George Ngwane: The Cameroon Presidential Election Marked a Watershed of Generation Leadership

The Presidential Elections in Cameroon have come and gone.  Eden newspaper caught up with the civil society actor, writer and PanAfricanist, Mwalimu George Ngwane, for his views on the just ended elections and the way forward as well as some topical burning issues of the moment. He was interviewed in Buea by Eden’s Macdonald Ayang Okung (Published in Eden, Monday, October 31, 2011).

Eden:  How do you assess the Presidential elections that have just ended?

Ngwane: They brought a lot of lessons in terms of ideological focus as presented by the Presidential candidates during their campaigns.  While some of the campaigns were party-based and others were candidate-based, we must not fail to recognize that there was some improvement in the drive to sell ideas and issues through manifestoes to the electorate.

 Eden: What were some of these ideas?

Ngwane: Thank you, one can analyse them on the political, social, economic and foreign domains.  On the political front, most of the candidates advocated a constitutional review through a National consultation, a Truth and Reconciliation Committee, a Sovereign National Conference or simply a National Dialogue.  Ideas on the form of state from 4, 10,11 and 26 state Federalism to a Unitary decentralized state were formulated; proposals for the separation of powers among the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary were highlighted; there were calls for a limit to the Presidential mandate, Regional Governors to be elected, bilingual policy to be reviewed and new institutions like the Senate and Constitutional Council enshrined in the 1996 constitution to be implemented [...]

Click here to read the rest of the interview on Ngwane's blog.

Comments

[r4i sdhc]

i agree with you! In my opinion,thanks to The Cameroon,Gone can analyse them on the political, social, economic and foreign domainseneration Leadership ! also we can enlarge our worldwith!....

[limbekid]

Interesting interview. I share Mr ngwane`s point of view on several issues, notably:

- the paucity of international relations in our party political discuss
- political choices based on conservative party loyalty, elite manipulation or provincial solidarity, as opposed to ideology
- the need for the formation of a government based on a convergence of talent (government of rainbow ideas)
- the last election has not only exposed party fissures, but also generational differences

[Dr. Peter Wuteh Vakunta]

Commenting on the mediodre performance of Cameroon's opposition parties during the just concluded presidential poll,here is what US
Ambassador, Mr. Robert P.Jackson had to day:

"While we do not know the official election results, it is clear that by being divided, the opposition severely hindered its chances of success.It did not join together to support a single, strong candidate. We all know that Cameroonian civil society and Cameroonian political parties, including the 200 or more opposition parties, are divided(...)Having thousands of small civil-society organizations and over 250 political parties -- in any society -- plays into the interests of the ruling party, dividing the people against themselves.In fact, is having thousands of small civil-society organizations and over 250 political parties something of which to be proud?(...)This abundance of organizations and parties actually undercuts democratic principles because the entities do not represent people but isolated individuals or small groups. It is not democratic; it is persono-cratic, even ego-cratic, and erratic. As long as the opposition presents 22 candidates, one must ask if it -- and they -- are serious."

Now, that is tough material for John Fru Ndi and his bunch of confused opposition buddies. Will they make or mar during the upcoming municipal and legislative elections? That is the question!

Dr.Peter Wuteh Vakunta

[John Dinga]

This sing-song about the Opposition having failed to present a single candidate is beginning to soound like a broken record being played over and over. It is also naive for people to continue to believe that the outcome of the election would have been any different. It is pure dishonesty to imagine that the lopsided nature of the race to the Etoudi Palace could have had a different outcome.

From the way Cameroon's entire civil service has been made to see the CPDM as sine qua non to the lopsided appointment of diehard supporters of the ruling party to manage elections which have hitherto been the preserve of the Ministry of Territorial Administration with all its tentacles from minister to Sub-divisional officer to quarterheads and last but not the least, an unswerving Supreme Court staffed by the president's appointees whose hands are forever tied....please let us spare ourselves this exercise in futility.

Blame all the Opposition from dawn to dusk, the outcome could never have been any different. Even a United Cameroon did not change anything from the time of the famous "Ville morte" till the angry protests of 2008. Let us be honest and accept that our society has no provision at all for peaceful demonstration to show dissent. In our Cameroon, different feeling or different taste is invariably equated to deviant feeling or taste and subjected to brutal repression. The lack of legitimacy of the leadership is maintained very conveniently by a repressive security apparatus ever so willing to do its bidding. Why don't we spare ourselves this self flagellation and futile leap into the darkness?

[Winnie26Sutton]

All people deserve very good life and credit loans or bank loan can make it much better. Just because people's freedom is grounded on money.

[limbekid]

Yes Mr Dinga I agree with you, an opposition coalition would have made little difference, as Dibussi Tande analysed some time ago:

http://www.postnewsline.com/2011/09/cameroon-presidential-election-opposition-coalitions-are-overrated.html

Personally, I think Cameroon`s problems are too complex to be solved by any one political party.