Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla: Light That Chases Away Darkness

According to Edith Wharton, “There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.” Bahnkom Dinga Raymond Gwanyalla, CPDM Mayor for Bali Council is variously considered as the lighted candle that has been placed on the mountain top in the Bali Municipality to chase away the darkness of underdevelopment.  He is also the mirror that reflects the light of the Bali people as he is a perfect example of the virtues that incarnate the Bali people. This is so because like Conficius, Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla believes that humility is the solid foundation of all virtues. He is a development propeller who has only the interest of the population at heart and is ready to shine the light where there is darkness in order to lead his people out of underdevelopment. And his greatest pleasure and satisfaction is not to stand on roof tops and shout about his achievements but to remain quiet and savour in the happiness of his people who are beneficiaries of his exemplary leadership qualities. This very intelligent and soft-spoken mayor believes in action and not in words.

Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla: The Manly Able Abbot

Bahnkom Dinga Raymond Gwanyalla, the iconic societal luminary who has today been conferred just all positive human attributes hails from Bali subdivision of the North West Region. He was born to a father who was a court clerk and a housewife mother. Bahnkom Gwanyalla was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, yet he was not equally born into abject poverty as most of his peers. His parents being proactive people who understood the importance of education enrolled him early in Primary School in Momo Division in 1964. He later moved to P.S Azire where he obtained his FSLC in flying colours and got admitted into CPC Bali. After CPC Bali, Bahnkom Gwanyalla was recruited into the custom’s profession as a clerk. Even the money he was earning as a custom clerk which by all standards was good could not quench his insatiable thirst for further education. He then moved out of Cameroon to Sierra Leone where he enrolled in the University of Furrabe. After graduation, Bahnkom Gwanyalla being a patriot refused all work positions abroad and returned to Cameroon. Back home he decided to fine-tune his knowledge of customs. He entered the Advanced School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM in 1972 where he graduated as Custom Inspector.

Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla: The Exemplary Civil Servant

There are certain professions that are almost always considered as avenues of corrupt practices the world over. The custom’s department where Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla served all his life is one of those professions. But there is always an exception to every rule. There are exemplary custom officers who are not only transparent in all their dealings but equally anathema to corruption. If Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla is considered a role model today it is because of his clean and sparkling shinning billboard that he left behind in the customs department. In fact he is one of those that left an indelible mark of financial propriety in the customs department. Proof of this is that he started as a customs clerk and because of his hard work and commitment; he gradually rose through all the rungs of the professional ladder to the coveted and prestigious position of Director of Customs. His appointment by the powers that be was in recognition of his contribution to the growth of the customs department and the economy of Cameroon through revenue collection and the stamping out of corruption. As a civil servant, Bahnkom Gwanyalla executed his duties with patriotism and loyalty, reason he is often considered as those who have contributed enormously to the development of Cameroon. It is for this reason that retired but not tired, Bahnkom Gwanyalla is still helping the state through his consultancy firm that ensures that the rules governing the clearance of goods from the ports are scrupulously respected.

Bahnkom Raymaond Gwanyalla: The Biya Loyalist

Aristotle said that man is a political being. Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla is a politician unlike other politicians. The difference is that Bahnkom Gwanyalla is a realist. He is a refined strategist and a politician that believes in the politics of inclusion void of bitterness and rancor. His approach to politics has attracted even his political adversaries who see in him somebody who is in politics not for his personal self aggrandizement but for the interest of the population. Bahnkom is a soft spoken politician that uses his convincing arguments to win over people to the ruling CPDM party where he is a front line militant. He has always supported the ideology of the CPDM party and is ever ready to contribute enormous moral and financial resources to foster the implementation of that ideology. A President Paul Biya’s loyalist of the first order, Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla does all in his powers to support the ideals of the New Deal government. He has always told his people of Bali that the CPDM is a large enough umbrella to shelter everybody and there was no need for some of his people to keep on standing under the rain of the opposition. He has converted many militants from the opposition into the CPDM through his practical politics of development and not sterile promises. But above all, Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla does not bear political grudges for he believes fervently that politics is a game of numbers and a clash of ideas and not persons. To him you never say never in politics because your political enemy today can become your political allay tomorrow. This is why he practices politics with a human face.

Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla has often told his Bali people that President Paul Biya is a father who never forgets his children. He has always pleaded with them to intensify their militancy in the CPDM and double their support for President Paul Biya who incarnates the bright future for Cameroon. This is why when President Paul Biya appointed H.E Doh Jerome Penbaga as Secretary of State for Penitentiary Administration in the Ministry of Justice, the entire population of Bali rose like one man to thank the Head of State for appointing one of theirs. Bahnkom Gwanyalla was one of those who were highly elated by the appointment.

Banhkom Raymond Gwanyalla: The Development Luminary

The Bali Municipality has grown in leaps and bounds under Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla as mayor. This is because Bahnkom Gwanyalla is a development propeller who has a vision. The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. He knows what the people want and need and knows how to get it for them. Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla is an organised person who knows the virtues of timing in every project. He knows that you cannot do everything at once but you can do certain things at once, reason he has over the year’s prioritised his projects and realized them in record time. When he took over the helm of the Bali Council, there was no befitting council hall. He took the bull by the horn and coveted credits from FEICOM to construct a befitting council hall that is now considered as the pride of the Bali Municipality. Bahnkom Gwanyalla the mayor knows that where a road passes, development follows. As mayors he has graded roads and opened up new ones. He has brought electricity to Bali centre and extended it to many quarters and villages of the municipality. Another very important achievement of Mayor Gwanyalla is the building of stand taps in the Bali municipality to permit those that do not have water in their houses to be able to have water just a few walks from their homes. This too was made possible by FEICOM and a Spanish NGO that aided the Bali Municipality to build a water tank at Jam-Jam to augment and ensure constant water supply to the population. There are also the PNDP projects that are going on in the Bali Municipality. Upon completion Bali will become the new Eldorado of the North West Region, thanks to the proactive and visionary Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla.

The Bali market today is of modern standards thanks to the assistance Bahnkom Gwanyalla got from FEICOM to build the market. Before he solicited assistance from FEICOM, the Bali market was an eye sore as it had dilapidated. It was completed last year and has boosted the economic power of the population as they now have modern stalls to exhibit and sell their agricultural produce. With the construction of the market and the rehabilitation of the Bamenda-Bali- Batibo road with imminent terminal in Nigeria, Bahnkom Gwanyalla already has plans of sponsoring Bali economic operators to trade in foodstuffs with Nigeria.

Another positive point militating in favour of Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla is his sense of leadership. He believes like Theodore Roosevelt that ‘The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it”. In his council administration he delegates power, unlike most mayors who control everything and cause friction between workers. Bahnkom Gwanyalla does not have subordinates because he believes everybody is a collaborator in the collective drive towards development. And like Ralph Nader who said “I start with the premise that the function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.” Bahnkom Gwanyalla knows that he will not be there forever, so he has been delegating his powers as a means of grooming more leaders that will continue the fight for the development of Bali.

Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla: The Traditionalist And Philanthropist

If there is one particular special mark about Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla, it is his firm attachment to his cultural and tradition roots. He has been knighted by the Fon and he is one of the strongest pillars of the Bali tradition. Bahnkom is always there to give the fon a helping hand in all traditional endeavours. But unlike most people, who are knighted, Bahnkom Gwanyalla thinks every appointment or recognition is a call to serve the people. For this reason he remains extremely humble and available to listen to the problems of the people and provide solutions in areas where he can. Bahnkom Gwanyalla believes that humility is the only true wisdom by which we prepare our minds for all the possible changes in life. A down to earth man, he is always with the youths and the down trodden, advising the youths to dare in lucrative businesses for according to him no venture no gain. Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla is an epitome of hope as he believes in General Colin Powel who stated that, “Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers, who can cut through argument, debate, and doubt to offer a solution everybody can understand”.

But above all, Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla’s billboard has attracted recognition. His name is already a household name in Cameroon and his exemplary performance at the helm of Bali Council attracted the attention of readers of the authoritative English Language tabloid, The Guardian Post Newspaper that crowned him as the 2011 Best Mayor of the Year. It is on record that Bahnkom Raymond Gwanyalla’s generosity knows no bounds. He has been assisting people directly and indirectly without any discrimination. He enjoys sharing in the joys and sorrows of others, because according to him life is too short to fleet over problems and bear grudges. He is ever ready to share whatever God has blessed him with others.