Review of The Guardian Post Magazine on 40 years of CPDM.

It also lays bare the hiccups and the setbacks that adulterate what would have the immaculate gains of the party in the power game in Cameroon’s soapbox terrain.

For one thing, the content of the magazine is populated by the pregnant pith of weighty write-ups that narrate the undulating saga of the CPDM from the time that it was sired in 1985 in Bamenda through circumstantial metamorphosis from the Cameroon National Union, CNU, up to this moment. The writers probe into the issues with eloquence and the assiduity of the journalistic monks that they are. The cover story titled: “Counting the gains of the CPDM at 40”, stands towering in its glittering seduction on the front page. Printed in colour, The Guardian Post Magazine is arresting in its beauty and stands out of the madding crowd as a quintessence of breezy prose and masterful packaging. It showcases the professional solidity of its menu by going the whole gamut of the party’s socio-economic, political and cultural report card in 40 years.

In an editorial titled: “CPDM: Strength of formidable leadership”, the Publisher cum Editor-In-Chief of the Magazine, Christian Ngah, portrays the CPDM Chair, President Paul Biya, as a veritable workhouse blessed with the savvy to weather the storms on the saddle even when the odds are extremely high. The editorial beats the tambourines for a man whose long tenure at the helm of the party for more than 40 years has shaped the destiny of the nation for ill or for good in many respects.

“Counting the gains of the CPDM at 40”, is the cover story that is penned down with journalistic orthodoxy that has a fine eye for detail. The Guardian Post Magazine is a treasure trove of the good, the bad and the ugly of the CPDM in 40 years. It lauds the party’s inclusive policy, noting that women, youth and people with disabilities have their place in the political movement. The Magazine is beautified with telling pictures that capture some of the eventful and phenomenal moments in the party.

The Magazine is also a platform on which various actors have expressed their opinions about the achievements of the CPDM in 40 years. Small wonder that part of the document is held in thrall by an overflow of panegyrics that flood out from motions of support to the party and its chair. Some of the captivating headlines include: The battle to eternalize Biya’s leadership, Biya’s resilient leadership at the helm of the CPDM, Nexus of leveraging popularity to ensure loyalty and when compensation attracts more supporters among others. 

It also portrays the CPDM as a party that draws its strength from political alliances while fostering national unity and living together. The party’s continuous dominance in Parliament has been attributed to its unmatched ability to mobilize and charm the masses and even beckon them aboard the mass movement of their political machine.

In order to add corpus to this assertion, the Secretary General of the party, Jean Nkuete, states in an interview published on pages 28, 29 and 30 of the magazine that the “CPDM is a party of action, not agitation”.

In all juxtaposition and fairness, the magazine equally publishes the critical opinions of some people who come down hard on the CPDM, accusing the party of having brought only suffering and misery to Cameroonians in 40 years. While many other critics say the party has achieved nothing in 40 years, others say the only standout achievement is football. 

Many of those who are interviewed in The Magazine give a pass mark on the gains the party has made in four long decades. The rainbow of opinions that comes from people of different political proclivities and socio-political provenance, give an objective balance sheet of the party in 40 years. They dutifully populate the last part of the magazine before creating space for the Director General of Treasury, Financial and Monetary Cooperation, Moh Sylvester Tangongho, to throw light on Cameroon’s debt situation in an exclusive interview. 

By Yerima Kini Nsom: He is the Publisher Delegate of The Post Newspaper 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3489 of Monday June 30, 2025