Lawyers Disagree Over Minister Atanga Nji’s Claim That Political Alliances Are Supposed To Be Legalized

Lawyers Disagree Over Minister Atanga Nji’s Claim That Political Alliances Are Supposed To Be Legalized

– Batonnier Charles Tchoungang, An Independent Personality, Says Political Alliances In Cameroon Are By Law Considered As Associations, And Are Thus Supposed To Be Legalized

– Barrister Claude Kenne, Member Of MRC, Says Minister Atanga Nji’s Communiqué Banning Political Alliances, Is Anti Constitutional And Illegal

– Political Scientist, Pro Owona Nguini, Says Since 1991, Both The Opposition And Ruling CPDM Have Been Illegally Creating And Operating Alliances, Thanks To Administrative Tolerance

As expected, the March 12, 2024 communiqué of the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, banning two political alliances in Cameroon for allegedly operating illegally, was the major topic of discussion and debate in a programme that comes up over major Tv stations in Cameroon on Sundays, to examine major issues that came up in the country during the week just ended.
The two political alliances that the Territorial Administration Minister in his communiqué referred to “fake associations”, include the Political Alliance for Change which has as Interim National Coordinator, Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu, and the Alliance for a Political Transition In Cameroon, which is the initiative of Prof Oliver Bile.
Both alliances are coalitions of opposition parties and civil society organisations, and were
created to prepare for the next presidential elections in the country, expected to hold in October 2025. Worthnoting as well the Political Alliances for Change (in Cameroon), which came into existence in December 2023, was created to support the candidature of Prof Maurice Kamto, National President of the MRC Party, at the next presidential election in the country.

MINAT Boss Says The Two Alliances Have Been Existing Illegally

Minister Atanga Nji in his March 12, 2024 communiqué, accused the two alliances of existing and operating clandestinely, noting that they have been going around organising meetings and
press conferences, when they have no legal existence.
The minister warned in the March 12 communiqué, that: “Any attempt to organise any activity under the aforementioned movements, or any other similar name in the pipeline, shall henceforth be considered by MINAT as casus bell”.

Disagreement Over Claim Of Illegality

Meanwhile the former President of the Cameroon Bar Council, Charles Tchoungang, who was a member of the panel discussion over Canal 2 International in the programme, Canal Press, on Sunday, March 17, 2024, condemned Minister Atanga Nji’s use of threats in his March 12 communique. He said the minister would have simply stated the facts, to either remind or sensitise political parties on what the Law says about political alliances or coalitions.
As regard the facts of the matter, Batonnier Tchoungang who stressed that he was talking as a jurist or lawyer, stated that the Law that was adopted in 1990 on the creation and functioning of political parties, and which was promulgated into Law on January 1, 1991 by President Biya, talks of political parties and other political associations. He explained that political alliances or coalitions of political parties, are political associations, and are thus supposed to be registered or legalised.
Batonnier Tchoungang thus said all the political alliances or coalitions of political parties, that have been created by both the opposition and the ruling CPDM since 1990, like the Coordination of Opposition Parties and Civil Society Organisations, the Presidential Majority, Union for Change, G. 20, and so on, existed or are existing illegally. Worthnoting that Barrister Tchoungang was a frontline member of the Union for Change. He came from the civil society.

Can Meet In A Private Residence

Mean Batonnier Tchoungang advised that members of the two political alliances that Minister Atanga Nji’s March 12 communiqué banned, can continue to operate by holding their meetings in private homes. He also said that if an alliance wants to hold a public rally or public meeting, a legalised political party in the group can obtain an authorization in its name , and invite the other members. But he emphasised that the political rally or whatever, would be organized under the name or banner of the party that obtained the authorization.

‘Minister Atanga Nji’s Communiqué Is Illegal”

Meanwhile speaking in a programmer over LTM in the evening of Sunday, March 17, 2024, Barrister Claude Kenne, an official of Prof Kamto’s MRC Party, said the March 12 communiqué or décision by Minister Atanga Nji, which banned the two political alliances of the opposition, was both anti constitutional and illegal. He insisted that political alliances or coalitions are not associations. He said Atanga Nji issued the March 12 communiqué banning the two opposition alliances, more as a militant of the CPDM, than as Minister of Territorial Administration.
Barrister Kenne as well explained that if the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, had wanted to make his communiqué an official text that obliges all political alliances or coalitions to be registered, he would have issued a ministerial order or an arete , and not a simple communiqué.

Long Period Of Administrative Tolerance

Meanwhile, Prof Eric Mathias Owona Nguini, a political scientist, who was also a member of the discussion panel over Info TV during the day and over LTM in the evening of that March 17, insisted that political alliances or coalitions are associations, and are thus supposed to be registered or legalised, to exist and function in.legality.
But Prof Owona Nguini remarked that since the rebirth of multi party politics in Cameroon, both the ruling CPDM and the opposition have been illegally creating and operating political alliances. He said this was thanks to what is referred to in Cameroon as Administrative Tolerance.
He recalled that after the March 1, 1992 Legislative Election , the CPDM Government had to negotiate an alliance with Dakole Daissala’s MDR party, in a bid to have a majority of seats in parliament. He noted that the alliance was not legalised.
Prof Owona Nguini, said he saw the March 12 communiqué that was issued by the Minister of Territorial Administration, as a move to put an end to the administrative tolerance, and thus a call for those in charge of political alliances to regularise their situation, by getting their associations legalised.

Prof Nkou Mvondo Ridicules Minister Atanga Nji’s Commumique.

Meanwhile in his reaction to the Match 12, 2024 communiqué, that was issued by the Minister of Territorial Administration, Paul Atanga Nji, banning two political alliances, the National President of Parti Universe, Prof Nkou Mvondo Prosper, on March 18 in Yaounde ridiculed the minister’s comminique.But the Professor of Law at the University of Ngaoundere , rather took interest in the aspect of the language used in the minister’s communique.
Prof Nkou Mvondo said that the words illegal and clandestine, do not mean the same thing in Law. He said Minister Atanga Nji used the words clandestine and illegal in his March 12 communiqué, as if they meant the same thing. He said the minister thus ended up saying one thing and the opposite, thus contradicting himself. He questioned the competence of the technical advisers or close collaborators of the MINAT Boss.

Leaders Of The Political Alliances Criticise Minister’s Communiqué

Meanwhile the leader of the Political Alliance for Change, Hon Jean Michel Nintcheu, and that of Alliance for a Political Transition in Cameroon, Prof Olivier Bile, have criticised the March 12, 2024 communiqué by the Minister of Territorial Administration, prohibiting the existence and operation of the political alliances.
As typical of him, Hon Nintcheu was both fast and hard in his reaction. In his reaction contained in a comminique issued on that same March 12, 2024 in Yaounde, Hon Nintcheu titled it, Panic. He said the regime has been gripped by panic, with the creation of the Political Alliance for Change.
Nintcheu pointed out that since 1990, several political alliances have been created by both the ruling CPDM and the opposition. He challenged Minister Atanga Nji to show the the legalisation documents of any of those alliances.
Nintcheu said legalised political parties create alliances mostly for elections, and that those alliances or coalitions end after the elections. He insisted that a political alliance is not supposed to be registered, and dismissed Minister Atanga Nji’s March 12 communiqué. He said that the Political Alliance for Change will continue to function, and assured that the alliance will succeed in its mission to see their candidate win the 2025 presidential election.
On his part, Prof Olivier Bile of the Alliance for a Political Transition in Cameroon, was soft in his reaction. He explained that the Alliance for a Political Transition In Cameroon, means good for the country and people. He insisted that there was no reason or justification for the Minister of Territorial Administration to have reacted the way he did in his March 12 communiqué, banning the Alliance for a Political Transition in Cameroon.