By IPS Correspondents
YAOUNDE, Sep 27 2004 (IPS)

With the countdown to presidential elections in Cameroon gathering pace, it might be assumed that officials there are simply putting the finishing touches to polling systems and procedures. However, a fierce debate is underway about computerization of the voting process.

– We absolutely have to computerize if we want a transparent and credible election. If we can’t do that, then the election should be postponed in the interests of the country," says John Fru Ndi, head of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) – Cameroon’s main opposition party.

Failing this, Ndi threatens that the opposition will take matters into its own hands. ôWe’re going to prevent the election from taking place," he told IPS. ôWe will invade the streets to insure that the election will not occur." Voting is scheduled for Oct. 11.

The calls for computerization û notably, the creation of an electronic voters’ roll û follow allegations of foul play in previous elections. Since multi-party politics were reintroduced in Cameroon in 1991, the country has held two presidential polls û both of which were won by incumbent head of state Paul Biya.

International observers refused to give a clean bill of health to the polls, (Biya, who has been in power since 1982, will also contest next month’s vote). Opposition members have now put their faith in information technology (IT) as a way of minimizing electoral fraud in future polls.

ôThat’s the reason I suggested it at least five years ago. Only computerization can preserve the social peace and guarantee a transparent election," Garga Haman Adji, leader of the Alliance for Democracy and Development, told IPS.

His words are echoed by officials from the opposition Democratic Union of Cameroon (Union démocratique du Cameroun, UDC), who told IPS that voter lists ôare for the most part selective, and that they could ruin an opposition candidate’s chances for success."

Government is certainly making appropriate noises on the subject.

ôIt’s an issue of modernization. We are giving it great attention and we want everyone to participate…We’re seeking out expertise and skills by inviting others to a frank citizens’ exchange," Marafa Hamidou Yaya, the senior minister in charge of territorial administration and decentralization, said last month.

However, officials have also emphasised that computers will only be of use in the upcoming poll if government has been able to distribute identity cards which can be used in conjunction with the IT system. It appears that the administration has some way to go in this regard.

ôOur real problem is getting birth certificates and national identity cards," Gregoire Owona, the assistant secretary-general of the ruling Democratic Union of the Cameroonian People (Rassemblement démocratique du peuple camerounais, RDPC), told IPS.

ôComputerization needs to be seen as a catalyst for organisational change and not as some miracle cure…We are involved, but the process requires 16 million dollars that we don’t have, and no lender has come forward to help us," he added.

But, this statement has been queried by an official at the office of political affairs in the ministry of territorial administration who requested anonymity. According to this source, government has yet to present donors with a formal request for electoral IT funding.

Djeukam Tchameni, a computer scientist and president of the Movement for Democracy and Interdependence, disagrees that a computerized voting system is beyond the reach of Cameroon.

ôRegarding the October 11 election, computerization is possible. We’re talking about voter lists for a maximum of eight million voters. To my mind, we could computerize the voter lists and make them available to all Cameroonians," he notes, adding ôThe present problem is not about technical feasibility but instead the political will to clean up an environment susceptible to cheating."

But, even Tchameni admits that ôcomputerization alone cannot fix this problem. We mustn’t view computerization as some sort of magic wand."

Arlette Moukouri, a member of the Integrated Programme Against Poverty, a non- governmental organisation, agrees.

ôComputerization is no silver bullet," she told IPS. ôMost of the time, people are registered to vote selectively by commissions headed by the sub-prefect. That being the case, do you think computerization will have any effect?"

For several months now, calls for computerized voting have dominated street demonstrations held by the opposition.

This has come in the midst of an increasingly strained campaign that has already claimed the life of SDF official John Nkonteh û killed Aug. 20 in the north-western Balikumbat district.

A member of the RDPC, Doh Gah Gwanyin, is one of the principal suspects in the murder. Nkonteh was reportedly killed after complaining of irregularities in voter registration.

Disagreements over computerization may prove something of a moot point, however, in light of the persistant divisions within the opposition.

Earlier this month, Fru Ndi announced that he had parted ways with a coalition of opposition parties, in order to run for the presidency. This came after the coalition had chosen the UDC’s Adamou Ndam Njoya as its candidate for the poll.

Fru Ndi, who claims that he was cheated of the presidency in 1992, is reported as saying that Ndam Njoya’s selection had not been democratic. Observers have noted that these developments could prove fatal for the opposition, as parties need to present a united front if they hope to unseat Biya.

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