, as our votes are determined by the ruling party. There's no reason to go for elections because the ruling party would always have its way. We are only praying God to help us survive in the nation.
Charles Ngide Ekwebue,President, Bakossi All Students Union
Cameroonians Have Lost Faith In Multiparty Politics
I would want to assess multiparty politics since 1990 into three phases. You have the period 1990-1992 which I can describe as a very vibrant and promising period that made people very hopeful that multipartism was going to bring about alternative government. But that phase passed on with little to show for.
The phase between 1992-1997 can be called the phase of confusion, frustration and so on. Then the last phase from 1997- 2004 and presently, you can agree with me that Cameroonians have lost faith in political parties and are looking forward to alternative political parties as solutions to their problems.
And I think the emergence of the civil society is coming to salvage this situation because the civil society works for the interest of the downtrodden. I think that political parties have been exposed as having no strategy to alleviate poverty to bring to fruition the aspirations of the people, and so people are looking elsewhere. That is why there is so much apathy in Cameroonians today as concerns elections.
Mr. Richard Ndi Tanto-Regional Director of Ecumenical Service for Peace, SeP Bamenda
Mafia
When multiypartyism came, I embraced it thinking it is something that would bring glory to Cameroon. I soon discovered that it is a high mafia because everything about multiparty politics boils down to one party system. The opposition is like a collective sect under a universal sect, the CPDM. Since 1990, no political party has successfully won an election, why are we clamouring for change. Since opposition parties still tie bond with the CPDM we should not even register and vote.
Julius Ewane, Teacher, Tombel
We Are Retrogressing 
Truly speaking, we are dancing backwards. There was change but it has all turned out to be a very negative evolution. Life is becoming more and more difficult for the ordinary Cameroonian. We do not understand what is happening. There is no money in the country, yet there is inflation. Nobody seems to think about the poor.
Thérèse Nadège, Student, Yaounde
Violence To Dialogue
Since the launching of multiparty politics in 1990, the atmosphere has changed from violence to peaceful dialogue, which shows that there is improvement in human relationship. People have realised that, politics is not a means to destroy property and human life but something that deals with the human society.
With multiparty politics, the opposition criticise the government, leading to change and participatory democracy. Everyone now has freedom to talk and contribute to improve the society unlike the repressive measures in a one party system. Any government without a strong opposition party cannot succeed because opposition parties are yardstick to defend the people's interests. Opposition parties should shun egoism and self-interest and work for the people.
John Tabe Eyong Proprietor, Star Bilingual Nursery and Primary School, Kumba
Minority Still Suppressed
But now with the coming of multi party politics in 1990, we have different voices fighting for their rights as well as policy makers in the National Assembly. We have many political party representation and there is that tussle for power.
The government in power always seeks a way to tune the other political parties to have an overall majority in Parliament. If you take the voting of bills for example, the bills come from the Presidency and there is no change. Since the CPDM has the overall majority, the voice of the minority is not heard. At the end of the day, it seems there is no democracy.
Mathias Wose, Civil Society Organisation Coordinator, Buea
To Some Extent A Success
multiparty politics has been to extent a success. This has come to open the eyes of Cameroonians. Every Cameroonian fights for his or her rights. There is not a single Cameroonian who does not know or talk about multiparty politics. The many parties we have, the many opinions we have, and we have to respect the views of each other. We are no longer in the era of dictatorship where everything came from the state. The state now knows that it has some opposition.
Nelson Arrey, Civil Servant, Buea
Embracing Multi-partism Was An Error
A few months after the advent 
of multiparty politics in 1990, it seemed that we were on a good footing. But later on, and with the creation of over 100 parties, I realized that we made a very big error.
I think that we should have laid down some guidelines, indicating that if one has to create a party, he must have representatives in all the provinces. At the moment, we have parties that are just limited to families, villages, provinces and tribes and it's a big shame for a country like ours. It is just a state of confusion at the moment.
John Nkemka, Civil Servant, Yaounde.
Cameroon Is Not A Multiparty State
When multiparty politics started in Cameroon in the 90s, I was not in the country. When I came home, I was really surprised at what I saw. At a personal level, I feel that Cameroonians are not ready for multiparty politics. I am not like saying that a one party state is the solution.
Even at the highest level, the people you think are educated, the type of things they do, you just find out that if these people could behave this way, then what would the uneducated do. The whole thing is fraught with dishonesty from the highest level.
As far as I am concerned, I do not think Cameroon is a multiparty state because the ruling party has hijacked the day and there is no distinction between party and state. It seems as if when you have a certain level of job, you just have to belong to the ruling party, otherwise you will not succeed. I discovered that with my age and learning, I could not vote in my own country.
Dr. Christopher Agyingi, Lecturer, Department of Geology, UB
We Are Stuck 
From the onset, it was a nice idea to have a multiparty system in Cameroon. But finally, we have discovered that the thing cannot move ahead because we do not seem to love each other and we are not united. Even when people identify themselves with common ideologies and ideals, they try to destroy each other later because of personal interest.
Rose Ndiffang, Civil servant, Yaounde
It Has Enriched Some Politicians
With the advent of multiparty politics in the 1990, there was a lot of hope. But it has turned out that multiparty politics in Cameroon only helped some so called opposition leaders to look for something to eat. They are there now to fight to be candidates whenever there are presidential elections since the government is giving some money to candidates to the tune of FCFA 15 to 18 million.
It is a matter of fighting hard to look for FCFA 2 million, register for the elections, grab the money for the campaign and disappear till the next election. multiparty politics in Cameroon is a masquerade that has given more powers to the ruling CPDM party, which now has small parties supporting it known as presidential majority. Even the frontline opposition party, the SDF, seems to be in a very compromising situation with the CPDM. Thus it is the triumph of one party system.
Roger Kiyek de Kiki,Political journalist, Magic FM
It Is A Sham
Multiparty politics has taken one step forward and one step backward. It is a sham. There is a semblance of multiparty democracy with a multiplicity of political parties, but so long as the political process is flawed, so long as we do not have a level playing field, we shall not have genuine multiparty politics in Cameroon. It is a sham.
Dr. Babila Mutia, ENS Yaounde
Multiparty Politics Has Been A Failure
It is pity multiparty politics in Cameroon has been a failure, failure in the sense that people do politics with sentiments and tribalism. Instead of looking for people who can serve the nation for the common good, people are appointed on the basis of tribal affiliations. No party in Cameroon has proven that it is ready to grow above this limitation. It is a pity.
Kini Chongwain, Contractor, Yaounde.
Total Disorder
There are too many parties and there is total disorder. There is no strong opposition party to challenge the ruling CPDM party. If there were two or three strong opposition parties, multiparty politics would have been genuine. Now, the whole thing makes no sense.
Ernestine Ntchatchoua,Computer Secretary, Yaounde
Fallen Short Of Expectations
Multiparty politics since 1990 
has not actually met the expectations of the general masses. The expected change from the opposition has not come. To the greatest dismay of most Cameroonians multipartism has shown that the party leaders go for personal interest instead of fighting to liberate Cameroonians. Had the opposition parties succeeded in proving their worth, the ruling CPDM party could have felt their real presence, but we are noticing the other way round.
Emmanuel Asongwed Anyang,NW Provincial Delegate of Urban Affairs/Senior Civil Engineer
A Good Democracy Needs a Strong Civil Society
Multiparty politics has been a complete disappointment in Cameroon and for Cameroonians. May be we shouldn’t have read the word “multiparty” as a synonym for the ideals of democracy, respect for human rights or development. True, the existence of multiparty politics in a country afford citizens an opportunity for democratic participation. This opportunity however becomes a sham in the absence of real choices. I am sure that many Cameroonians hold my view that our politicians use politics as a medium of greed and selfishness. To establish and sustain a democracy, we need an informed and effective civil society. I believe this is possible in Cameroon. We as Cameroonians have to be able to hold our politicians accountable, whether of the ruling party or the opposition. We need to stop perpetuating divisive ideas, let go of tribalism, and talk peace as Cameroonians. Civil society leaders must network, lobby, and advocate for better laws that will enable our beloved country move forward rather than allowing the current system in which almost all legislations grant the President the powers to do everything. The NGO, Progressive Initiative for Cameroon – PICAM is an initiative that aims to make meaningful contribution in Cameroon through broad-based programs aimed at building a strong and informed civil society.
Posted by: Eric Ngonji Njungwe | Saturday, 02 September 2006 at 06:29 PM