Cameroon: Elecam is Source of War - Human Rights Activists
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Some human rights activists in Cameroon say the elections management body, Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, remains a potential source of civil war if nothing is done to modify it before the 2011 Presidential polls.
The activists made the remark recently in Yaounde during a meeting of the platform of civil society organisations aimed at scanning ELECAM. The members of the Civil Society Platform for Democracy, CSPD, argued that the law creating ELECAM has enormous weaknesses and cannot ensure post-electoral peace in the country.
Speaking during the forum, the President of the NGO, Nouveau Droit de L'homme, NDH, Hilaire Kamga, who doubles as the Secretary and spokesperson of the platform, said "ELECAM executive are not going to be directly implicated in the organisation of election, the election exercise is going to be directly organised by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, MINATD, as usual, thereby rendering the so-called independent electoral body somehow dependent."
He said further that if ELECAM is not modified there are possibilities of civil discord in the country given that elections will still be manipulated as usual to favour those in power. To Kamga, 'there is no guarantee of future peace in Cameroon because elections will never be free, fair and transparent in the present circumstances'.
To ensure peace, good governance and democracy in Cameroon, Kamga reiterated that it is better to amend the law now than to wait for the outcome of what he termed 'a looming catastrophe'
Members of the platform harped on the need for the complete renewal of the social and political landscape of the country, insisting that the law needs to be reviewed by experts who are versed with the country's electoral system so as to curb post-electoral unrest.
To another Executive member of CSPD, Walters Tonteh, who also doubles as the National Coordinator of Cameroon Youths Confederation, the law creating ELECAM has been diagnosed by experts in electoral matters as a law which will likely stir post-electoral violence. He said the various sub-structures of the law are replete with exorbitant and uncontrollable powers.
To him, "ELECAM must be amended for the citizens to have confidence in the structure."
Tonteh further argued that Article 8 of law no 2006/011 puts the Director of Elections as the master planner of the electoral game without any supervisory authority whereas there is an Electoral Council.
Going by him, the Director of Elections, to be appointed by the Head of State, can only act under his whims and caprices. The Platform members, at the end of the meeting, resolved to lobby MPs and other stakeholders to table a private members bill to amend ELECAM before the 2011 polls.
The activists made the remark recently in Yaounde during a meeting of the platform of civil society organisations aimed at scanning ELECAM. The members of the Civil Society Platform for Democracy, CSPD, argued that the law creating ELECAM has enormous weaknesses and cannot ensure post-electoral peace in the country.
Speaking during the forum, the President of the NGO, Nouveau Droit de L'homme, NDH, Hilaire Kamga, who doubles as the Secretary and spokesperson of the platform, said "ELECAM executive are not going to be directly implicated in the organisation of election, the election exercise is going to be directly organised by the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, MINATD, as usual, thereby rendering the so-called independent electoral body somehow dependent."
He said further that if ELECAM is not modified there are possibilities of civil discord in the country given that elections will still be manipulated as usual to favour those in power. To Kamga, 'there is no guarantee of future peace in Cameroon because elections will never be free, fair and transparent in the present circumstances'.
To ensure peace, good governance and democracy in Cameroon, Kamga reiterated that it is better to amend the law now than to wait for the outcome of what he termed 'a looming catastrophe'
Members of the platform harped on the need for the complete renewal of the social and political landscape of the country, insisting that the law needs to be reviewed by experts who are versed with the country's electoral system so as to curb post-electoral unrest.
To another Executive member of CSPD, Walters Tonteh, who also doubles as the National Coordinator of Cameroon Youths Confederation, the law creating ELECAM has been diagnosed by experts in electoral matters as a law which will likely stir post-electoral violence. He said the various sub-structures of the law are replete with exorbitant and uncontrollable powers.
To him, "ELECAM must be amended for the citizens to have confidence in the structure."
Tonteh further argued that Article 8 of law no 2006/011 puts the Director of Elections as the master planner of the electoral game without any supervisory authority whereas there is an Electoral Council.
Going by him, the Director of Elections, to be appointed by the Head of State, can only act under his whims and caprices. The Platform members, at the end of the meeting, resolved to lobby MPs and other stakeholders to table a private members bill to amend ELECAM before the 2011 polls.
