By TALLA AGHAA CHRISTOPHER
November 6, 2019 will make exactly 37 years since President Paul Biya ascended to the helm of the supreme magistracy in Cameroon. The anniversary is usually celebrated in pomp and pageantry with the ruling Cameroon People Democratic Movement, CPDM, stealing the show. Ahead of each celebration, CPDM militants in their various sections nationwide usually hold preparatory meetings wherein commissions are put in place for a hitch free event. While serious preparations are going on nationwide ahead of this year’s celebration which will be under the theme “All behind President Paul Biya to guarantee National Cohesion and strengthening living in an indivisible Cameroon” going by message of the Secretary General of the CPDM Central Committee made public on October 23, 2019, political commentators in Meme are already of the opinion that the CPDM party is missing in action barely few days to go for the celebration.
Meme Division is one of the bastions of the CPDM party with five giant sections. With Justice Benjamin Itoe as Meme CPDM Central Committee Permanent Divisional Coordinator of the party, the other sections include Meme IA, with Tabot Lawson as Section President, Meme IB with Mbatchu Jacob Kay, Meme IC with Dr Mukwelle Isaac , Meme II in Mbonge with Senator Otte Andrew Mofa and Meme III in Konye with Mayor Barrister Musima Georges Lobe as sections Presidents, the celebration fever is yet to grip Meme Division.
According to a top militant of the party who pleaded not to be named for fear of victimisation, the militants and sympathisers of the party are not mobilising for the great event for few of the unknown. He disclosed that with the current crisis rocking the two restive regions of the North West and South West, no militant is ready to take the courage to celebrate the 37th anniversary of the head of state in power. According to him, security is challenging and most of the party bigwigs are IDPs living in their comfort environments out of their party base. He cited the case of the recent attack of the SDO’s convoy enroute to Konye last week for the installation of the new Divisional Officer, D.O Attah Moses Ndep by separatist fighters.
Another frontline militant disclosed that, the though Meme shall celebrate at the eleventh hour, it won’t be ground breaking as was the case before 2016 when the current crisis showed it ugly face. He hinted that if the resolutions and recommendations of the Major National Dialogue were already implemented, things would have returned to normalcy and usher in a gateway for an unprecedented celebration. The militant was categorical that if the celebration of the head of state’s 37th year in power was anything to go by, all the billboards would have been carrying the Head of State’s effigy but with the current dispensation, the celebration will be low keyed.