“Why Do Some People Leave The CPDM, Create Their Own Parties, And Then Declare Support For President BIYA?”

“Why Not Just Return To President BIYA’s CPDM Party?”

 The National President Of PAL, Celestin BEDZIGUI, In His Honest Response, Explains What Pushes Several Party Presidents To Act That Way 

 National Communication Secretary Of CPDM, Prof Jacques FAME NDONGO, Ridicules Those Persons That Create Political Parties Without Means To Sustain Them

The two interesting or serious questions above, that The Mentor scribbled in his notebook a couple of months ago, were posed during a TV programme (a panel discussion) by a senior journalist, who though working for the State media, always strive to stay a journalist. His name, Aime Robert BIHINA of the State owned Cameroon Radio Television, CRTV.

The day was Sunday, and the date was November, 6, 2024, and the programme that evening was C. POLITIK, whose moderator is Robert Ayina. Considering that C. POLITIK of that day coincided with the 42^nd anniversary of President Paul Biya in power, the programme or panel discussion of that day as expected, focused on the 42 years of Biya in power.  Worthy of note, that one of the invitees or panelists was the exemplary gentleman, David Aboeum Achoyi (former Governor, former member of Government, member of the Bilingualism Commission), now of blessed memory.

Questions To President Of PAL, Celestin Bedzigui

Meanwhile in the course of the programme, C. POLITILK, on that November 6, 2024,Aime Robert Bihina with his usual smile seemingly meant to diffuse any tension or heat during the programme, posed some two serious questions to the National President of PAL, Celestin BEDZIGUI, one of the few party leaders of the early 90s that is still around, and who was one of the invitees to the panel discussion. Many Cameroonians think that as regard politics, Bedzigui is a longtime collaborator or friend of the Biya regime, while passing around for an opposition.

That aside, Aime Robert  Bihina asked Celestin Bedzigui why some people leave the CPDM, go and create their political parties, and then turn around and declare the support of their parties for President Biya. He questioned why such people do not just instead return to President Biya’s CPDM Party.

That is, why does such a party leader not just return to President Biya’s CPDM Party, if the person has come to realized that he made a mistake to leave the CPDM, that he made a poor judgment of President Biya’s leadership of the party or government? Why should the party leader instead of rerunning to the President Biya’s CPDM Party, rather decide to line up behind President Biya with the party he created?

Bedzigui’s Frank Response

The National President of PAL, Celestin Bedzigui, was in fact frank in his response to the first question, but somehow evaded responding to the second question. Bedzigui accused the ruling CPDM of having selfishly monopolized access to State resources, leaving other political parties without anything. Bedzigui said many people create political parties with much hope, but soon realize the crude reality, which is that they cannot survive with those parties due to lack of financial means. He said this is due to the fact that after creating the parties, the party leaders come to realize that not only is it costly to run a political party, but that they cannot have any access to State resources to assist  them survive with their parties, because the ruling CPDM Party has everything for itself.

Meaning that in such a situation, those leaders of political parties are left with no choice, than to try to move towards the leadership of the ruling CPDM, in a bid to survive. Meaning also that those party leaders lining behind President Biya, like is the case with his candidacy for the 2025 presidential election, are not sincere in their so called support. Rather, that they are doing what they are doing, in search of ‘compensations’ like money or appointments, or certain advantages. Most of those political parties in reality do not even have militants. Most of the so called political parties have never even been launched.

What Bedzigui tacitly confirmed from what he said, was that there are many Cameroonians who create political parties with the hope to use them to survive, with the hope to use them to make themselves recognized by the powers – that – be, to use  the parties  to make money, to use the parties to have appointments.  Their problem is HUNGER.  They want FOOD. They create political parties to use it to search for food.

The Reason For So Many Registered Parties

The   truth in Cameroon is that many people create political parties, quite conscious of the fact that they do not have the means to sustain those parties. But their hope is that they will use those parties to be able to open doors, to be able to make money to sustain their lives and that of their families. To such people, a political party is a business project.

That is why there is scandalously today as many as 369 registered political parties in Cameroon with an estimated population of 30 million people, while neighbouring Nigeria with an estimated population of over 200 million has just a few political parties. More than 300 of those 369 registered parties in Cameroon, have never been launched, and have never taken part in any municipal or legislative election.  In fact in Cameroon one cannot count more than 15 serious political parties in Cameroon.  The rest are business projects, with leaders who are more of scammers.

That is why we see all the dramas on the Cameroon’s political scene today, in the run-up or countdown to the 2025 presidential election. Since last year, we see every now and then so – called party leaders, shamelessly fighting with each other to declare their support for the candidacy of the 93 year old President Paul Biya, who has been in power for over 42 years.

Fame Ndongo Ridicules Those Who Create Political Parties Without Means To Sustain Them

Meanwhile, Prof Jacques FAME NDONGO was also one of the invitees to the TV programme, C. POLITIK, over CRTV in the evening of November 6, 2024, which as aforementioned was also the 42nd anniversary of President Biya in power. Fame Ndongo participated in the programme in double capacity as member of Government or a longtime close collaborator of President Paul Biya, and also the National Secretary for Communication of  the ruling CPDM.

When Prof Fame Ndongo was asked to react to what the National President of PAL, Celestin Bedzigui said, as regard why some persons leave the CPDM, create political parties and come again to support President Biya, he focused his response on the issue of the lack of financial means by several party leaders to sustain their parties. He ridiculed those Cameroonians who create political parties without the means to sustain those parties, and think that the State is supposed to provide them with funds.

Fame Ndongo noted that a political party is an association, and asserted that nobody is forced to create a political party. He thus questioned why somebody should create a political party without the means to run the party, or why somebody should create a political party and instead look on the State to provide funds. Fame Ndongo was firm that it is not the responsibility of the State to provide funds to sustain political parties, and strongly advised that if people do not have the means to run or sustain a political party, they should not create a party.