Biya’s 33rd Anniversary: Neither pomp nor fanfare in Kumba

Pursuant to the command of the Secretary-General of the Central Committee, Jean Kuete, the November 06th celebrations in Kumba were so subdued that it would have been difficult for the ordinary citizen to discern that the CPDM was observing a special day in their history.

Those born or married on November 6th 1982 probably better appreciated the day as being quite an eon ago. For the Meme IA section, the brief ceremony consisted of speeches presented by the YCPDM, WCPDM and CPDM section presidents.

The Meme 1A Section president lauded the militants of his section for their wholesome militancy and recalled the section’s past glories during previous elections. This was followed by birthday recitals which hailed Paul Biya as a ‘jolly good fellow’ and called on him to remain president ‘forever’.

One outstanding Meme IA CPDM militant, who spoke to pressmen and would not be named, recalled and described the day President Biya took over office from Ahidjo as a day of joy, and remarked that such a day should come again soon.

A few militants lauded President Biya for his diplomatic leadership of Cameroon, and the strides he has made in ensuring continuous peace for Cameroon within a turbulent sub-region of the African continent.

Various factors led the militants to uncharacteristically deviate from focusing on the president’s achievements as in the past years. The first was the theme chosen for the day’s celebrations which directed the militants to focus on the pertinent issues of the day, namely the fight against Boko Haram, the 2013 emergence plan and the need to consolidate the party’s dominance in the Cameroonian political landscape.

Additionally, the November 6th celebrations could not distract CPDM militants from the ongoing political stunts of the reorganisation process of their party.

On the Monday preceding the anniversary, the South-West Regional President for the reorganisation process, Ibrahim Talba Malla, paid a visit to Kumba and held an ‘in camera’ evaluation meeting with the Meme Divisional Committee for the Reorganisation of the CPDM Basic Organs to ascertain the progress of events.

He declared himself satisfied with the respect of the calendar, but was taciturn in his revelation of how to handle the situation in Meme of numerous resignations being handed in by reorganisation committee members who prefer to stand as candidates.

Throughout the anniversary ceremony, more references were made to the need to redeem the party from the shame of the September 30 2013 joint elections defeat than to the subjects in the theme of the day’s celebration or to the president’s successes in his 33 years of governance.

From first to last, all the politicians inadvertently said something of the upcoming part elections and 2018 national elections. In his welcome speech during the anniversary celebrations, the YCPDM president, John Kinge, plainly stated the present ceremony was important because it is the last time many officials will be seen in their present capacity.

He continued by presenting a farewell speech as he appreciated those who have helped him in his journey thus far as YCPDM president. He then exhorted the militants not to use the party’s reorganisation process to create more internal division, but to increase unity to regain lost territory come 2018.

It is evident that while the Central Committee hoped that November 6th would serve as a vacation within the party electoral process, it rather served the contrary, and perhaps presented a picture of the real state of affairs and sentiments.