THE ROLE CATHOLIC CLERGY AND LAITY PLAYED IN ANNOUNCED NATIONAL DIALOGUE

   ARM AND AMOUR VOTING ON ELECTIONS DAY IN ANGLOPHONE CAMEROON

BY MILDRED NDUM WUNG KUM

The process to determine a people’s representative on February 9th 2020 goes down annals of Cameroon history as a day to be remembered for "armed and armour car voting” in the country’s northwest and southwest regions. The use of military cars became utmost to the helpless voting class who were faced with attacks and threats from people opposing the municipal and parliamentary election convened by Paul Biya. Contrary to the rubrics of freedom, fairness and transparency that is normally suppose to be felt in elections, the case of twin municipal and parliamentary elections was something of intimidating pressure where mostly those with the might, the power and money were present at the polls casting votes

Election Day was comparable to a day of street military parade as all kinds of military cars toured the streets ferrying high profile voters to and fro polling stations to execute a civic duty. Those who exercised the civic duty under military escort were exceptionally members of the Cameroon People Democratic Party; the SDOs, DO’s, governors, ministers, parliamentarians, senators and mayors of the government corps who voted  under cover of  surrounding uniform men. It was an election submerged by totting guns, military detectors, and military helicopters; an atmosphere which even tripled the tension of a crisis zone.

According to onlookers who spoke to The Rambler Newspaper, the situation of armour voting, only favoured a particular class of people “ when ministers go out voting with armour cars and elements of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, how do they think poor and ordinary people would do the same voting without any guarantee of their own security. I see this election as a complete farce and comedy” said a keen observer of the elections.

Another onlooker who spoke to The Rambler feels that the very purpose of local elections was defeated “I watched images of the elections on television and I equally tuned to the radio listening to what transpired, but what I saw were government officials and CPDM members marching to go and vote. Parliamentary and Municipal elections are something where local people make their leaders but the few locals who braved their way to go and vote did not reflect the majority who make leaders. The fact that security men were positioned here and there did not solve the situation but it rather made it appear as though it was a military election” 

A member of the Social Democratic Front who opted for anonymity also commented on the elections “a greater population of people were disenfranchised from moving by the very fact that just a few polling stations were set up in places far off from the local population.  The elections only allowed the CPDM and the military to vote because they had access to armour cars as they could move around from one polling station to another” he concord. The opinion of the Northwest governor  was however one if satisfaction. Speaking to the press shortly after surveying elections in some parts if the region, Adolph Lele alafrique said "I'll like to comment the efforts of those who have come out massively in the various Polling stations of the region to exercise their rights to choose their leaders. 

They are the ones who are going to implement the special status. I congratulate elections Cameroon that has made it possible to organize elections with professionalism, the security services and the entire population of the region and also the head of States for convening this exercise today" 

A similar satisfaction was expressed by the Minister Delegate to the Minister of External Relations in charge of Relations with the Commonwealth Mbayu Felix "I am particularly pleased to have accomplished my civic duty. I do this in good conscience and with a lot of conviction. This is the greatest weapon for peace and development. The greatest weapon to bring back normalcy because no other weapon is better than this. Every other weapon is a blind alley. I am pleased to see how many people  have come out to vote this morning inspite of the prevailing circumstances, so I tell all of those who are partners for peace that we should stand behind those who preach peace that this is the true weapon we need, nothing else  others preach" he told the press just after voting under cover of military security. According to Nestus Fru Manju, the parliamentary hopeful for Mezam center "I just performed my civic duty  as a Cameroonian citizen who is called to vote for both the legislative and municipal elections. I've seen others performing theirs and I'm very proud of them. This is to tell the people that we must brave fear and give way for development to come in and we have a goal and objective to attain. As an aspirant, I'm also positive that I'm going to make it" 

The fact that twin municipal and parliamentary elections unfolded in a backdrop of high gear military arsenal only instigated fear, fury and uncertainties which many have qualified as a comedy elections.

The heavy presence of military escort during elections was a government measure to protect its affiliates against Ambozonians who had issued warnings against anyone partaking in elections.