Tapang Ivo Tanku has described why Cameroonians should go for the CPDM. BaretaNews in a statement below disagrees with him. In his proclamations, he had this to say. Read on….

At 75, the challenger, Fru Ndi, still accuses his defender, Paul Biya, 83, of staying too long in power. They both have an eight-year age difference. And if Fru Ndi seeks to run for the 2018 presidential bid, he will turn 84 in power if he completes his seven-year mandate. Who is fooling whom? Many have argued that the ruling CPDM party lacks a political strategy. Wrong.

“Motions of support,” is a widely used political strategy, and very unique to Cameroon. It has worked over the years for the CPDM, and it will continue to do so. Do not ignore it. It carefully and unanimously endorses a particular “natural” candidate a few years before the upcoming poll. It eliminates unforeseen in-house power tussles by allowing party supporters to throw in their party support from all corners of the globe while mobilizing financial and human resources through fundraising campaigns, and by pinching from the state treasury.

The so-called “national convention” as a strategy by the SDF and other parties, is failing and falling and no one may be seeing it. It is not only too late campaign, as it comes only a few months to the upcoming poll, but it lacks substance, fundraising strategies, and inclusive mobilization. Above all, it gives little or no room for the party to cripple rumors and manage crisis which could arise from within the party when controversial opinions do not favor the chosen candidate. Take a look at all the crises that have rocked the SDF, for example. They often come just months before the polling starts. Divided we cannot stand on a single political platform.

Arrow’s paradox, also known as the Paradox of Voting by Kenneth Arrow, a Nobel laureate in Economics, basically states that when voters have several distinct alternatives, it is always impossible to outwit the defenders. In practical terms, it is impossible for more than 20 opposition parties to beat the ruling CPDM even under free, fair and observable conditions. Not only are the opposition parties heavily divided, but they seek to achieve greedy and conflicting desires. In 1990, when there were only one defender and one challenger, the game was tight, and the challenger was most feared. Today, it no longer holds sway.

It is rational for the ruling CPDM party to encourage an astronomic increase in the number of opposition parties in a bid to prolong their stay in the game. That is real politics. It would be important if key opposition parties know where they are on the game tree, especially at this moment, share information, harmonize strategies, regroup, and quickly move up to displace the challenger.

Political systems are organic – they are planted, they grow, they die, and they decay. No political system lasts forever. They only live through particular historical epochs and are subjected to climate change. The 1990 political panacea for the SDF is expiring and now polluting. John Fru Ndi has had his own share of glories, victories, and strength. John Fru Ndi is falling though resistive. We cannot still be practicing post-colonial politics in an age of globalization. I suggest SDF could quickly roll out robust communications strategies to grasp the concerns of the masses via social and traditional media, shrug off its “national convention” strategy, adopt a new and efficient political strategy, quickly form a vibrant political coalition, elect a new coalition leader, and raise necessary funds to support a stronger presidential bid for the opposition in Cameroon.

Therefore, vote CPDM. SDF has failed you. If they cannot organize a political coalition now, please do not waste your time voting them.

By Tapang Ivo Tanku For BaretaNews.

BaretaNews Statement:

We of BaretaNews thinks Tapang Ivo is politically confused. As an activist and one with a heavy voice, there should be a line where once everyone reads you, they should be able to fall back to that line. That line according to the advocacy Tapang’s has been churning out is a Cameroon without Biya because the continuation of CPDM is as bad as bad news. Cameroonians should be able to fall back to that line every time they read Tapang’s post on political issues most especially on the political future the country should take. BaretaNews agrees with the facts Tapang stated in his analysis but to call on Cameroonians to vote for the CPDM with Biya most especially at the helm is a no go area. It is the height of political bad faith after 34 years under the evil realm of Paul Biya. BaretaNews expected Tapang Ivo and any other activists to push the opposition to work, to push them to form a common bond, constructive criticisms as Tapang is currently doing does not mean after criticizing the opposition, you then turn around to ask Cameroonians to vote for the CDPM whose leader we already know. Constructive criticisms mean, though talking against the opposition, it is an opportunity to push them to work knowing very well that you will stand with them no matter what. We of this platform believe and holds the opinion that the SDF and any other opposition coalition are 100 percent better than the CPDM and it is still time Cameroonians make that political choice to stay away from anything CPDM.

God is still saying something.