DO Orders Arrest Of Road Destroyers

By Olive Ejang Tebug Ngoh

The Divisional Officer, DO, for Mbonge Subdivision, Clement Sone Ngoe, has ordered for the arrest of youths who destroy patches of roads along the Kumba-Mbonge road.

Ngoe ordered for the arrest during the launching of the New Strategy of Rural Road Maintenance by the Ministry of Public Works in collaboration with the Southwest Development Authority, SOWEDA.

The administrator said travelling from Mbonge to Kumba has become a nightmare because some villagers dig trenches across the road to cause vehicles to capsize.The DO said when the vehicles capsize; the same youths would pull it out, demanding a fee of about FCFA 1000.

He said considering that several vehicles ply the road, the road destroyers make much money each day at the detriment of the road users.Ngoe said even when road maintenance companies come to repair the destroyed patches, which are found in Nake, Kombone and Ekombe villages; the diggers react by warning the companies not to tamper with where they get their "daily bread".

He stated that after some of the road diggers were arrested and detained, others slowed down their activities.However, Ngoe said the diggers have resumed their acts and said if nothing is done; the entire road would be destroyed.

The Meme Divisional Delegate for Public Works, Stephen Asabankeng Teshounkong, said he was threatened by the boys of the area when he tried to repair the road.He said if such irresponsible acts are not checked, the situation may grow worse.

Comments

[Fonngang]

What sort of a country is Cameoon? What does it mean by 'DO orders arrest of road destroyers'? Let us forget about the choice of words of this reporter and concentrate on the substance of the report. What this reporter is really saying is that a prefectoral order has been issued authorising the arest of individuals who in one way or another destroy our roads or streets.
What other sogns of failure can an admninistration exhibit other than relying on such a stupid and senseless system of governance? Are our roads not public property like many other things say - telephone booths, government houses, electric poles, government vehicles etc? Why should it need a prefectoral order to arrest someone committing such a crime? Are these orders also signed when other types of public property are destroyed or this is limited to roads? If so why only roads?

Indeed the truth behind such a prefectoral order is that the administration has either forgotten that there are laws in the country, or better still, there aren't any.
Should it not be automatic that when seen destroying public property you are arrested and charged according to an existing law in the penal code?

This system of governance without laws, or selectively applying them through orders issued by local administrators is a recipe for disaster. Of course, are we not already in one?
So why would anybody in his or her right mind support such disastrous administration of this CPDM regime? Can somebody even attempt justifying this support by saying that people see things differently and might see some benefits in this system?
I think most of these CPDM supporters have been cursed. Why wouldn't they? Most of them even suffer from this mess more than some vocal opposers like us. It is just like people wanting to self destruct.
Have a nice day