CAMEROON: CPDM SECRETARY GENERAL ON CURRENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 YAOUNDE 000024

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/C

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2019
TAGS: ECON PGOV PHUM CM
SUBJECT: CAMEROON: CPDM SECRETARY GENERAL ON CURRENT
POLITICS

REF: YAOUNDE 1257

Classified By: Pol/Econ Chief Scott Ticknor for reasons 1.4 (d) and (e)


1. (C) On January 8, Ambassador hosted a lunch for Rene
Sadi, Secretary General of the ruling Cameroon People's
Democratic Movement (CPDM) party and Deputy Secretary General
of the Presidency. Sadi thought the newly created Electoral
Commission (ELECAM) could function independently, contrary to
critics who view it as inherently biased toward the CPDM. He
said he didn't know whether President Paul Biya would run in
2011 but affirmed that the party would hold a long-awaited
Congress in 2009 and proclaimed optimism about the future.
Sadi saw the need for a greater public sector role in the
economy and regretted what he saw as the potential
instability inherent in Cameroon's democratic opening. End
summary.

Background
--------------


2. (U) As reported reftel, on December 30, President Biya
created a new Electoral Commission, Elections Cameroon or
ELECAM. Required under a 2006 law, ELECAM's creation had
been postponed for six months ostensibly because the
President was still fine-tuning the list of names to head the
organization. The recently-announced names for the 14-member
Commission have sparked widespread media criticism because at
least nine of them have strong CPDM credentials and are
judged by many to be partisan. Post will provide more
analysis of ELECAM and the public reaction septel.

Sadi on ELECAM
--------------


3. (C) Ambassador told Secretary General Sadi that she had
some concerns about ELECAM. Sadi said Biya had created it
because of pressure from the international community. In
selecting members, Biya was very concerned about stability
and wanted to ensure that elections did not become a source
of instability. Biya's careful choice of members reflected
a premium on competence, given the complexity of organizing
an election. Too many people in Cameroon were only after
power and wanted to use official positions to get wealthy,
Sadi said, adding that Cameroon was fortunate that Biya (like
Ahidjo before him) was above this and had the nation at
heart.


4. (C) The President acted within the law, which requires
only that ELECAM members be people of integrity, Cameroonian,
and impartial. There is nothing to preclude party members,
he asserted Sadi affirmed that "every person is born
neutral" and that the new ELECAM members can be impartial, as
evidenced by their resignation from the CPDM after being
named to the electoral body. ELECAM's predecessor, ONEL,
had often ruled against the CPDM and he was confident ELECAM
members would be free to make decisions that go against the
interests of the ruling party. Comment: the 2006 law clearly
precludes members of a political party from being members of
ELECAM. The argument of Sadi and other senior CPDM officials
has been that they are within the letter of the law because
the individuals named by the President are resigning their
party positions before ELECAM is officially sworn in.
However, this legal issue is being hotly debated in the
media, with many commentators insisting that the ELECAM
nominations at least violate the spirit of the law and are
possibly illegal because the December 30 decree is seen to
have the power of law in establishing the nominees as
official members of ELECAM. End comment.


5. (C) Sadi said he would have opposed inclusion in ELECAM
of opposition or civil society members he deemed evidently
biased against Biya, such as Cardinal Christian Tumi.
Ambassador asked why the current roster of former CPDM
officials should not be criticized using the same logic. He
reiterated that ELECAM members were chosen for their
competence. Pol/Econ Chief noted the significant criticism
of ELECAM in the media and among prominent intellectuals and
questioned whether ELECAM could function if it is not seen as
credible. Sadi responded that those who are voicing
opposition are always opposed to the President and do not
reflect the broader views of the country.


6. (C) Sadi thought ELECAM would likely take over the ONEL
infrastructure and much of its staff but he conceded that
running elections is difficult and ELECAM would need a budget
(which it does not yet have). When asked if Biya would be
the party's candidate, he said "only Biya knows."


YAOUNDE 00000024 002 OF 002


The Party
--------------


7. (C) Sadi described the CPDM as "liberal" and inclusive,
saying that Cameroonian democracy begins from within the
party. He acknowledged occasional tensions between senior
officials in Yaounde and local officials and between younger
and older party members, but affirmed that he considered all
members of the party "militants". The party would hold a
Congress (the first in 12 years) some time in 2009, aiming to
help mobilize the party base, fill vacant party positions,
and replace poor performers, Sadi said.

The Economy
--------------


8. (C) Said talked at length about the need to improve
Cameroon's economy, conceding a certain level of discontent
and poverty in the country. He saw this as the product of
the country's misuse of its petrodollars in the 1980s and the
resultant need for sacrifices during a long IMF-led
structural adjustment in the 1990s. While perhaps necessary,
the IMF program pinched jobs, cut public sector salaries and
economic growth and (ironically he thought) created more
incentives for corruption. He hoped this could be remedied
by more appropriate professional training at universities and
a greater public sector role in the economy. He criticized
public procurement procedures for encouraging corruption,
stating that he favored having the President directly select
contractors for major projects. The global financial crisis
(which he saw as being transmitted from the North to the
South) would hurt foreign investments in and exports from
Cameroon.

Optimistic Future
--------------


9. (C) Sadi was optimistic about Cameroon's future, stating
several times he expected major positive changes in the
coming year. He praised Biya's ability to maneuver through
past challenges. At one point he lamented as "unfortunate"
Cameroon's democratic opening in the 1990s, conceding that
democracy was good in allowing an airing of views and a
diversity of input into policy debates, but the cost was a
greater risk of instability. When asked why Cameroon
remained so concerned about instability after decades of
stability and rule by President Biya, Sadi responded that 26
years was not a long period of time in a country's democratic
development and that the country still lacked a democratic
culture. Despite persistent concerns about stability, he
thought Cameroon was unlikely to see a repeat of the kind of
violence witnessed during the February 2007 riots.

Comment
--------------


10. (C) Sadi is an old school old-timer, having served as
Ahidjo's Chief of Staff and worked in Biya's Presidency for
the past 18 years. He is one of Biya's top diplomatic
advisors and is seen as a possible presidential successor,
although he was relatively obscure at the national level
until chosen to head the ruling party in 2007. Sadi's
economic views are not atypical for many Cameroonian elites,
although they reflect a poor understanding of Cameroon's
economic history and problems. While he professed to have an
intimate knowledge of Cameroonian political elite thinking,
he struck us as cut off from many of the realities of the
country as we see them. His loyalty to Biya and focus on
stability are typical of senior political figures. His
interpretation of the legality of ELECAM is at the least
highly debatable. While affable and well spoken, Sadi
doesn't hide a distaste for democracy and left us even more
skeptical about the credibility of ELECAM.











GARVEY