Fru Ndi’s rival criticizes his New Year speech

Irrespective of declarations made by party hierarchy, once party structures, Cameroonians are not committed for change, the power hungry, lingering CPDM party will remain in power till kingdom come.

The SDF national Chair John Fru Ndi New Year speech to Cameroonians made in Bamenda 14 January 2016 failed to exploit contemporary situation alternative democratic means for taking over the leadership of Cameroon from the fumbling CPDM. Faced with the progress-inhibiting posture of the ruling CPDM of President Biya that has held hostage the SDF and other genuine opposition political parties for over 25years, the party hierarchy ought to as one of the first steps adequately gear party structures into the change file.

The wards, the electoral districts, divisions, regions, national executives … structures of the SDF party ought to be made to imbibe the imperative urgent rationale for change within the time frame that culminates to general elections. Militants in circumstances like ours in Cameroon have to know exactly the hurdles they have to grapple with to achieve succession as obtained in other democracies.

These lessons ought to be dished formally by party leadership which has able aid initiatives primarily from the different departments of the national executive committee (NEC) including the shadow cabinet of the party. But Fru Ndi speech was as plain as those we took off in the 1990s with when Cameroonians had not understood how entrenched and determined the CPDM tyranny was and still is.

Fru Ndi failed recognizing that national polls are at hand and governance in Cameroon still remains a one man show – a show of the executive/President Paul Biya and that the CPDM/Biya will do everything squandering the country’s resources and-indebt us to see that he and his party remain in power unless we force-in separation of powers in governance without more ado.

The Cameroon constitution must be revamped immediately to see that all the arms of government are working independent and complimentarily as in other democracies or we resort to the Cameroon constitution last resort – the use of force or other means sustainably to effect change where leadership willingly refuses to address the wishes of the lead. This as well is a derivative of charters of international organizations Cameroon is signatory to and is (forceful eviction of dictators) what forward looking sister Africa countries and other democracies have employed to ensure effective succession.

The SDF is undoubtedly Cameroonians’ last hope for salvation from plunder and mismanagement and for the party chair’s new year agenda-setting message at this time to be replete with bare calls for action by Cameroonians as has been the case for the past 25 years instead of efforts to effectively engage the party and eventually Cameroonians for alteration action within specific time frames leaves much to be desired.

Comrades, there are no two ways, I think - an opposition and civil society coalition (a rainbow coalition) to oust the ruling and ruining CPDM is necessary! A rainbow coalition stronger than even the union of opposition parties for change (Union for change) of the 1992 that saw the SDF presidential candidate-cum-opposition candidate won the 1992 presidential, though victory was confiscated is imperative.

Telling Cameroonians to take their responsibilities to bring in democracy, as Fru Ndi message intoned, has never worked, the leadership has to be actively involved – preach the positive social iconoclast idea to all party structures where militants will then help radiate it to other Cameroonians.