SDF Members of Parliament yesterday walked out on visiting Ivorian House Speaker, Guillaume Soro. The walk-out followed an announcement by Cavayé Yeguié Djibril; Cameroon House Speaker, introducing the presence of his Ivorian counterpart, Soro.
The SDF MPs didn’t only stage a walk-out, but booed at the visitor before he could address the house. For this, Cavaye was quite bitter. Protesting the SDF posture, he said the party isn’t honest. He said he spent hours with the SDF prior to the event negotiating on what their conduct should be, but they didn’t keep the promise.
"I spent over two hours trying to negotiate with the SDF to ensure that such agitation does not crop up in the House. But the SDF has not kept its promise, and I am not happy." The House Speaker complained after SDF MPs began protesting and booing at the Ivorian House Speaker.
In spite of the SDF protest and walk-out, Soro received a standing ovation from the rest of the assembly members, mostly CPDM MPs. In an attempt at douse the attitude of SDF members, Soro mildly stated that, it's a veritable democratic nation "that is why such a movement was witnessed."
Then in a cynical ploy aimed at the SDF, Soro retorted that, had it not been for such attitude by the SDF, “I won’t have been a popular personality in Cameroon."
Soro sweet-talked the Cameroonian parliamentary system, qualifying it as an excellent example in Africa worth emulating. The bulk of his speech harped on the fame of Cameroon as a championing nation in the continent. “Which Africa without Cameroon?" Soro questioned rhetorically.
The former Ivorian warlord is in Cameroon for a two-day working visit. He arrived in the country on Monday, June 10 and was received at the airport by his Cameroonian counterpart, Cavayé. An impressive crowd of Ivorian emigrants cued up at the airport and roadside to welcome him to Cameroon.
Upon his arrival, he granted several audiences to Cameroonian authorities, including Niat Njifendji, Senate President and Yang Philemon, Prime Minister.
The hostility Soro got from the SDF was not surprising even though it appeared to have embarrassed Yaounde.
The SDF and the former Ivorian ruling party, Ivorian National Front, known by its French acronym as FNI, led by Laurent Gbagbo have maintained close ties over the years. Both parties are members of Socialists International.
In 2010, Gbabgo attended the SDF national convention in Yaounde. He is alleged to have funded the SDF at some point and only a few weeks ago, his party sent an emissary to the SDF to seek support for his release from the international criminal court.
"Gbabgo has been a good friend of the SDF for many years and this appears to be a show of sympathy and payback time," a political analyst said.
Soro became Ivorian speaker in 2011 after abandoning Gbabgo during the disputed 2010 Ivorian presidential election. He served as Prime Minister under Gbabgo until then.
