Arm yourself for Cameroon 2011
It is common knowledge that Elecam is the creation of the government of Cameroon to placate a few of its donor nations and a reluctant attempt to show the world that when Biya will win the elections (as the CPDM believes it would), some form of legitimacy should come into play. It is a strategic ploy, a trick, a wickedly cunning ruse to keep the Biya dictatorship in place for another 7 years, totaling 36 years of misery. 36 years of the same failed policies: rigor and moralisation, grands ambitions, etc.
It is true that countries that hold the purse from which Cameroon borrows are putting pressure on the Biya regime to loosen up to the demands of the opposition and some are even calling on him to step down, but let's be realistic, most of what we have heard are "unofficial", "off the record" , "hints" from "sources close to" because in diplomatic circles, certain subjects are taboo and certain declarations will and can be perceived as "intervening" or "interfering" with the sovereignty of a nation and an attempt to "impose unrealistic standards" and may fortuitously trigger nationalistic sentiments that could easily be culled and exploited by the powers in place for their benefits, of course. Never mind what you read from wishful thinkers who want to indulge us in their fantasy of a son who would rather ask his godfather to take a message to his father than do it himself. Come on, du serieux, SVP!
Recently, Lynn Pascoe, an envoy from the United Nations met behind closed doors with Cameroon's MPs. It is speculated that the use of a single paper ballot amongst other things was recommended. Cameroon unlike other countries (South Africa, the Solomon Islands, Niger, etc) resists the use of single paper ballots even though it is financially cost effective. As it stands right now, beating Biya at the ballot box is near impossible. But wait, have we not heard people say "impossible n'est pas camerounais"? To achieve the impossible, the opposition will need to arm itself for success.
Voter Registration
The first question any opposition leader must ask his or her supporters is "Are you registered to vote?" If the answer is NO, then they must understand that that supporter is of no use to them. They MUST ask/convince the supporter to register, even if that supporter does not want to. If the answer is yes, then they should be able to inspire the supporter to vote for them or someone they may choose to support. Voter registration is of utmost importance. It is vital to winning any elections through the ballot box. Some people have argued, and rightly so, that their vote is of no consequence, as Paul Biya will win all the same. Assuming such to be the case, it is better to be registered to vote than not to be. It is better to be armed and never have to fire a bullet than to need a bullet and not have any.
So, question to you reading this: are you registered to vote in October 2011?
If yes, good. Are your friends and relatives registered too? If no, encourage them to do so. If you have not registered yet, then stop reading this, go out and register to vote and come back to read the rest.
Money! Money! Money!
The president of the Republic of Cameroon has everything. Inside sources predict (and brag) that Paul Biya will spend CFA 31Billion this year to buy (what else do you need CFA 31 Billion for?) the elections. Cameroonians can do two things, accept the money, buy some meat and bread and pay back through a salary cut (imminent at the current spending rate) or through high food prices, high electricity bills, etc. That is option 1: accept Biya's loan and pay later. Option 2 will consist of investing on the opposition. There are many ways to do that: giving money (even anonymously), talking about a candidate to family and friends, investing your time, etc. Opposition leaders must understand that supporters will not come to them promptly because of the loftiness of their goals or platform. They have to go out and look for them. They have to inspire their supporters to invest in them, regardless of the nature of the investment, because ANYONE who invests in a venture seeks returns and will work hard for such returns to materialize.
Training election officials
All opposition leaders should constantly be training and testing their polling officials against the temptation of the CPDM party's "take-5,000-and-shut-up-or-look-elsewhere policy". Elections can be won if EVERY polling station in the nation had an incorruptible opposition party's presence. These people must be physically fit and be able to withstand hunger and the need to use the restroom, to prevent shady business from occurring. By pulling their forces together, opposition leaders can guarantee the staff to make this happen. There is going to be a significant amount of threat from people opposed to them. Most of the times, polling station officials are people who hail from that area, and so they know that intimidation of any kind is not necessarily something to be worried about: few will actually harm their brothers or sisters because they did what they were asked to do. I might be wrong as they say "le Cameroun c'est le Cameroun".
Pressure ELECAM (http://www.elecam.cm)
This may probably sound like singing a lullaby to a pig, but needs to be tried. What could the opposition say to ELECAM:
Campaign, campaign, campaign.
The opposition must have done its homework now and understood that Cameroon has just about 4% internet penetration which means less than 1million people out of 19million use the internet. A quick look at its use will reveal that Cameroonians use the internet more to look for husbands/boyfriends, wives/girlfriends, flirt, scam (419) gullible people, or some other social use other than research. Open a Facebook page, read the banality of the interactions amongst users and you would understand that the web is out of the question when it comes to political campaigning.
The work is by foot soldiering. Young people, old people, doesn't matter, what the opposition should be looking for is motivated people, people who still have some independent thinking, people who can take initiatives, etc. There is just so much to run on. The message of course must be inspirational.
Conclusion
All proposals made here are not new and must have been thought of in different formats by Cameroon's opposition. At the moment, they seemed to be throwing their nets everywhere, hoping for something to catch on. What they need to do is tap into that pool of Biya supporters who are standing on the edge, supporting him out of a certain convenience and or fear. Their message should be unique: they stand a lot to loose from the status quo, because in their own country, they will never be significant players, their votes will always be useless, they will always be expendable Biya tools. As far as everyone else is concerned, there is enough bitterness to channel to the oppositions cause.
Pual Barthelemy Biya bi Mvondo can be beaten, he has been beaten before.
Do you have any other ideas on how to make this happen? Please share.
It's time to invest in Cameroon's future!
Recently, Lynn Pascoe, an envoy from the United Nations met behind closed doors with Cameroon's MPs. It is speculated that the use of a single paper ballot amongst other things was recommended. Cameroon unlike other countries (South Africa, the Solomon Islands, Niger, etc) resists the use of single paper ballots even though it is financially cost effective. As it stands right now, beating Biya at the ballot box is near impossible. But wait, have we not heard people say "impossible n'est pas camerounais"? To achieve the impossible, the opposition will need to arm itself for success.
Grassroots activist and contender: Edith K. Walla
The first question any opposition leader must ask his or her supporters is "Are you registered to vote?" If the answer is NO, then they must understand that that supporter is of no use to them. They MUST ask/convince the supporter to register, even if that supporter does not want to. If the answer is yes, then they should be able to inspire the supporter to vote for them or someone they may choose to support. Voter registration is of utmost importance. It is vital to winning any elections through the ballot box. Some people have argued, and rightly so, that their vote is of no consequence, as Paul Biya will win all the same. Assuming such to be the case, it is better to be registered to vote than not to be. It is better to be armed and never have to fire a bullet than to need a bullet and not have any.
So, question to you reading this: are you registered to vote in October 2011?
If yes, good. Are your friends and relatives registered too? If no, encourage them to do so. If you have not registered yet, then stop reading this, go out and register to vote and come back to read the rest.
Money! Money! Money!
The president of the Republic of Cameroon has everything. Inside sources predict (and brag) that Paul Biya will spend CFA 31Billion this year to buy (what else do you need CFA 31 Billion for?) the elections. Cameroonians can do two things, accept the money, buy some meat and bread and pay back through a salary cut (imminent at the current spending rate) or through high food prices, high electricity bills, etc. That is option 1: accept Biya's loan and pay later. Option 2 will consist of investing on the opposition. There are many ways to do that: giving money (even anonymously), talking about a candidate to family and friends, investing your time, etc. Opposition leaders must understand that supporters will not come to them promptly because of the loftiness of their goals or platform. They have to go out and look for them. They have to inspire their supporters to invest in them, regardless of the nature of the investment, because ANYONE who invests in a venture seeks returns and will work hard for such returns to materialize.
Please give money, and consider it an investment you are making for the future of Cameroon represented by either you, your children, or your grandchildren. Donate your time. Talk to people, explain to them the urgency of the moment, the magnitude of the challenge. Do it for Cameroon. Do it to stop that stubborn corruption. Do it just because, right now, it is the right thing to do.
All opposition leaders should constantly be training and testing their polling officials against the temptation of the CPDM party's "take-5,000-and-shut-up-or-look-elsewhere policy". Elections can be won if EVERY polling station in the nation had an incorruptible opposition party's presence. These people must be physically fit and be able to withstand hunger and the need to use the restroom, to prevent shady business from occurring. By pulling their forces together, opposition leaders can guarantee the staff to make this happen. There is going to be a significant amount of threat from people opposed to them. Most of the times, polling station officials are people who hail from that area, and so they know that intimidation of any kind is not necessarily something to be worried about: few will actually harm their brothers or sisters because they did what they were asked to do. I might be wrong as they say "le Cameroun c'est le Cameroun".
Pressure ELECAM (http://www.elecam.cm)
This may probably sound like singing a lullaby to a pig, but needs to be tried. What could the opposition say to ELECAM:
- We want a single ballot paper. It will save money which realistically speaking, we don't have. It will curb voter corruption (the CPDM has been in the habit of "buying" the ballot papers of other opposition candidates for as much as CFA5,000) and intimidation. It will protect Cameroonian citizens from being victimized because they voted for 'x' or 'y' as their unused ballot papers will show. The single ballot paper has been requested by many opposition figures, one needs to point out. Elecam should be challenged on its independence from Etoudi, by this incessant request of the single ballot paper. You can also write to Elecam directly or call them at this number: TEL/FAX.: (237) 22 21 25 52 / 22 21 25 39 ; E.mail : elecam@elecam.cm To determine positioning on the single ballot paper, a lottery system could be used: all the candidates' names are drawn.
- Another thing which opposition party leaders must clamor for is the ability to use cell phones and cameras to take pictures of signed and certified electoral results. If we have cell phone pictures of half of the precincts, it will be easy to make a determination on who won the elections. The CPDM, as it is confident of winning, must allow this concession to assert the legitimacy of its candidate WHEN he wins the elections. It will be very unlikely for photographed results to be tampered with.
Campaign, campaign, campaign.
The opposition must have done its homework now and understood that Cameroon has just about 4% internet penetration which means less than 1million people out of 19million use the internet. A quick look at its use will reveal that Cameroonians use the internet more to look for husbands/boyfriends, wives/girlfriends, flirt, scam (419) gullible people, or some other social use other than research. Open a Facebook page, read the banality of the interactions amongst users and you would understand that the web is out of the question when it comes to political campaigning.
The work is by foot soldiering. Young people, old people, doesn't matter, what the opposition should be looking for is motivated people, people who still have some independent thinking, people who can take initiatives, etc. There is just so much to run on. The message of course must be inspirational.
MP and contender, Hon. Paul Ayah Abine
Conclusion
All proposals made here are not new and must have been thought of in different formats by Cameroon's opposition. At the moment, they seemed to be throwing their nets everywhere, hoping for something to catch on. What they need to do is tap into that pool of Biya supporters who are standing on the edge, supporting him out of a certain convenience and or fear. Their message should be unique: they stand a lot to loose from the status quo, because in their own country, they will never be significant players, their votes will always be useless, they will always be expendable Biya tools. As far as everyone else is concerned, there is enough bitterness to channel to the oppositions cause.
Pual Barthelemy Biya bi Mvondo can be beaten, he has been beaten before.
Do you have any other ideas on how to make this happen? Please share.
It's time to invest in Cameroon's future!
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