About two weeks after President Paul Biya, National Chairman of the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) suspended him from the party, Gilbert Ndzana Olongo – a fervent militant – has decided to spill the bean.
Onlongo was among militants sanctioned by Biya last September 11 for indiscipline. The decision came after the CPDM ad hoc disciplinary commission created by the CPDM Chair last year to examine cases of gross indiscipline witnessed by the party during the 2013 municipal and legislative elections submitted results of their work.
The ruling party was shaken internally by cases of indiscipline during the twin pools. Many of the militants decried the handpicking of candidates for primaries of the twin pools by the party’s bigwigs.
In this regard, some of the militants devised several means to express their grievances including going on the media to denounce what they said was the lack of respect for the base. They were then tagged as the recalcitrant members and summoned before the commission headed by former Prime Minister Peter Mafany Musonge.
In a recent letter to party Chairman, a seemingly angry Olongo said he was shocked to inexplicably find his name in the list of militants leveled with 18 months suspension. “It is perhaps now that I will become unruly,” he stated while pointing out shortcomings of the judgment handed down by the ad hoc disciplinary commission.
“Indeed, the adversarial principle was deliberately and openly violated because I was never notified of the nature and motives of the accusation levied against me (Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) and contrary to my comrades, I was never summoned or heard by the commission,” Olongo stated.
He challenged the party hierarchy to show proof of any document summoning him to appear beforethe disciplinary committee or better still acorrespondenceof the Central Committeenotifyinghim ofthe reasons for summoning him beforea disciplinary body.
He wondered why he was never notified given that the addresses of his home in Lobo as well as his residence in Yaounde are wellknown by many people.
“I happen to ask myself if this is actually me or a problem of disambiguation when I was reading through the sanctions. So I challenge the Central Committee to present evidence with written proof or any other means summoning me.
I do not know if there are statutory provisions that provide this kind of behavior which is similar to the methods of the Inquisition,” Olongo barked.
Concluding, the disgruntled CPDM militant said he nurses great hope that his letter catches the attention of his party Chairman “because some acts carried out in his name disorient the people and create great weariness that discourages good and faithful militants from continuing with the party.”
According to the September 11 decision, 8 militants were excluded, 8 acquitted, 12 received observation letters, 38 warned, 35 blamed, 44 temporally excluded, 19 charges not established. One Amougou Manga Justin was issued a letter of encouragement.
