Candidate for President of the World Junior Chamber International He explains the contours of his candidacy
Roland Kwemain
You are a candidate for the presidency of the World Junior Chamber International. Can you tell us about this institution?
Junior Chamber International is a worldwide federation of young leaders and entrepreneurs aged 18 to 40 years. The ambition is to offer youth development opportunities to enable them to make positive changes in their respective communities. JCI is represented in 119 countries and localities in 6000. In Cameroon, the JCI is represented in 27 locations and nearly 850 members. JCI has 20 years of existence in Cameroon.
You already occupied very high positions within JCI. What motivated you to apply for the highest office of World President of Junior Chamber International?
Indeed in 2006, I was national president of JCI, and in 2007 was global vice president in 2008 I was chairman of the board for the development of Junior Chambers Africa and the Middle East and in 2009 I am Executive Vice President Global is to say No. 2 of the federation. In terms of my motivation, I must say that this is the Junior Chamber of Cameroon has decided to present my candidacy. Second, I have the support of Junior Chambers of Africa and the Middle East who thought it was time that a black son may also seek the highest office of our organization. Third, because I met all the conditions to be a candidate.
Campaign Slogan
First, I must clarify. I'm not the first African but I am the first black president could be the JCI World. Before me, there have been two African: a Mauritian and a Tunisian. So the reality is that many people want a black is elected president of the JCI World. Regarding the image of Africa as you mention, if I am elected, this will be an opportunity to demonstrate our leadership capacity. Remember that the Junior Chamber International is an organization that trains leaders and, in 64 years, we've had 64 presidents in the world. It is an organization where democratic values are very important. So it's important that we give the chance for a black to lead the organization. It will also help us develop. I think it is time to change and our organization advocating for change for 64 years but also the transformation of our societies and companies may soon be had to the organization also begins to change itself.
Have you an idea of your competitors and what your assets could be compared to them?
Maybe he would like me to explain what happens at the constitutional level. There are 119 national organizations and then 119 national presidents. Of the 119 national presidents, there are 17 vice presidents who become world next year. And of these 17, 4 become executive vice presidents in the following year. So, we are currently 4 Executive Vice Presidents and therefore 4 potential candidates for the presidency of the World Federation. I think strategically it is more interesting to analyze its strengths and weaknesses. When we want to focus too much on its competitors it can get lost but we have the best opportunities and advantages for power, on the evening of 20 November 2009 in Tunisia, we have the victory.
We saw the government including several ministers to rally around your application. How is this support materializes?
Already, perhaps he should explain why the government supports us. JCI Cameroon is governed by Presidential Decree 219/2003 which puts us under the Ministry of Commerce. So, we are an organization governed by a presidential decree. In 2006, the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Biya had cited the Junior Chamber as a model in his traditional speech on 10 February in the Cameroonian youth and we want to run for the highest office of an organization that has formed the largest world leadership, which has a partnership agreement since 1957 so for 52 years with the United Nations and is a global organization of 200,000 members in 119 countries and over a million alumni. It was natural that one can grasp the most highest authorities of the country and therefore the President of the Republic to inform him that we intend to run for the presidency of such a global organization and we need his blessing and support. We received 5 June 2009. This support is diplomatic. The candidate who speaks to you owns a diplomatic passport issued by the President of the Republic by the hands of the Minister of External Relations. For your information, I am not a Minister or member or diplomat but I'm holding a diplomatic passport. In addition, we have supporters accompanying the embassies of Cameroon, diplomatic representations. There are also strategic move that we can not reveal here. Second, the President of the Republic has instructed the Finance Minister and our Minister (Minister of Commerce, Editor's note) to implement all the means in order to accompany us. So there is a significant lobbying by the fact Minrex (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Editor's note) and all those who, near or far, can accompany us and make us realize this first attempt at coup.
What Cameroon can expect your election as President of JCI?
Already it would be a victory on the diplomatic front. Imagine that the world president visits from 70 to 80 out of 119 countries which are represented JCI. And every time he visits these countries, it is received by the highest authorities: heads of state, prime ministers, ministers, business as JCI has agreements with the International Chamber of Commerce, the Federation World Chambers of Commerce, UN officials ... I say it's a great platform for promoting the image of Cameroon. Remember that if I become world president, when I will receive will present Kwemain Roland. It a name that sounds a bit weird but also what will be remembered? He is from Cameroon. It will be Cameroon. Advertising of a country on major international media costs millions of dollars but I will do for free. I speak from Cameroon and who can speak better than Cameroon in Cameroon? Now, I challenge the business community and even the socio-political community that is able to accompany me to say, to put at my disposal, all the material that I can better sell my country and often do travel as expected in Tunisia where leaders from 4000 to 5000 and contractors worldwide. I am certainly an instrument of JCI as if I am elected world president, I will defend the interests of the Junior Chamber, but we will note that I am Cameroonian. So, in addition to a diplomatic victory, it will be an economic victory for Cameroon because, as I said, it has partnerships with the international federation of chambers of commerce where one is aware of trends in investment. So at this level, we speak of Cameroon and it may have information on Cameroon which will be disseminated to the employers, the Mecam, GICAM. I think it is for them to use me. In short, I am an instrument to serve my nation.
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