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The platform STAND UP FOR CAMEROON has expressed gratitude to Cameroonians for a responsible boycott of Sunday February 9th polls in Cameroon.
The platform made of political parties, civil society groups, individuals and associations says Cameroonians judging from the present trend of things opted not to vote. This led to an unofficial participation rate of less than 30%.
The platform says three principal reasons accounted for the low participation rate, one of which is decades of fake promises from the regime to Cameroonians.
According to Edith Kah Wallah, leader of STAND UP FOR CAMEROON, Cameroonians are today overwhelmed by millions of unfulfilled promises made by the regime of president Paul Biya for 38 years.
In a press conference Friday February 14th 2020 in Douala, STAND UP FOR CAMEROON said shortage in electricity, water and rising prices of basic necessities that have amounted to high cost of living have made Cameroonians lose confidence in voting.
To Kah Wallah, Cameroonians know that voting cannot change the system and therefore decided to boycott.
Secondly, the platform prides itself that Cameroonians mainly listened and respected its call to boycott the polls. Besides calling on Cameroonians not to vote, STAND UP FOR CAMEROON carried out a peaceful demonstration in Yaounde on the 7th of February calling for a boycott.
To the platform, the war in the anglophone regions of Cameroon is a key factor that influenced the massive election boycott.
With over three thousand killed, over six hundred thousand displaced and thousands of children deprived of formal education in the North West and South West regions, Cameroonians thought there was no reason to participate in an election organised by a failed government using an unfavourable electoral code that guarantees just the victory of the CPDM party.
As a solution, STAND UP FOR CAMEROON is calling for a political transition with the regime of Paul Biya kept aside. For the platform, Cameroonians should take their destiny in their hands. They believe that it is only a transitional government that can organise sincere dialogue.
While pressing for all these, they call on Cameroonians to wear black every Friday as part of the advocacy.
The movement’s appreciation of those that boycotted the election comes after a similar move by MRC leader, Maurice Kamto who had also called for a boycott of the process.
Mimi Mefo Info
