Within the presidency of the Republic, some staff belonging to the greater Northern Province wanted Nguelemedouga to be posted to the coastal part of the Anglophone region, otherwise known as the South west province, while staff of North West extraction working at the same presidency, wanted Nguelemedouga to be transferred to their province, whereas those of the South west province, who were manning Prime ministry, a ceremonial but prestigious post, that was converted by people of the greater North and North west provinces, wanted Nguelemedouga to be promoted, but that, he should remain in the Sanaga Maritime division. Political elites of the South west province working at the presidency of the Republic never wanted Nguelemedouga to be posted to the North West or South West provinces. Why? Simply because, if he were transferred to the former, he might manoeuvre and make the province come under the influence of the ruling party and the South west province, will loose post of prime minister. They also never wanted him in their province because, since Nguelemedouga was a follower of political balancing act, he might allow some host elections to be organised and in that case, the opposition SDF might emerge as the official second strongest party in the province. Besides top civil servants of North West extraction who wanted Nguelemedouga to be posted to their province in order for him to repeat his electoral cheating feat, a prospect that will make them gain some ruling party MPs in a province that was dominated by the opposition SDF, no other groups of elites, representing the 10 province of Cameroon, working at the presidency of the Republic wanted Nguelemedouga in their region.
Nguelemedouga was too brilliant and unpredictable, and had caught and won the esteem of the head of state. He was no longer the darling of the ruling party cadres, he was now an enemy and his enemies prayed that, he should commit an error. And it was not long for the prayers of the enemies of Nguelemedouga to materialise and make them celebrate. For brilliant Nguelemedouga had a short fall, it was his insatiable love for women. Just as he dramatically fell in love Couseri with Fatima and accepted to make the region to become a sharia-land, all in a bid to save his life, in Nyanon, when he was on the high way to get what he was denied by administrators of his school because of a girl, he has again fallen in love. This time around, it was with the wife of the head master of the primary school that, he oversaw the construction. Nguelemedouga was an ambulating dead man and since a dead person is never afraid of his grave, he rode straight into it. In a small village such as Nyanon, news move around with the speed of light. When the Mr Ndoumatona, the primary school head master of Government Primary School Nyanon learnt that, his wife was flirting around with Nguelemedouga, he swore all the gods on earth that, he will see the back of the insolent and indolent sub district officer. He said: Nguelemedouga was Goliath and he was David. Mr Ndoumatona was so crossed that, he started walking and talking alone as though he was mad.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Nyanon and her illiterate voters
Cappolytree was furious with Nguelemedouga’s method, but he choose not to complains, because in spite the fact that, he had given the sub district officer CFA Franc 2 million, he had no power over him and Nguelemedouga was still a threat to his ambitions. Nyanon sub district is part of the Ndom sub division in the Sanaga Maritime division of the Littoral province in French-speaking Cameroon. The Sanaga Maritime division is part of greater Bassaland and Bassaland, had one of the highest percentages of educated people in French-speaking Cameroon. The only other part of French-speaking Cameroon with high number of educated people was the Betiland. But Nyanon was different, she was a locality most affected by rural exodus and had large number of under age children who were not qualified to vote. Nyanon also had large number old men and women, who could not read or write and spoke only the Bassa language. This therefore made elections in Nyanon sub district, whose headquarters bore the same name, peculiar. Voting Nyanon like in other rural parts of the country, with the same problems was complicated. Hence and Nyanon and other rural parts of the country are authorised to carry out in two or three methods of voting. Those who could read had to cast their ballots using the standard secret voting system. While those who were sick or could not read, gave an official order to some one, in his or her family, who was a major, to go and vote on his/her behalf.
The problem with this second system was that, it was difficult to know whether the person voting on behalf of the one who could not, truly respected the wishes of the one he/she was representing. Voting by proxy was therefore a passport for vote rigging. Nguelemedouga sensing that, the second method could open the floodgate of challenges of the official results, decide that, those who could not read or write, would vote in selected classrooms of the new primary and secondary schools, which were opened immediately after he was installed as the administrator of the new sub district. Representatives of the different political parties, taking part in the elections had to present themselves or stand in front of selected classes. The sub district officer, will call the names of parties they represented. And will shout: all those who want to vote for this party should indicate by rising up their right hands. He will count the hands raised and note down the number of raised hands, for each party and ask his assistant to write it on the blackboard, using a chalk. This procedure was done in the presence of all political parties. When the atypical voting of the illiterate voters was completed, Nguelemedouga left to his office with the official result, but changed them and waited for the votes cast in the standard secret ballots to be announced.
When the results of the elections were announced, it was discovered that, the representative of the UPC was not really leading Cappolytree with a wide margin and there was no doubt that, the combined votes of the illiterates and the standard votes, will be in favour of Cappolytree. Why? Simply because, Nguelemedouga knew that, those who voted in the open classrooms never really cared to contest their votes or do forget fast. In Nyanon, Nguelemedouga reinvented and perfected electoral cheating; taking it to a level that made him to become the darling of the government. Cappolyree’s victory was not only surprising to Cappolytree himself, but to the entire members of the ruling party. It was the first time that, the ruling party’s victory in an elections was accepted in Bassaland without any challenges from the opposition. But this happened because of the insidious smear campaigns carried out by Nguelemedouga against Malate, the candidate of one of the three factions of the UPC in Nyanon. The news of the way elections were organised in Nyanon reach Yaoundé and Nguelemedouga was personally short-listed by the head of the state for promotion as divisional officer, thus, ready for transfer to the unpredictable Anglophone region. But it was not clear whether he will be posted to the coastal or hinterland parts of the Anglophone region.
The problem with this second system was that, it was difficult to know whether the person voting on behalf of the one who could not, truly respected the wishes of the one he/she was representing. Voting by proxy was therefore a passport for vote rigging. Nguelemedouga sensing that, the second method could open the floodgate of challenges of the official results, decide that, those who could not read or write, would vote in selected classrooms of the new primary and secondary schools, which were opened immediately after he was installed as the administrator of the new sub district. Representatives of the different political parties, taking part in the elections had to present themselves or stand in front of selected classes. The sub district officer, will call the names of parties they represented. And will shout: all those who want to vote for this party should indicate by rising up their right hands. He will count the hands raised and note down the number of raised hands, for each party and ask his assistant to write it on the blackboard, using a chalk. This procedure was done in the presence of all political parties. When the atypical voting of the illiterate voters was completed, Nguelemedouga left to his office with the official result, but changed them and waited for the votes cast in the standard secret ballots to be announced.
When the results of the elections were announced, it was discovered that, the representative of the UPC was not really leading Cappolytree with a wide margin and there was no doubt that, the combined votes of the illiterates and the standard votes, will be in favour of Cappolytree. Why? Simply because, Nguelemedouga knew that, those who voted in the open classrooms never really cared to contest their votes or do forget fast. In Nyanon, Nguelemedouga reinvented and perfected electoral cheating; taking it to a level that made him to become the darling of the government. Cappolyree’s victory was not only surprising to Cappolytree himself, but to the entire members of the ruling party. It was the first time that, the ruling party’s victory in an elections was accepted in Bassaland without any challenges from the opposition. But this happened because of the insidious smear campaigns carried out by Nguelemedouga against Malate, the candidate of one of the three factions of the UPC in Nyanon. The news of the way elections were organised in Nyanon reach Yaoundé and Nguelemedouga was personally short-listed by the head of the state for promotion as divisional officer, thus, ready for transfer to the unpredictable Anglophone region. But it was not clear whether he will be posted to the coastal or hinterland parts of the Anglophone region.
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