Terence Chia Bam is seemingly a novice in politics. He is the present SDF mayor for Njinikom Council in Boyo Division. With less than a year on the mayor’s seat, he has been criticized for not being diplomatic and a bona fide SDF militant.
A more recent criticism harps on the premise that he now prefers a normal portfolio at Pa Yong’s institution, than handling issues of the Njinikom people. Last week, Mayor Chia Bam did the unexpected; Chronicle spotted him being paraded behind an Okada at Cow Street in Bamenda. Why had the Njinikom Mayor belittled himself to that extent in the heart of Bamenda city, some observers questioned.
Meanwhile, within the Njinikom Municipality, Mayor Chia Bam has received varied criticisms for almost all his actions. It is believed that Tarrisber Julius Peeters , his Deputy, and SDF District Chairman, who nursed ambitions of becoming mayor, watches each other blunder with satisfaction.
One of the criticisms of Mayor Chia Bam is that he has abandoned his Mayoral functions and instead preferred to take up assignments in the late Pa Yong’s institutions. A criticism which Chronicle learnt Chia Bam has found difficulties to encounter.
A few weeks ago, during a CPDM seminar in Bamenda , Senator Bochong Francis Nkwain made total nonsense of the SDF Njinikom Mayor. In a paper he presented, Bochong singled out Mayor Chia as one of the accidents of democracy. The SDF Mayor was criticized as not being collaborative with his people and also lacked simple knowledge in governance.
Meanwhile, whether within CPDM or SDF circles, Chia Bam is not a paragon. During celebrations marking the 29th anniversary of the CPDM last March 24 in Njinikom, Mayor Chia Bam, though SDF attended and made a speech. He told Njinikom CPDM that he could not have boycotted, given that he is Mayor for all. His remarks have since been scrutinized by Ntarinkon, who even denounced the fact that he doesn’t attend NEC meetings and his contribution towards party upkeep is doubtful.
