Press
Release
Shortlist of Nominees for Unique
Candidate for Anglophone for Presidency 2018
After launching online and offline
nominations for a unique candidate for an Anglophone for Presidency 2018 on
March 2016, and after the names of eight shortlisted candidates were published
in June 2016, by the campaigners for an Anglophone for Presidency 2018, led by
the Cameroon Journalists for Justice solutions and the Rule of Law, CJ4J, we
hereby bring to your attention the names of those who have successfully made it
to the ¼ finals.
While voting would intensify on social
media networks and other platforms so as to produce semi-finalist come March
2018 and eventually the finalist by May 2018, we urge voters and concerned
Cameroonians to continue to search deeper for a consensual candidate from
amongst the shortlist that would give the ruling oligarchy a run for their
money come October 2018 Presidential elections. It should be recalled that this
loose platform of like-minded individuals referred to as Cameroon Journalists
for Justice Solutions and the Rule of Law has since February been articulate on
the question of an Anglophone becoming Cameroon’s next President for reasons of
poetic justice, a balancing act, peace, unity and stability, fundamental
democratic principles, politics na njangi, the
commonwealth, operationalization of bilingualism and multiculturalism, and
above all, the dignity and respect of minorities.
The group functions with the
understanding that after 56 years of continues Francophone-inspired leadership
in Cameroon, and giving the prevailing circumstances, it is imperative all
hands be put on deck to see to it that Cameroon’s next President is a bona fide
Southern Cameroonian.
The collective fighting for an
Anglophone to be Cameroon’s next President has for the past two years been
seeking across-the-board nominations for a suitably qualified candidate for an
Anglophone for Presidency 2018.
The group insists on the fact that:
Nominators Must be Cameroonians of
voting age and whose names Must be on the voter roll.
Nominees Must be bona fide
Anglophones who apart from fulfilling the conditions outlined in our first ‘A
People’s Call for an Anglophone for Presidency 2018’ of February 10, 2016,
should have bona fides credentials that set them aside from
others.
Apart from being perfectly bilingual and
ready to protect and promote the bi-jurial, bi-educational and
bi-administrative nature of our country, the nominee should be open to
reintroducing the federal system of government in Cameroon as obtained after
independence.
To nominate any candidate, nominators
should also take into consideration the following criteria that make for a good
candidate for the country’s top job:
-Organizational Leadership: Given that
Presidents depend on a large team of advisers to help them make informed policy
decisions, nominators should take into consideration the nominee’s ability to
organize an effective team and then get as much as possible from the team.
Attention should be paid to the candidate’s ability to debate with his/her
advisers on the merits of a given decision taking into consideration the fact
that an important part of organizational leadership is the ability to minimize
the tendency of subordinates to tell their boss what they sense s/he wants to
hear, as obtains now in Cameroon.
-Knowledge about contemporary
issues: The
nominee should be someone who is knowledgeable about the issues of the day and
be capable of discussing them freely with the local media and the public. Note
should be taken to the fact that the more informed a candidate is on the
issues, the more detailed he/she can be in policy prescriptions.
-Personal Character: Given the
critical nature of the Anglophone public and given that generally, voters would
look beyond the issues into the personal character of the presidential
candidate, nominators should do us a better job of nominating only people who
are generally perceived by the public to be honest and trustworthy, even as we
know that ‘there is no art to find the mind’s construct in the face’.
-Respect for constitution: Given the
colossal torments our organic law or constitution has undergone in recent years
as it has been severally changed and revised in much the same way school text
books have been, nominators should look out for a candidate who demonstrates
evidence for the respect of our fundamental laws. The next President of Cameroon
MUST be someone who is knowledgeable on the legal boundaries of executive
powers and a history of applying the constitution to every piece of legislation
and policy question.
-Flexible Mind: A 21st
century president who is ready to lead Cameroon into emergence earlier than
2035, would be like a hedgehog, grappling with a lot of different issues
simultaneously-ranging from unplanned crisis events through domestic to foreign
issues. Flexibility is an asset here given that the president will be making important
decisions on many very different issues on a daily basis.
Over and above these considerations, you
should strive to nominate candidates who care about the needs of people like
you, and who do not change their positions on issues for political reasons.
At this stage of the nomination process,
party affiliation does not count as we are working toward a coalition
candidate.
All eligible nominees are posted on the
nomination gallery where YOU will be able to endorse the candidate you will
support. Nominees will be evaluated by our panel of judges and the shortlisted
candidates would be announced by March 30, 2018. All shortlisted candidates
will receive widespread visibility through our social media channels before the
last round of online and offline voting for the unique Anglophone candidate for
Presidency 2018 commences on May 14, 2018.
Here with the ¼ Finals Shortlist:
1] Kah Walla
2] Osih Joshua
3] Akere Muna
4] Moki
Colbert Gwain
For Campaigners for Anglophone 4
Presidency 18
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
