Actu 24
The CPDM that has been described as a cult by activist, Dr Ben Akih, functions through contributions imposed by the Central Committee on the eve of every tour by party bigwigs.
In the run-up to the visit by the party scribe, Jean Nkuéte, to the Centre Region, Actu 24 made public a leaked document containing the list of financial contributions imposed on local officials.
This practice, which is not new in the Cameroonian political landscape, nevertheless raises questions about the funding of political activities within the ruling party.
According to the document reviewed by the news organ, a true scale of contributions has been established, imposing amounts ranging from 100,000 to 1 million CFA francs on local officials:
Government members, the first vice-president of the National Assembly, the vice-president of the Senate, the parliamentary group president, the president of the Central Regional Council, state university rectors, state company directors, major economic operators, and the mayor of Yaoundé are each required to contribute 1 million CFA francs.
District mayors, university faculty deans, secretaries general, governors, special advisors to the presidency and the Prime Minister’s office, as well as deputies and senators, are solicited for 500,000 CFA francs.
Deputy city mayors and members of the Central Regional Council must contribute 200,000 CFA francs.
Deputy district mayors will contribute 100,000 CFA francs.
The document also specifies that other “voluntary contributions” are expected, without further details on who is concerned by this category.
Questions about partisan funding
This practice of fundraising for a political party’s activities, although common, raises several questions. First, about the mandatory nature of these contributions presented as requirements, and then about the final destination of these sums, which could represent several tens of millions of CFA francs.
But defending the practice, a CPDM official speaking on condition of anonymity is quoted as saying:
“Organizing a tour of this magnitude requires significant logistical means. These contributions allow the event to be funded without drawing from state coffers.”
Conversely, voices are raised to denounce what they consider an “organized extortion” of local elites. A political analyst in Yaoundé believes that “these forced contributions create financial pressure on local officials, sometimes inciting them to dubious practices to gather the requested sums.”
