By atia tilarious azohnwi
“Elections will take place in the whole South West Region. I want to say it here… I want to assure you, for those who are still doubting Thomases, that elections will take place if we want it to take place. Not by force but by our force of argument, our capacity to work closely with administrative authorities who are the facilitators of the place.
“I want to assure you that we will have elections in the whole of the South West region. We will work more with polling centers. The first thing is that for these elections to take place, there must be total collaboration between the administrative authorities, the forces of law and order, political parties, the civil society, and religious organizations. All of these people matter in the political process. Elections Cameroon is independent because the government of Cameroon wants ELECAM to organize transparent and credible elections.”
Enow Abrams Egbe, Chairman of the Electoral Board of Elections Cameroon, ELECAM was speaking in Buea Friday, June 22, 2018 during a working visit between himself, the Director General of Elections and the staff of his institution in the South West Region.
He was emphatic that despite the ongoing socio-political unrest, presidential elections will take place in October in line with constitutional and legal provisions.
Hear him: “Whilst the enemy wants that there should be no vote, our role is to make sure that those who want to vote among them should come and vote because it is not everybody who wants that there should be no vote. It is not a challenge but it is a matter of hard work. People don’t want it, the other people want it. We as pacifiers must find a middle ground between those who want to vote and those who don’t want to vote; we must facilitate the task for those who want it.”
He told ELECAM staff to collaborate with administrative authorities if they must succeed in their mission at these very trying moments. He said the independence of ELECAM does not stop it from collaborating with all the stakeholders in the electoral process.
“Independence does not mean that we are a country in another country. It is not possible. We are working inside the country of Cameroon. We are independent just like the independence of the judiciary. Does independence say that we should not collaborate? … Can we carry our independence and go and fight the rebels in the field? Can we carry our independence and facilitate the transportation of our materials? We need the protection of the people, the personnel and property. Some of you have virtually abandoned your areas. Our materials have been burnt. How can you be independent if you are not strong?” he said reiterating the need for ELECAM officials to collaborate with administrative and security officials.
“…And we are sure that the state, this our beautiful country has institutions that can safeguard us – administration, the forces, stakeholders in the civil society, political parties all together. We have to do our own part that is education. We must be proactive henceforth. We have elections come October. Do you think we have to fold our hands and say because things are bad? No! We have to fight! We have to fight alongside our administrative authorities, our forces of law and order, alongside political leaders – we are barely facilitators.
“We have to collaborate with political leaders, collaborate with the civil society, collaborate with the administration especially and the services of the security.
“I assure you that once the administrative authorities – the governors, the SDOs and DOs – have told us that we can have elections here, please follow them. Our role is to make sure that elections take place. You know that the presidential elections are a national circumscription. Our role is to make sure that Cameroonians come and put their votes in the different polling stations. Don’t worry about any other thing.”
Enow Abrams Egbe said “what is important is that people who are willing to come and vote should have their right to vote protected. Cameroon is a very democratic country. Those who don’t want to vote, nobody disturbs them”.
Enow Abrams Egbe only talked about Presidential Elections, failing to mention legislative and municipal elections that were expected to take place this year. This only goes to confirm the eventual postponement of the twin elections.
He was accompanied to Buea by fellow electoral board members.
The interim South West ELECAM Regional Delegate in his welcome address presented the difficulties that they are going through in the region. He said the socio-political unrest in the region has not done them any good.
His words: “The South West Region is made up of six Divisional and thirty-one Council Branches with a total of 1.694 polling stations. We have a work force of 241 staff made up of 215 permanent and 26 staff working on temporary basis. With insufficient assistance, this personnel and members of the Joint Commissions in various ELECAM Council Branches have succeeded to register 9.443 eligible voters since the start of the 2018 revision of voter registers in January bringing the cumulative figure since inception of Biometric registration in the region to 398.015 voters.
“Your Excellency the Electoral Board Chair and the Director General of Elections, the successes we have achieved are not without challenges. In the event, permit me present an overview of some of the challenges we encounter in the course of executing our duty.
“The prevalent socio-political atmosphere in the North West and South West Regions has rendered some of our branches moribund due to persistent threats and attacks on our personnel, structures and equipment. Concrete examples of such threats include the murder of one of our colleagues who was working with the Divisional Branch in Bangem, Kupe Muanenguba Division in the person of late Tchonang Elie Roger by unidentified armed militias. Furthermore, our Lebialem Divisional Branch Head has in the confrontation lost her house and other personal property to criminal incineration just like many of our staff continue to receive death threats and warnings of kidnap of their family members from activists who inundate their phones with calls. Dikome Balue ELECAM Council Branch in Ndian Division and Wabane in Lebialem Division have succumbed to the vagaries of unknown assailants who have burned down the edifices housing them while work in Konye and Mbonge Council Branches in Meme Division, Alou, Menji and Wabane Council Branches in Lebialem Division, Tinto, Eyumojock and Akwaya Council Branches in Manyu Division, Nguti Council Branch in Kupe-Muanenguba Division and Muyuka Council Branch in Fako Division have been deserted by our staff due to unbearable persistent insecurity caused by marauding militia in these areas.
“As corollary to the ambient in security, there has been drastic drop in registration and card distribution figures, restriction of movements to hinterlands due to far-flung distances between villages and polling stations and also, interference by assailants who see the forests separating villages as convenient hide-outs. Other factors that impede efficient and effective acquittal of our bounden duty include hostility towards ELECAM staff that materialised in the kidnap of a staff of Tinto Council Branch, and arson attempts on Kupe- Muanenguba Divisional Branch, Nguti Council Branch and Limbe II Council Branch and restrain from open sensitization and registration exercises.
“In addition, there has been complete rejection of and heightened apathy against ELECAM by communities in distress, just like civil disobedience epitomised in boycott of major national events like Youth Day, Women’s Day, Labour Day and National Day by the population and in the event stalling targeted massive registration, difficulty in movement of staff and electoral materials owing to Administrative edicts barring movements in most parts of the region.
“Given our current situation of lined-up elections this year, the current rolling stock cannot meet up with the magnitude of tasks. Indeed, with the current scenario of mutual animosity between separatist forces and the regular army that has induced massive exodus from the rural areas where fighting is most endemic, only a spectacular turn-round of circumstances shall permit ELECAM to organise, manage and supervise any of the scheduled elections this year in the Southwest region. We fervently hope that the issues raised above will receive the desired attention.”