The Chairman of the Kumba III Electoral District of the Social Democratic Front, SDF Councilor Bigda Oum Rufus, has made it clear that any political party in Kumba III Sub Division is struggling in vain because the SDF is a household name in the area. He equally observed that following his elections as District Chairman, a year ago the party has increased its members and that though the celebrations of the 27th Anniversary of the party, this May 26, 2017 was not as in previous years, other political parties eying the Council which they presently control are just day dreamers. He maintains that while SDF is the ruling party in Kumba III Sub Division, the other political parties in the area are of the opposition bench. He spoke to our Kumba Bureau correspondent Christopher Aghaa Talla. Read on….
THE SUN: – May 26, 1990 to May 26, 2017 marks exactly 27 years of the existence of the Social Democratic Front SDF. What are the major achievements of the party so far?
Bigda Oum Rufus:-Thanks for the opportunity given me to talk to your widely read newspaper that has already stood the test of time in the Cameroon media landscape. When the SDF was launched, I was still a student in the secondary school; precisely GHS Kumbo, now GBHS Kumbo. As for the achievements they’re enormous, namely; freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, multipartism, freedom of the press, pressure on the state to decentralize government in a bid to appease the general outcry for federation as enshrined in the SDF political agenda. Because of the call for an independent and transparent electoral system by the SDF, we have ELECAM today and its partial biometric system. We’re still mounting pressure for the completion of the biometric process.
The elected officials; Mayors, Parliament and Senate have mounted remarkable pressure on the government of Cameroon to improve on the different socio-economic and political issues.
Thanks to the SDF, the political atmosphere has some degree of democracy and broad base consultation. True to her slogan: ‘ power to the people’ and equal opportunity, many Cameroonians have now become interested in politics and government actions.
You were recently elected overwhelmingly as the Chairman of the SDF Kumba III Electoral District .How is your district fairing. What have you been doing to keep the party afloat despite rumours that the party has lost credibility in your district?
As regards my elections as SDF District Chairman for Kumba III, a little more than a year ago, we have been doing a lot to keep the party afloat. We’re having regular meetings at least once a month and sometimes more. We have regular consultations with the base. We have been participating in public political debates; we’re part of the registration process into the electoral roll, etc.
Well you say it is rumored that the party has lost steam, I doubt that. Anyway I won’t delve into rumours because I’m well aware of the local realities on the field; I’m in constant touch with my electorate. To cut a long story short, the party has gained more steam than when I took over, because many more people are getting interested into the way the SDF councilors, Mayors and Parliamentarians are demonstrating servant leadership skills, both at the Kumba III council level, the city council, and the Kumba I, II and III electoral districts. So we haven’t lost credibility, rather we’ve gained more credibility.
The Kumba III Sub Divisional Council, is currently being controlled by the SDF party, what are the assurances that your party will maintain this grip come the 2018 elections.
(Laughs!) I am laughing because the above analysis is already a foregone conclusion to the present question. We have been able not only to give Kumba III municipality an infrastructural facelift, but we have improved it super structurally through the quality of services provided to all users of the council. So I’m very confident about our reelection.
Some of our achievements since we took office in 2013 include; construction of about 12 classrooms, construction and equipping of two wards at the Ntam Health center, provision of portable water through the construction of about 13 boreholes in different parts of the municipality, systematic and programmed grading of streets from Barombi Kang to Ntam, including Malende and Mundame, construction of Business shops through public-private partnership commonly called BOT, and lots more! Moreover, it’s the present executive of the Council that is paying for the FEICOM Loan contracted for the construction of the Council chambers. So technically we built it.
With this kind of development and realization, no one will want to throw away their votes and relive the experiences of the previous administration of that council which came into office through the tickets of the popular political party you all know, yet they spent the greater part of their time idling and fighting among themselves rather than lobbying for projects that will benefit the common man who gave them the mandate.
What message do you have for members of the Kumba III SDF Electoral District as your party celebrates her 27th birthday?
Yes the party turns 27 but unfortunately we’re not celebrating as compared to the previous years. We’re joining our voices to that of the marginalized Anglophone minority who have been protesting. We’re not happy with the way the government is handling the issue. We want to thank the people of Meme Division as a whole and Kumba III municipality in particular for their unflinching support to us, throughout this period of crisis. We’re telling them to stand firm and remain committed to the SDF political ideals and our stance on the need for a federal system of governance. God bless the SDF!