South vows: “Pour nous, c’est lui”

Written by By Benedict J. Ndinwa, Standard Tribune Reporter

Saturday, 26 December 2009 09:22

Stronghold undermines divisions, unites behind Biya candidature in 2011

south_cpdm_rally_09 SANGMALIMA - It was a township like never before known. Whitewashed streets, banners floating on electric poles and blown up effigies of the ‘Lion Man’ with the inscription Yebe ‘e n’obo candidat (please be our candidate) inundated the sunny sky.

In what looked like early campaigns, the who-is-who of the Dja and Lobo division of the South region came out strong Saturday 5 December to declare President Paul Biya their candidate for the upcoming presidential election in 2011. “Pour nous, c’est lui [For us, its him],” they said in speeches as well as inscriptions on banners, t-shirts and other gadgets prepared for the event.

It came shortly after 6 November, the 27th anniversary of the Biya regime, which unlike during the past years, lacked lustre. For the elite of this area, it was an occasion to show their support and unity behind the president, amid reports of division within the ranks of the governing party, in an area that is a natural stronghold for the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM).

Understandably, the mobilisation was unprecedented. There were more than a dozen ministers and former ministers as well as scores of top government officials and heads of state corporations. Most were indigenes of the South and Centre regions. But there were also ministers and top government officials from other parts of Cameroon: South West, North, Far North, Adamawa... The event was chaired by the number-two of the CPDM, Secretary-General Rene Emmanuel Sadi. The gathering was nick-named ‘Le Serment de Sangmelima’ or the Sangmelima Vow.

On behalf of the elites of Dja and Lobo, the general manager of the Telecommunications Regulatory Board (TRB) Jean Louis Beh Mengue thanked President Paul Biya for his efforts to develop the division. Among others, he cited the Sangmelima referral hospital, which is due completion next March, a railway line planned to link Mbalam to Kribi via Sangmelima, a planned cement factory at Mintomb and a planned hydro-electric plant at Menking.

The minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Louis Paul Motaze, likened Biya to Paul Le Guen, the French tactician whose strong will, sense of discipline and professionalism has earned the national football team, the Indomitable Lions, a ticket to the 2010 football tournament in South Africa. He said any Cameroonian who was against Biya‘s candidature in 2011, was “implicitly” suggesting that Paul Le Guen be sacked. He also said that they knew on what they were counting to secure their ‘Zingou’ (Lion Man) another mandate in 2011. Motaze said their choice was irreversible.

Through songs and speeches, every thing was full of praise for the president, who has recently come under fire for changing the constitution and making it possible to take another term. As the sun set on the several thousands of militants who turned up for the mega conference, the spokesperson of the over 1000 chiefs of the division, Jean Jacques Ndoudoumou, ordered the equatorial forest drum to be beaten three times, before warning detractors of the New Deal that they (chiefs) had constituted an iron wall around their “natural candidate” and will fight to their last breath to protect him. He said Biya was a symbol of peace, development, democracy, dialogue and national and even sub-regional integration.

Sadi, underscored the importance of vigilance in the party while reminding militants in the Dja and Lobo that their unconditional support was indispensable to maintaining Biya in power.

The heavily attended conference featured musical presentations by la Voix du Cenacle of former CRTV general manager and junior minister of communication Gervais Mendo Ze, who composed a song begging Biya to run for presidency in 2011, the Rocher Jazz Band of Messesse and the Richard Band of Zoetele among many others. All culminated in a solidarity march through the streets of Sangmelima.