Dr. Wambang Alfred Flanked Among Others During Divisional Seminar.Dr. Wambang Nyamalum Alfred, an international expert in auditing, project and program evaluation, and public policy, led a security-focused seminar to help CPDM militants and electoral stakeholders in Mezam Division better understand and manage risks ahead of the legislative and municipal elections.
Dr. Wambang, who is Permanent Secretary of the Budget and Finance Disciplinary Board and President of the Presidential Campaign Team for Bali, presented “Security and the Electoral Environment: A Practical Framework for Mezam Division” during a CPDM seminar held in Bamenda and replicated at the section level in Mezam III, Bali.
The training focused on practical measures to identify, prevent, and manage security risks associated with political participation, particularly during the electoral period.
According to the seminar framework, political and electoral activity in Mezam takes place against the backdrop of the prolonged crisis in the Northwest Region, where risks include kidnapping, armed attacks, intimidation, extortion, movement restrictions, criminality, and misinformation.
Dr. Wambang Nyamalum Alfred, An International Auditing Expert.Dr. Wambang stressed the need for political actors to avoid both complacency and excessive fear, arguing that security awareness and preparedness should guide political participation.
The seminar identified kidnapping, targeted violence, movement-related incidents, disruption of political meetings, extortion, and misinformation as the major risks facing militants, candidates, voters, and electoral personnel.
Participants were encouraged to adopt five basic security habits: observe, assess, verify, report, and avoid unnecessary exposure.
The training also emphasized the importance of assessing security conditions before political meetings and other major activities, establishing emergency contacts, maintaining orderly access to venues, and ensuring that participants know what to do in an emergency.
Personal and digital security were also highlighted. Militants were advised against unnecessarily publicizing their movements, real-time locations, private contact details, meeting arrangements, or other sensitive information.
Cross Section of CPDM Militants During Mezam Divisional Seminar.The seminar further urged political actors to verify security-related information before sharing it, warning that misinformation can trigger panic, disrupt activities, and undermine public confidence.
Preparing for elections
With legislative and municipal elections approaching, the seminar called for security planning to begin well ahead of the campaign period.
The proposed framework covers campaign activities, candidate movements, political meetings, voter mobilization, electoral materials, polling-day activities, communication, incident reporting, and post-election operations.
Dr. Wambang's framework also calls for continuous risk assessment rather than permanently categorizing areas as simply “safe” or "unsafe." Security conditions, it argues, should be reassessed according to location, timing, recent incidents, and the nature of each planned activity.
The seminar also emphasized that electoral security should extend beyond party militants to voters, candidates, electoral officials, observers, journalists, community leaders, security personnel, and electoral materials.
Cross Section of CPDM Mezam Militants.Clear communication channels linking party structures, administrative authorities, security authorities, ELECAM, and community structures were recommended to ensure that verified information reaches the right people quickly.
Eight recommendations
The seminar proposed eight measures for CPDM structures in Mezam, including the creation of a political security coordination framework, designation of security and risk focal points, mandatory risk assessments for major activities, and regular security-awareness training.
It also recommended an election security preparedness plan, stronger coordination with public institutions and community leaders, an incident-reporting and lessons-learned system, and greater emphasis on peaceful and responsible political participation.
The overall message was that security should become part of routine political planning rather than a response made only after an incident occurs.
For Dr. Wambang Nyamalum Alfred, the objective is not to discourage political participation but to promote a more informed and responsible approach to political activity in a conflict-affected environment.
The seminar concluded that effective preparation can help protect militants and other electoral stakeholders while creating conditions for peaceful, lawful, and credible political participation in Mezam.
@Laarry Times
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