By Ngoko Monyadowa
The trending face-off at the National Assembly pitting its President Cavaye Yegue Djibril, against erstwhile Secretary General, Gaston Komba has come to express once more, the putrid state of human and material resources management in the country.
From all indications, the President of the National Assembly wants his pound of flesh from the erstwhile Secretary General who in the guise of exhibiting uprightness in acquitting himself of his responsibility to his employer, has advertently or inadvertently opened a can that is emitting a nauseating odour. The fluidity of accusations and counter accusations is stunning and evokes the scenario of an institution where public service is equivalent to freebooting.
This, of course, raises no dust because it is merely a microcosm of what would emerge after an aggregation of such malfeasance at the national level. In fact, it is a national pastime; the result of governance that hinges on rewarding individuals because they ensure the elongation of a deified Head of states’ tenure instead of service to a needy citizenry that has surrendered its sovereignty to advancement of the nation.
Whichever of the contending parties we lean on, available and compelling evidence still points to disagreement emergent from sleaze triggered by ludicrous and uncontrolled impunity expressed in finger-dipping into the public cash box as well as nepotism that comes with confidence of being in charge. Cavaye can afford such excesses because of the invincibility that longevity ascribes to him. If for no other reason, the simple fact that the Head of State through the CPDM party machinery keeps renewing his mandate annually is enough fillip for him to act ultra vires in the knowledge that he is the alpha and omega of the institution gifted to him way back in 1992. Not surprisingly, therefore he has with a nod of his head terminated the appointment of a highly placed government functionary.
In the same vein, Gaston Komba, his victim, is to all intents and purposes, not fit to be ascribed saintly status, given that he is a chip of the old block. He had had his tenure as parliamentarian before his appointment as Secretary General of the same institution. What this reflects is that he is a system man through and through.Even if his experience and qualification cannot be called into the dock,how he got into parliament must be weighed against the fact that elections in Cameroon are dismally skewed in favour of the ruling CPDM party. This raises the spectre of being a beneficiary of undue advantage. Furthermore, there are allegations of nepotistic inclination arising from employment of his daughter as Personal Assistant and wife as Technical Adviser. To the extent that these accusations have some basis in reality, then the intention to shy away from accountability immediately rears its head. And not surprisingly, the President of the National Assembly is leaning on misappropriation of public funds as underlying factor of the latter’s shameful exit from the exalted position at the National Assembly.
On the other hand, the popular axiom that he who comes to equity must come with clean hands, seems to be of much relevance in this family feud. Cavaye, who has children and blood relatives numbering no fewer than 25 on the pay roll of the same institution cannot slam the fallen Secretary General on the premise of nepotism. If the numerous scandals trailing his tenure at the helm of the National Assembly that range from fraternizing with Boko Haram to jettisoning laid down principles of contract awards in favour of cronies and other vested interests are imputed to his inability to conduct Assembly sessions with prescribed composure, then his decision to crush Gaston Komba becomes a matter that requires rethink. Already, his mismanagement of the crisis has transferred the issue from the National Assembly to the social media with relevant documents disparaging the protagonists in this ignominious display of sanguinary aloofness to public decorum in tow.
Furthermore, from available evidence, disagreements over appointments to positions of responsibility in that institution undergirded the showdown at the initial stage. However, with the passage of time, other issues including bloated egos reminiscent of High School adolescentscompeting for the attention of their female schoolmates came into the fray before being aggravated by unbridled power show regarding who makes the final decision on issues bordering on heavy expenditures that attract contract awards. It is within this context thata technical team under the tutelage of the Secretary General examined three files of some insurance companies and ab initio, disregarded that of the current service provider, predicating their decision on non-compliance with prescribed award procedure. They, eventually, retained two but settled on one. All attempts to coerce the now disgraced Secretary General to renew the contract of the discountenanced bidder were rebuffed and this did not go down well with the Assembly President who sees the Secretary General’s role as merely advisory. He is the boss and his decision is final!
In this combined tragedy and comedy playing out at the National Assembly, what raises a snag is the fact that nowhere has the mortified Secretary General been queried for incompetence in matters relating to the actual day –to-day management of National Assembly affairs.
In actual fact, Gaston Komba is credited with being innovative, as hitherto non-existent benefits are now available to staff and parliamentarians. Being an insider with hindsight drawn from experience as former parliamentarian, it is easier to empathise with those requiring the services of an institution where he is the compass, technically speaking. Unfortunately, competence has never been a yardstick for promotions or longevity in positions of responsibility nationwide. Other factors including malleability, membership of sectarian fraternities with occultist sacraments and nepotism are prioritised over merit.
Gaston Komba should lick his wounds in the hope that future generations will benefit from a more inviting law making institution. He ought to have known that quarrels with the boss always leave the dissenting subordinate in a situation of regret, at least in Cameroon. He should learn from the arrogance of his former boss who refused to receive the Sawa chiefs who had come to intervene on his behalf. This in itself is a subject for another chronicle on how traditional chiefs of whom Cavaye is one, are treated like pariah by glorified civil servants, whether elected or appointed. Again, it calls to question the caliber of persons who sit as Bureau members and come up with such nauseating decisions, all in the name of party discipline.
The National Assembly is a window of Cameroon’s image to the outside world and by this token, deserves competent and sane functionaries instead of the current crop of managers who ought to be adorning the shelves of museums.