“After due consideration, I have decided to resign from the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM party”. An opening statement by Celestine Djamen, hitherto national secretary in charge of human rights for the CRM party.
In a press conference in Douala Monday, December 14th, 2020, the politician quits the Cameroon Renaissance Movement party after militating in the party for two years four months.
Stating reasons for his resignation, Celestine Djamen says “… I stand for a change of the regime through ballot boxes and not arms. That is how it’s done in a Republic. I disagree with the politics of absentia.” The one time militant of the SDF party fails to state clearly if the CRM party is seeking to get to power with the use of arms.
Celestine Djamen regrets that Prof. Maurice Kamto decided to let the party boycott the February 2020 municipal and legislative elections in Cameroon without consulting key members of the party. “Before Maurice Kamto announced that the party was boycotting the elections, we had done groundwork convincing Cameroonians to vote for the party. This is one of the key reasons why am quitting the party.”
“When someone joins politics late, it good to take time and learn and become mature. By learning, you correct mistakes of the past. I am not saying Prof. Maurice Kamto is a novice in politics,” Djamen added.
While pinpointing poor leadership and management of affairs at CRM party, Djamen says “…when we cannot manage a little COVID 19 funds, what more when an opportunity to manage billions will present itself?”.
Committing to the actions of the police in Cameroon, Celestine Djamen states categorically that he has all the reasons to criticize the police. “I was a victim of attempted assassination on the 26th of January 2019. I have all the reasons to criticize the police”. He recalls how he was shot in Douala while exercising his right as a citizen.
Celestine Djamen joined the Cameroon Renaissance Movement Party on the 9th of August 2018; that is less than two months before the 2018 presidential election in Cameroon. Earlier before joining the CRM party, he resigned from Social Democratic Front (SDF). On his departure from SDF, his former party comrades described him as “…a power-hungry politician” and not a committed militant.
Questioned if he will be moving to another political party notably the ruling Cameroon People Democratic Movement – CPDM, Djamen says “… it will be a betrayal to join another party. I will create a dynamic platform to seek the amelioration of the Republic of Cameroon”.
He is ready to accept any appointment by the government for him to serve the country.
Political commentators in Cameroon see a hidden romance between Djamen and the party in power.
Mbatho Ntan.