Meme I A CPDM breaks party card sales record

Though the results of the twin elections of September 30th, 2013 saw the CPDM struggling to catch up with the frontline opposition party the SDF, there are indications that the CPDM still have a say in Meme.

With the lone parliamentary seat of the Kumba Urban constituency won by the SDF, and the Kumba I and III Councils having a relative majority in favour of the SDF while an absolute majority in Kumba II, Meme IA, under the leadership of Prince Ekale Mukete, the section President is making its footprints seen.

The sales of party cards by the Central Committee of the party throughout the national territory to identify its militants have been ongoing since November 14th, 2014. This came to an end on February 7th, 2015. The statistics however showed that while Meme IA has taken the lead in terms of militancy, Meme IB in Fiango, the SDF strong hold and Meme IC in Mambanda are still hunting for militants to no avail.

According to the section President, Prince Ekale Mukete, during an enlarged meeting that brought together all the militants and sympathisers of the about eight subsections that make up Meme IA, of Kumba I Sub-Division at the Kumba town party secretariat recently, it came to light that about 6,000 cards were received from the central committee.

With this number, the section settled to work in all transparency with the sales point at the party secretariat. Prince Ekale hinted that, about 2,500 cards have been sold, recording over 45%.

To the section president of Meme IA, two special promoters of the section, Prince Mukete Ebako Collins and the Mukete Estate boosted the sales with FCFA 2 million, while annual dues for CPDM wing for about 800 cards were sold amounting to little over FCFA 1.9million and the annual dues for the women and youth, about 800 cards were sold to a tune of FCFA 2 million.

The Section President while receiving a standing ovation from the about 2,000 militants that attended the meeting, disclosed that despite this resounding success in the sale of the cards, certain considerations couldn’t go unnoticed. He observed that the response and enthusiasm for the acquisition of adhesion cards and fully paid up annual dues has been a mitigated one.

Many CPDM militants of modest means he opined found the disbursement of FCFA 4,500 to cover 4 years annual dues to be too expensive and are reluctant to do so.

He outlined that disbursing the FCFA 2,500 was also a factor of discussion for many youths who wished to become card-carrying members of the party and that the percentage of Meme IA section militants who have registered so far is relative to those who cast their votes for the CPDM in Kumba I Council list.

While Meme IA is reported to have recorded the highest in the Kumba Urban Constituency, Meme IB in Fiango happens to be the least. Considered as the heart beat of the SDF in Kumba, the section president Mbachu Jacob Kay maintains that he has had a sigh of relief.

According to the President, his section however received about 10,000 cards in all the categories but was able to sell just a little over 1,300. He acknowledged the fact that the section has about 2,500 militants taking into consideration the results of the last elections.

Most party militants and sympathisers of Meme IB, during their last evaluation meeting at Fiango held that the dismal performance recorded in the sales of the cards was due to financial difficulties. Most of the militants agreed that they are unemployed.

The alleged hiring of SDF militants by some CPDM big wig militants of Meme IC, to purchase party cards in readiness for the yet to be announced reorganization of basic organs of the party, is still talking point in the section.

All section presidents of the three wings of the party, Comrade Mukwelle Isaac, Rose Masama and Dr Ebongo Zaches Nanje of the CPDM, WCPDM and YCPDM respectively are reported to have, hand in glove, pushed the sales of the party cards to a greater proportion.