Newly Elected Mayors Swing to Action
By Jerry Sividzem in Bamenda
The recently installed Mayors of Bamenda II, III and Bali in Mezam division have already embarked on the task they were given to execute by the people last July 22, 2007. Going by the recent declarations, their municipalities will change for the good of their populations.
With Reverend Nyansako Ni-Nku, a Payer of Social Cohesion in Bali
Mr. Raymond Gwanyollah, Mayor of Bali council sees several challenges ahead. These challenges, he opines, are not insurmountable, as he will be equal to the task, especially also given that he is surrounded by self less tested citizens. Mr. Gwanyollah’s priority is social cohesion, reason why immediately after his installation, he took off for Bawock, whose Chief had boycotted the installation ceremony. To him, he has the healing balm to cool and do away with the wounds caused by the Bali-Bawock conflict. His second deputy, a son of Bawock, is his ally in that regard, he added.
Talking to the press a few days later, Mr. Gwanyollah sounded positive in his vision and mission for Bali. To him, his tenure will be better than the last SDF-controlled council, given that he stands to benefit more from the CPDM government and other personalities like George Gwanmesia, Prof. Doh, and H.R.H. the Fon of Bali. With the coming of the university, the new mayor holds that it is but logical that more streets be tarred in Bali.
It should be recalled that on the eve of the installation ceremony, the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church of Cameroon organized an ecumenical session in Bali. In his sermon, Rev. Nyansanko Ni-Nku called on all to shun evil and live together, while imploring the elite of Bali sub-division to help build bridges of peace. Like the new mayor, he condemned those writing inflammatory articles that ignite tension in the area.
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A Promise of Service in Bamenda III
For the Mayor of Bamenda III, Prince Pius Ngwa Amandou, he said the time has come for him to exhibit the knowledge and talent acquired in various schools in Nigeria and the U.S. The people of his municipality will now feel the presence of a council, as he will serve them unreservedly, given the caliber of councilors and other advisers and collaborators around him.
In Newly Created Bamenda II, SDO Will Provide Details
The Mayor of Bamenda II Council Mr. Fidelis Balick Awa vows that he is going to prioritize hygiene and sanitation, road infrastructure, as well as providing pipe-borne water to all the areas in his municipality. On what he will be doing with the CFA 30million the central government has put at his disposal, Mr. Fidelis Balick Awa indicated that it is a budgetary allocation that was given to all the newly created councils and when the councilors do meet, they will vote what this will be used for. He however directed The Frontier Telegraph to go and get details from the Senior Divisional Officer (SDO) of Mezam.
Elected officials not knowing or having any autonomy over the details in the running and financial management of their constituencies and being subjected to the dictates of unelected administrative officials is one of the perverse realities of the so-called democracy in Cameroon where representative democracy seem not exist. How an elected official who is unable to tell the people he ostensibly represents but defers to an unelected administrator for details can establish any policy priorities remains to be seen.
It should be recalled that against the law in the books, and the despite protests from opposition political parties, certain special constituencies were created by presidential decree prior to the July 22, 2007 elections. |
