Cameroon:The Ache the CPDM Party has brought to the Nation and why the Party needs Rebranding

There is ‘probably’ a rationale to see whites dish out inhumane treatment to blacks in a country like America because they do not have the same skin color; but for blacks mistreating their fellow blacks in Cameroon is not only pitiful but it is unconscionable, unimaginable and shameful. Jackson Nanje

On issues as egregious as the Anglophone problem which has the potential of rupturing our make-shift or fragile democracy, CPDM USA and many other diaspora sections are incapable (nomenclatures of the party) of making policy statements that would give advice and consent to the party on the best way forward in resolving the quagmire the country is confronted with, now. Jackson Nanje

 

By Jackson Nanje

    In the face of an Anglophone problem which has the potential of dividing Cameroon into East and West and brothers against sisters who may not yet understand that the real enemy is not each other but the government of Cameroon and the CPDM party; a government and a party that have remained defiant and steadfast in embracing a badly needed change---that is, a complete overhaul of government) which is coming by way of the Anglophone problem. So much has been written thus far about the body politics of Cameroon but a defiant Chairman and surrogates of the CPDM party are only willing to wrap bandages on these problems and are applying temporary desperate measures rather than lasting solutions to solve these ailing problems. In a nutshell, the CPDM party loyalists are unwilling to admit that these problems exist because many are afraid of political reprisal if they spoke out. But a political party can never achieve prominence if its members are afraid to speak truth to power or if they are mere myrmidons (blind followers) of their master. This is the party the CPDM has become; and change, is a must-embrace for party transformation to take place.

     As Communication and Education Officer for CPDM USA since the Section’s inception in 2007, it has been my duty to educate the militants… on party activities and on how power emanates from the basic unit of the party, the Cell to the Central Committee and the Political Bureau. In the United States, however, CPDM USA’s power emanates from the branch, which is the lowest organ (accommodation permitted by the Central Committee) of the party. The Section does not have powers to make suggestions to the bigwigs in Yaoundé because decisions that are deemed pertinent in the running of the party are made by the Central Committee and Political Bureau. On issues as egregious as the Anglophone problem which has the potential of rupturing our make-shift or fragile democracy, CPDM USA and many other diaspora sections are incapable (nomenclatures of the party) of making policy statements that would give advice and consent to the party on the best way forward in resolving the quagmire the country is confronted with, now. This is because of an institutional policy that does not give room for criticism from bottom up. For the party to grow, it must create avenues to seek for useful suggestions from other segments of the party other than the Central Committee and Political Bureau. The older party militants who constitute the Central Committee and Political Bureau do not evaluate things the same way as the young and brightest do. Additionally, the party must have the communication department deal with issues as they come. Ignoring citizens’ demands and concerns have never been an effective way of resolving conflicts especially in this digital age; ignoring them only agitates the population and this has been standard practice of the party----to ignore the concerns of citizens with the hope that their lack of response will cause the problems to disappear. In the United States of America where I live for example, my simple $20,00 contribution to the Democrat Party qualifies me to receive weekly letters from the party and even from President Barack Obama, informing me about the development and changes the party is making to suit the needs of citizens. Further, the Democrat party have regular town hall meetings which enables party militants to provide inputs to grow the party. This is democracy at best, which I strongly suggest the CPDM party should adopt, in order to encourage Cameroonians to see the party as the best choice for them. In today’s digital age, where majority of Cameroonians are connected to the internet, the party must use this modern tool to communicate with every Cameroonian and vice versa. No Cameroonian should have to wait for more than a week for the government to redress his/her grievance. It is unacceptable that the government received letters from Anglophone lawyers asking for a redress of their grievances but they (government) ignored them for more than a year?! This is inconsequential! This happy-go-lucky attitude has constituted the immediate cause of what is brewing as the Cameroon Revolution or coined, “The Anglophone Problem.” What is this Anglophone Problem which is at the verge of causing a revolution in Cameroon?

     When people have a legitimate cause, it is important for their government to listen to them and address their grievances, promptly. After all, we are a government for, by, and of the people. That is the role of each government. Intimidation cannot for a good government make. The current political upheaval started with a written demand from the lawyers to their government, asking of them to address the inequalities they are presently witnessing in the Anglophone Judicial System (Common Law) in which the Francophone Judicial System (Civil Law) has completely bastardized their courts. The Francophone judicial system is diametrically different from the Anglophone judicial system and its importation over to the Anglophone courts cannot render better justice to Anglophone citizens even as the language of dispatch is incomprehensible from the giver (Francophone magistrates) to the taker (Anglophone citizens).

     In addition to the current judicial inequality in the country, the distribution of political power is another serious cause for concern. The Francophones managed almost every branch in government even though there are numerous well trained and capable Anglophone managers in each category where Francophones have been employed around the country who can do even better. Faced with these grotesque injustices, the Anglophone Cameroonian have justifiable reasons to protest the government for a redress of these injustices.

    The Anglophone Teachers too have also decried the infiltration of Francophone-trained teachers who have been deployed in most English-speaking areas who can barely speak a word in English. It is not that the Francophone teachers do not mastered the material; they do so in the French language and conveying this material in a language unfamiliar to them, is a very serious task that put the Anglophone students at a disadvantage.  This is assimilation at worse and it shouldn’t be a surprise to the CPDM-led government to see Anglophone citizens finally defying the odds, by standing up against the brutal axe of the government which lacks proprietary interest of its Anglophone citizens that join the union in good faith through a plebiscite and referendum to become one and indivisible Cameroon. There is ‘probably’ a rationale to see whites dish out inhumane treatment to blacks in countries like America because they do not have the same skin color; but for blacks  mistreating their fellow blacks in Cameroon is not only pitiful but it is unconscionable, unimaginable and shameful.

     Cameroonians alike, were very hopeful when the Cameroon National Union party under President Ahmadou Ahidjo was rebranded as Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement under President Paul Bartholomew Biya in 1985. The leadership of President Ahmadou Ahidjo of the CNU party, even though some may consider it better when compared to the CPDM of President Biya, it was a constant nightmare and Cameroonians were so pleased to have a new transformational leader; at least, that is the impression Cameroonians had of him when he took over the ruins of the CNU. The people of Cameroon, East and West had so much trust, hope, and expectations that the CPDM party was going to change their economic and political woes. However hopeful and expectant they were over the span of 32years, that hope and expectation have been dashed by an ineffective leader. One can capture the desultory picture of how my people of Ndian division who have voted 100% for the CPDM in past elections, a division which produces 89.5% of Cameroon’s oil have been manhandled by the leadership of the CPDM party. The level of desperation and miserableness the party has brought to the people of Ndian is dreadful and brutal.

     The government of Cameroon started extracting oil from Ndian division in the early 1960s unbeknown even to the Ndian people. And for over 50years of oil extraction, not even a penny has been ploughed back to the division as subvention, royalties, or revenue sharing. The division cannot boast of electricity, a single Petrol or Gas station, lack of adequately equipped schools with resources other than that provided by Parents Teachers’ Association, no hospital, pupils as young as 6years old in the remote areas of Ndian trek about 2hours to attend school in the nearby village because of the absence of roads and schools in their respective villages, no pipe borne water except that which has been gotten through community interventions etc. Annoyingly, while the population of other divisions have grown exponentially, the population of Ndian division has stagnated at 130,000 people since 1975. The census bureau estimates that population increases 3.56% annually. If this is the case, then Ndian division should have a population of about 526,000 inhabitants. Why the population has not changed since 1975 is due to the dark arm of the government whose interest lie in their resources and not of the people. This enslavement must stop! The low population is a justification for the government not to provide any amenities on grounds of sparsely populated division Again, the division is not sparsely populated; the government has never truly provided accurate count of Ndian division's population over the ensuing censors since 1975. Many have blamed the docility of the Ndian people which they say is the reason for their underdevelopment. On the contrary, the Ndian people have petitioned the government severally over the span of 50years but nothing has come of it. Because of the neglect, the Ndian people, not our belly-hungry Ndian politicians, solemnly stands in solidarity with the teachers and lawyers, to demand for reforms and for federated states as the only solution to address age-old neglect.

     The people of Cameroon will understand and shall be glad to bid farewell to the CPDM party Chairman and Cameroon’s President, His Excellency Paul Biya because, it is undoubtable that he and many of his CPDM surrogates have unquestionably ran out of ideas on how to best run the country. These gerontocrats have been exposed by demands of the technological age and as Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote in “Idylls of the King,” on the passing of King Arthur, “the old order changeth, yielding place to new.” The analog way of governance is outdated, outmoded and insipid and can no longer compete with the new digital way of governance. Therefore, for our country to meet up with demands of the 21^st Century, the old guards (gerontocrats) must step aside for new digital performers to move the country forward and they should equally do everything possible to avoid plunging the country into war.

     For Cameroon as a nation to move towards the path of development, the CPDM party must not second guess the intentions of Cameroonians who are genuinely requesting to partner with them to achieve prosperity for our nation. The gerontocrats must add new technologically-inspired youths to propel the party and they must constantly liaise with Cameroonians everywhere for ideas to move the country ahead. The infusion of youths in decision making helps as a learning opportunity from the old to the new and it will help to stabilize the country economically and politically. And as the politicians ponder which political path would be best for the country, I want to shed more light on the issue of federalism or federal form of government that both parties are gravitating towards now than ever before. Majority of Francophone Cameroonians think that when Cameroon adopts the federal form of governance the resource which are found in various Regions are retained by those Regions. Not true! The resources are federally bound and retained by the national government that shares the proceeds to each Region to carry out their development projects. Each Region make their laws but the federal constitution, which all Regions must participate in crafting must be the law of the land. Each Region shall elect their representatives in both Regional and Federal house. The Regions shall also hire and train their police officers who shall be answerable to their Regional governors and mayors. They can also be fired from duty if they violate the laws of the Regions. In short, every citizen shall respect Regional and Federal laws. This is how a civil society functions and my hope is that, the CPDM party should lead this dialogue with the different leaders of the civil societies to move our beloved country forward.

     All these problems sum up the aches of the CPDM party but nonetheless aches they can resolve if they have the interest of Cameroonians at heart. And the ability to resolve these problems amicably could start a new rebranding pathway and prominence for the party. 

Cameroon Politics:The SDF JOSHUA NAMBANGI OSIH---FROM POWER TO THE PEOPLE TO POWER TO THE YOUTH and WOMEN

To win any elections, it requires having a marketable candidate on the platform of a sellable Political party. Is Sesse Joshua OSIH the Clarion call of a party that desperately needs a new blood? If he is, he needs to do a dispassionate introspection on why the SDF has become so impotent and unattractive to voters outside the North West Region or Grassland.        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogU6az4G1BU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok9Vw6UoK7k

By Albert Atabong Motale

The news on Cameroon Journal whether grounded, founded or a possibility of Sesse Joshua Nambangi Osih (JNO) as the successor to the Legend and Political colossus SDF Chairman, Nii John Fru, has elicited some sense of cautious optimism and rekindled hope across the political landscape.  Whatever our political persuasion or divide, it should be seen as a welcome development, a good omen for our democracy, a rare transfer of power from the old to the young and a rare opportunity for our youth to arise and shine.  Cameroon can no longer continue to patronize analogue leaders in this digital age.  JNO provides that window of opportunity and rare hope for the youth in a political terrain firmly under the control and hands of grandfathers and maybe with a few grandmothers.
The role and place of Chairman Nii John Fru in the history of Cameroon cannot be over emphasized as he would be best described as the Father of Multi Party democracy and arguably the best President Cameroon never had. A true patriot and statesman should always quit the stage when the ovation is lowest.       https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogU6az4G1BU

The story, travails and trajectory of the Social Democratic Front define and encapsulate our democratic struggles as a people, our hopes, missed opportunities, our resignations, pains, sad political miscalculations, our frustrations as social democrats, progressives and critical masses to see CHANGE and POWER TO THE PEOPLE materialize in Cameroon in the last 26 years.

The SDF party which was launched on May 26^, 1990 in Bamenda incidentally shares the same birth place with the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) party, had the hope of dislodging the CPDM from power and change Cameroon political landscape forever; but after 26^th years it is still an opposition party, with a Chairman listed as one of the serial losers of Presidential elections in Africa.  The accession of Sesse Joshua Nambangi OSIH to the throne and shoes of Nii John Fru and the humongous tasks ahead of him, could be better appreciated vis-a-vis the current state of health of the party he shall be inheriting. The question remains though……. Is Joshua Nambangi OSIH inheriting an asset or a liability? 

Honorable Joshua Osih

The popularity and political fortunes of the SDF and Nii Fru Ndi as the Presidential candidate has been on a constant and steep decline and has dwindled to an extent of becoming anemic and a silent minority party heading towards political oblivion as it has been the case in its outings and performances in national elections since inception. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogU6az4G1BU

   PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS AND RESULTS

Recall, Chairman Nii John Fru Ndi as candidate in the October 1992 presidential elections received about 36% of the vote against about 40% for incumbent President, Paul Biya, according to official results. The difference was just 4% in an election described as badly rigged in favour of the ruling party Candidate. In the October 2004 Presidential elections, Nii Fru Ndi scored 17.4% of the votes approximately an 18.6% drop from previous outing. And in the 2011 Presidential elections described by most of the International and Domestic observers as` free, fair, and transparent, Nii Fru Ndi pulled 518,175 votes constituting 10.17%, approximately 7% drop against CPDM and President Biya  who scored 3,772,527 constituting 77.99%. These are not the records to give Nii Fru Ndi any validity anymore as a credible leader or candidate of the SDF party in the forthcoming Presidential Elections of 2018 and, as they say, it is better to quit the political scene when still at the top and when only you can see the signs of drowning ship than for everyone to see the ship drown and write an obituary which may undermine your works and struggles over the years past. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok9Vw6UoK7k

        NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS AND RESULTS

In the May 1997 National Assembly (NA) elections the SDF party won 43 seats---winning 19 out of 20 seats in the North West and 15 out 25 seats in the Western Region. It also made major incursions in Littoral and SW regions as well. In the 2002 NA elections, SDF won only 22 seats losing almost half of its seats and was reduced to a regional party confined to the North West region. Its national appeal as a party that was, had been diminished as a result of these serial losses and for a leader who is doing the nation and the party by still clinging to power even as he is unaware that his best days have long gone-by. 
           https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogU6az4G1BU

 In the July / September 2007 parliamentary elections, the SDF won 16 out of 180 seats.The official results of the NA elections announced on 17 October 2013 show that, the Social Democratic Front won 18 out of 180 seats, a slight increase of 2 seats. These are not records to give the SDF party any resonance; they are records that speak of change from top to bottom within the party. Change that will transform the SDF party from being looked upon as only a North West Regional party into a National party again.

Can Sesse Joshua OSIH answer the Clarion call of a party that desperately needs new blood?

Sesse Joshua Nambangi OSIH shall be inheriting a party akin to a political train WRECK with a badly knocked down engine in the middle of the forest, with a captain who did not bother to inquire from his passengers why they were disembarking nor accepting the recommendations and expert views from Engineers and mechanics on how to jump start the engine. The SDF slogan Power to the People that swept across the nation like a violent hurricane in the 90s has been decimated and downgraded to a harmless hot air. That is the party Sesse Osih shall be inheriting.

Sesse Osih needs to do a dispassionate introspection on why the SDF has become so impotent and unattractive to voters outside the North West Region or Grassland. To win any elections, it requires having a marketable candidate on the platform of a sellable political party. It is also possible to have a good candidate but on a wrong political party or vice versa.  Osih as a Vice Chairman of the SDF and MP must have heard or read several narratives, diagnostics, prescriptions and remedies to resuscitate the failing health of the SDF party which could, at best, be described as anemic and in an intensive care unit (ICU).

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok9Vw6UoK7k

 Hon. Osih must rebrand the party and begin to tell the people how they can transform their lives and put money in their pockets. Incidentally, Cameroon has abundant human and natural resources that could be harnessed to pull the country from the woods. The SDF should start telling the people about restructuring the country and reforming the system. They should be bold in telling the people of the need to establish a Federal system with a 20 state Federation; SW Region =4 states. NW region 4 states, Littoral =2 states,  South=1 state, East-1 state, Adamawa- 2 states, Far North – 2 states, North -2 states.West-2 states. 

They should be telling the people about having elected Governors and scrapping Prefects as executive powers at all levels should be vested in the hands of elected officials. They should be telling the people that Democracy means separation of powers with no more Presidential Decrees which is an aberration and forged Law. 

They should be telling the people about introducing Fiscal Federalism so that each state can grow according to its potentials and resources.  We cannot continue to see power so centralized in the hands of those from Centre and South regions.

The coming of Osih as the successor to the legendary Nii John Fru shall be the first time in our history for a citizen of Ndian and of the South West Region to be a National Chairman or flag bearer of a major political party with members at the National Assembly.  Joshua Osih shall arguably be the youngest National Chairman of a political party with MPs in Parliament in Cameroon.  The accession of Joshua as National Chairman of the SDF or its flag bearer signifies hope to the youth in a country where 75% of the political class is made of great grandfathers and most were already Ministers when Joshua Osih was born. It shall signify a paradigm and generational shift and a very positive development for Cameroon and Central African region, (CEMC) with the highest collection of sit tight and longest serving dictators in the world. 

Hon. Osih should understand that, the main objective, goal and vision of any political party are to win elections and capture power.  The SDF has missed several opportunities because of its political naivety, misjudgment, idealistic posturing, rigidness, hallucinations and unproductive posture of boycotting elections and hoping CPDM shall effect the `Change` to suit the yearnings and aspirations of the SDF. Osih should be mindful of the fact that, good laws do not make good people but good men make good laws. Change might be the only thing which is constant but the most difficult to effect.  The priority of OSIH`s SDF should be winning majority seats at the National Assembly at the next elections.

                             https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogU6az4G1BU

Fortunately for Sesse Osih, there are so many leaders, models and templates to adopt, modify and adapt to the Cameroonian context.  David Cameron at 40 was the Leader of Conservative Party in UK and at 43 led the party to victory, became Prime Minister and retired at 49. Whether it is the Senegalese, Ivorian, Kenyan, Sierra Leonean, Malawian, Zambian or Nigerian models to understudy, UNITY and MERGERS of opposition parties into a formidable force are critical to winning any elections in Africa.  The CPDM might not be a `dream party ` or a Love Boat but it remains the only national party and most organised with militants in every village in Cameroon and in the diaspora. The CPDM party prints have become Sunday wears, a national attire and costume by our folks, attending weddings, church services and social functions.  Whether it is wore out of poverty, lack of alternative dresses they serve as unconscious adverts for the party. All these can change with Joshua OSIH’s message of Federalism or Federated States making decisions rather than President Paul Biya’s message of power consolidation in the Unity Palace.

The SDF shall need to restructure the party to reflect and align it to a modern democratic political party. One of the reforms badly needed is to separate the office of the National Chairman from the Presidential flag bearer of the party. Let the flagbearership contest be open to all who meet the requirements because the more, the merrier. This will help to deepen internal party democracy, win back skeptics and energise the grassroots. It makes no sense for the SDF to have party structure akin to Westminster Political system whereas Cameroon is practicing a Presidential system even though it has all the trappings of a Constitutional Dictatorship. The SDF needs to abolish the appointments of shadow Ministers which are relevant for parliamentary system and replace them with party communicators headed by a Director of Media and Publicity.  The first contest and test for any political party contesting elections is to win the popularity contest. Once any political wins the popularity contest, it can begin to dictate public debates and drive its agenda or manifestos with relative ease. 

The SDF is not only a train with a broken down engine but has also lost its voice. Most modern political parties invest so much on communication and publicity for obvious reasons as people tend to believe more in what they hear and see. For instance, who speaks for the SDF on the economy, new Penal code or Biya long private stay abroad? Who speak for the SDF on the autonomy of Universities, proposed relocation of CDC Head office, poor educational and health facilities in Cameroon? Who speak for the SDF on the absence and diminishing role of Cameroon in African affairs? Who speaks for the SDF manifestos and to clean the perception of SDF as a graffi party?  The SDF shall need strategists and researchers to drive the party ideology and ideals. 

Fortunately Osih understands the pains and frustrations of an average Cameroonian whether those residing in Madie –Ngolo, Dikome Balue, Meangwe–Ngolo, whose living conditions are same like 70% of Cameroonians living in rural communities. He understands that, the policy of the CPDM is not to allow their President to visit rural areas especially communities which do not have paved roads. He understands that, CPDM finds it difficult to win urban areas but sweeps all the rural areas, which might not have the big numbers but has large numbers of Parliamentary seats and election figures could easily be manipulated. He should equally understand that, elections could only be rigged when the party is popular. That is why lawyers should be position in all polling stations to monitor the election in conjunction with international observers. All these shall be planned ahead of the 2018 Cameroon Presidential Elections.

Joshua is inheriting the SDF at the time its fortunes are at its lowest ebb but with tremendous potentials and opportunities especially at a time when Cameroonians are so tired, frustrated, with no light at the end of the tunnel and their feet are tired. And with the current political dispensation and marginalization in Cameroon by the CPDM party, these events should serve as a clarion call for Joshua Osih to start building alliances. The first to build is that with Cameroon Diaspora. The Cameroonians in the diaspora are not in synch with the policies of the CPDM party and Osih can be that change that Cameroonians have been waiting for. He is the epitome of bilingualism because speaks both language fluently, He is knowledgeable, intelligent, humble and a quintessential leader. He is equally a very handsome man that can attract every eye in a room. With OSIH, SDF already has a marketable candidate and could transform SDF into a sellable party to the Youth and Women who form the critical mass of Cameroon electoral system.

CAMEROON:The Anglophone Problem and a Nation’s Embarrassment

By Ekinneh Agbor Ebai

The odious scenes of police brutality captured on social media, were pathetic, disgraceful and reinforces Cameroon’s image as a country with highly dysfunctional institutions where bizarre things can happen.

     No other event lately, perhaps, dramatizes the growing contradictions of Cameroon better than the brigandage witnessed on the streets of Buea and Bamenda with its trail of violence in which lawyers, teachers, university students and innocent civilians were beaten, arrested, tortured, raped and detained by rampaging soldiers acting on “orders from above.” The brutality deployed against Anglophones for exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights to free speech and peaceful assembly is simply mind-boggling, inexcusable and stand condemned in all ramifications. In the judgment of an average sense of decency, the crude police assault is a moral weakness of asinine proportion that calls into question, the real character of the nation’s leadership. The lawlessness by security forces was an insult to democracy and constitutional rectitude that neither edifies the country, nor the President, on whose desk, the buck stops. Cameroonians deserve full explanation for this unbelievable shame.

     To the utter embarrassment of the nation, the images of police brutality which went viral on social media were pathetic, disgraceful and devoid of any perfunctory exaggeration. By any streak of the imagination, this cowardly and barbaric fury towards life, liberty and civility, is one of the most odious image-battering events that only reinforces Cameroon’s international image as a country with highly dysfunctional institutions where bizarre things can happen. Cameroonian leaders at all levels must be hiding their heads in shame. Certainly Anglophones must be allowed to examine the basis of their co-existence. To deny them this right for fear that they may disagree to live together is like building on a shaky foundation.

     After many false starts, dashed hopes, and perennially low expectation, Cameroon needs a change of direction and Anglophones want to reset the agenda. Government apologists denouncing the ongoing protests as a rally of miscreants must realize that the use of overwhelming force is a very risky strategy that could backfire and, in the worst case scenario, crystallize into the formation of armed groups in legitimate self-defense of Anglophones. Once that line is crossed, the clamors for secession will only grow louder. History is dotted with too many such examples and Cameroon cannot afford to go down this route. The government claims without any evidence that the protests are the handiwork of unseen “foreign hands” and refuse to acknowledge that the motivations for the protests rest on the skewed nature of Cameroon as a country. For many years, Francophone-led governments from Ahidjo to Paul Biya have maintained a portentous imbalance and inequitable structure that marginalizes Anglophones and disfavors meritocracy. They have glossed over the continuous discrimination of Anglophones in a progressive fashion to a point of assimilation. And by so doing they have foisted a forced unanimity.

     With the groundswell of protests, the unity of Cameroon, for want of a suitable metaphor, seems to be held at gunpoint. Obviously, these protests point to issues that have not been resolved. Unfortunately, the government response has been violence and provocative belligerence, instead of finding a midway for which the nation’s diversity can be respected, and a sense of belonging maintained without making anyone feel any loss of their identity. The government must cease and desist from perpetrating acts of violence against Anglophones as this risk enthroning instability that could dismember the country.

     Notwithstanding, it is simplistic to view the demonstrations as an event orchestrated by disgruntled elements reliving an inglorious reverie from some botched re-unification experiment because the deeper import of the protests transcend the Anglophone agenda. Protest is a living philosophy of justice that appears wherever and whenever oppression, impunity, injustice and structural violence rear their heads. In a democracy, the people alone matter; peaceful protests is an integral part of democracy; people should air their views, however jaundiced. What is going on is symbolic of the discontent experienced by many ethno-political interests for whom the Cameroon question remains unanswered.  

     That Cameroon as a nation is living a lie or its rulers are living in denial is not in doubt. It wants to be a prosperous and politically stable country, yet it is holding down this potential for prosperity and stability by maintaining a supercilious, garrisoned, centralized government, whilst paying lip service to regional decentralization. Nothing is working in the country and the bond that binds the ethnic nationalities appears tenuous, if not snapping, fundamentally threatening the unity of the country. The unity in diversity hitherto advertised as “Africa in miniature” has been supplanted by diversity in unity, such that Cameroonians see themselves first in the mold of their ethnic nationality. This explains why Cameroon is politically weak and structurally fragile, giving rise to negative and frightening prognostications.

     Without equivocation, all is not well with the country. For too long, successive Francophone-led governments have undermined the essential differences in the various interests of the Cameroonian people; and so unresolved matters about the aspirations of Cameroon’s heterogeneous interests have become a ticking time bomb. To assume that these do not exist, or to gloss over them is to play the ostrich like Fame Ndongo stuck in clannish grand-standing; wearing the garb of an ethnic jingoist and pontificating about a united Cameroon. The truth of the matter is that the current structure of Cameroon today, holds down the levers of development in the country, stunts its growth, truncates its progress and actually threatens its unity. The present political structure with its insensitive centripetal exertions provides vents for sundry injustices in the polity that must be corrected to liberate the nation’s full potentials.

     For the avoidance of doubt, Anglophones have a right to determine whether the political configuration of the country as it stands today should remain as it is in form and in character; whether the structures of the existing order, are suitable for the nation’s complexities as a bilingual, multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation. Cameroon is a great country waiting to happen and needs men and women who would make sacrifices for her greatness. It is indeed unfortunate that Francophone political leaders seem to wittingly or unwittingly consider Anglophones as “enemies in the house” rather than as Cameroonians with a different vision of how the country can be run. The Francophone political class needs to learn and understand that leadership is not about ethnic domination or selfish power equation; it is rather a disposition of moral strength and sacrifice to act in the public interest. Rather than exacerbate tension and heat the polity unnecessarily, the government should find answers to the thorny issues that created this monstrosity in the first place.

     The ongoing violence does little credit to the image of Cameroon’s democracy. The depth of suspicion and ill feeling towards Anglophones is unhealthy for a nation in distress. Too much pain has been inflicted and certain pertinent points need to be made. One is that Anglophones have been treated as “beasts of no nation” in a way that is provocative and vexatious. Besides, if the government thinks brute force is the appropriate response to legitimate Anglophone grievances; that is a huge mistake as history beckons with lessons. Anglophones may have borne the provocation with admirable equanimity, but let the government be under no illusions: Anglophones have been mightily insulted and never again should it happen. The discrimination and marginalization of Anglophones has had its day and must now end in the interest of peace and stability. In the meantime, the government should spare Cameroonians the noise and let Anglophone voices be heard as they cry in agony for better governance.

 *Ekinneh Agbaw-Ebai is a Public Intellectual and graduate of Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, where he was Managing Editor of the Harvard Journal of African-American Public Policy. A former Research Analyst for Freedom House. He is a Consultant and lives in Boston, USA. Talk back at ekinneh@yahoo.com

The Government of Cameroon holds Ndian Division and its Citizens in Captivity

September 12, 2016 

To: The President of the Republic of Cameron

Unity Palace, Etoudi, Yaoundé

 

Your Excellency, 
                            

OPEN LETTER ON THE DEPLORABLE STATE OF KUMBA-EKONDO TITI- MUNDEMBA-AKWA ROAD AND AN IMMINENT EXCISION OF NDIAN DIVISION FROM THE REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
 

     Prompted by high sense of honour and responsibility, we, the undersigned indigenes of Ndian division, would like to draw your attention to the herein above subject matter bearing on the catastrophic and unacceptable state of roads in Ndian division, particularly, the national road linking Kumba (Meme division) to Ekondo Titi, Mundemba, Isangele and Akwa, under Ndian division.

     By way of illumination, you may wish to recall that, Ndian division under the South West Region was created out of the old Kumba division in 1966 with headquarters in Mundemba. It covers an area of 6,626 km² (second largest after Manyu), with a population currently estimated at over 500,000 people who, unfortunately, are exposed to constant possibility of complete seclusion from the rest of Cameroon due to the deplorable and very often impassable state of the only road linking them to Kumba, Meme division.

     Furthermore, it is important to draw to your attention to the fact that Ndian division is home to one hundred and thirty-five (135) villages and towns whose vast economic potential, has hardly been exploited owing to limited access to markets. Our hope is to be finally connected to the rest of the entire country by road. Moreso, the Kumba-Ekondo Titi-Mundemba – Akwa road stretch connects over 50 villages and towns in Meme and Ndian divisions as well as neighbouring Nigeria, our main trading partner. It is not only a national road but more importantly, it can be ascribed international status considering that it connects to the Ekondo Titi river Port, Mbonge River Port, Mundemba River Port and Akwa River Port which generate huge customs and excise revenue accruing from robust economic ties with Nigeria.

     Administratively, Ndian division is divided into nine sub divisions:

   

     i.        Bamusso

   ii.        Dikome-Balue

3. Ekondo-Titi
4. Idabato
5. Isanguele
6. Kombo-Abedimo
7. Kombo-Idinti
8. Mundemba
9. Toko

The Map of South West Region--Ndian in Green

In addition to the above, Ndian division is also home to the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula and Rio del Rey with its fishing and other aquatic resources- national assets and natural resources that would be easily accessible, productive and competitive with attendant massive investment, job opportunities and wealth creation potentials, if the Kumba-Ekondo Titi- Mundemba–Akwa road stretch were improved upon and paved. It will not only link Ndian to Cameroon, but shall equally enhance the industriousness and sense of belongingness of the people with the new found exposure to the global economy.

 

Mundemba, Ndian divisional headquarters

     Economically, Pamol Plantations Public Liability Company, an agro-industrial giant, operating in the division since 1926, grows oil palms and rubber as its main crops and specializes in the production of palm oil and natural rubber.  It operates on land surface area of about 10,300 hectares with an additional capital of about FCFA1.874 billion recently pumped in by the government of Cameroon (majority shareholder). However, the management and staff of this otherwise live-saving company are very often exposed to the vagaries of poverty and starvation due to gluts in their stock of oil emanating from, impossibility to sell to customers barred by bad roads from reaching their sales points in Ndian and Lobe estates. Indeed, their appropriate expansion to Mosongeselli and Iribanyanga in the Bakassi area is being hampered by the impracticable nature of the road impeding the ferrying of building and planting materials into these extension zones.     

Lobe Estate Mill

Dilapidated and inhumane housing for Pamol Estate workers

     Another project with huge economic potentials is Sustainable Oils Cameroon (SGSOC), an Agro-Industrial company and subsidiary of Herakles Farms, in existence since 2006, with a pending concession on 6746 hectares of land to grow oil palms in Mundemba and Toko sub-divisions under Ndian division. Here too, there will be an uphill task transporting building and planting materials as one of the main bridges on the road to Toko has collapsed after its abutments were swept away by flood. There is therefore, immediate need for a new bridge to be constructed over Moriba River.

     It is also important to draw to your attention that private business initiatives throughout Ndian division have been terribly hampered because of either the absence of roads or impassable state of existent make-shift roads.

Tourism

     With regards to tourism and biodiversity conservation, Korup National Park covers an area of over 1,260 km² of mostly pristine forest reputed as one of Africa’s oldest and richest rainforests in terms of floral and faunal diversity. It is the most accessible rainforest National Park in Cameroon with basic lodging infrastructure and a large network of trails open to visitors. The current situation of the road from Kumba to Mundemba, where Park management facilities are located does not endear itself to potential tourists visiting Cameroon due to the fact that, a journey of 110 km between Mundemba and Kumba that should normally be covered in under 2 hours ends up taking a whole day. The situation on the Kumba-Ekondo Titi-Mundemba road is aggravated by constant presence of trucks and trailers rendering the road impassable. This circumstance has induced colossal loss in its wake with regards to income that could have been generated from tourism if the roads were paved.

Make-shift bridge to Korup Park

     Other touristic attractions include Rumpi Hills Wildlife Reserve created in 1941 covering about 45,843 hectares (177.00 sq mi) and NDONGORE National Park. Tourism and hospitality experts have estimated that these National Parks and tourism troves would have been attracting over 100 000 tourists to Ndian division, annually. However, due the deplorable condition of the Kumba-Ekondo-Titi-Mundemba- Akwa road which is at best seasonal, it attracts less than 500 tourists, annually.   The construction of this very important road would, without doubt, create enormous opportunities in the tourism and hospitality industry vital for any emerging economy.

OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION

     Your Excellency, `Fortune of Africa′ (FOA) an Oil and Gas Intelligence Platform (2014 Publication), estimated that,  Cameroon has about 200 million barrels of proven oil reserves and one of the largest gas reserves in Africa estimated at over 4.77 trillion cubic feet. The bulk of Cameroon’s oil (89 percent) can be found in the offshore Rio del Rey Basin, Ndian division in the South West Region while the rest (11 percent) is within the Douala Basin. Notable oil fields in the country include: Bayo Asoma oil field, Boa Bakassi oilfield, Ekoundou Oil Field, KF Oil field, Kita Edem oil field, Kole Marine oil field, Kribi oil field and Lipenja oil field.

The different Oilfields in Ndian division

     Your Excellency, we know that you are aware of the potential of our division in the sustenance of our country; however, we believe that you are not aware why, in spite of these vast economic potential, the citizens of Ndian are still complaining. In spite of these potentials, natural endowments and contributions to the national wealth and basket, Ndian still remains the most backward enclave and largest human prison on earth lacking a good road network linking it to the rest of the country. The only road linking Ndian division to Kumba is in deplorable condition, and usually seasonal.

Mundemba-Ekondo-Titi road

Moreover, most of the sub divisional headquarters are

Douala road contrasts what obtains in Mundemba

linked to the divisional headquarters by water, bush paths or tracks. The bush tracks linking them to Mundemba divisional headquarter, were mostly constructed by local cultural and development associations and are seasonal (October- January), cut off completely, during the wet season.

THE IMPACT OF THE BAKASSI CRISES ON NDIAN ECONOMY AND PEOPLE

     The Bakassi crisis and intermittent skirmishes were experienced exclusively on Ndian soil and its devastating impact on the socio-cultural and economic life of the people of Ndian division has been immeasurable. We cannot gainsay the fact that, wars and armed conflicts not only bring sorrow, tears and bloodshed in their wake but famine, fear, hunger, starvation, orphans, massive deprivation and destruction of economies. These are some of the untold sufferings which the war left behind but the government has done nothing to rehabilitate the indigenes of the division.

     We will indeed be grateful if Your Excellency would provide funds and directives for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Bakassi Area, rehabilitating and upgrading of the Pamol Airstrips in Mundemba and Lobe bulldozed and abandoned by the Armed Forces, the Ekondo Titi, Mundemba, Bamusso, Isangele River ports used as military bases by the Armed Forces and Security Forces during the Bakassi conflicts and the construction of the Mundemba –Bakassi road.

     As a corollary to the above, it is however regrettable that the amounts earmarked and budgeted by government for otherwise laudable projects in Bakassi are grossly under represented by  what is on ground as most of these facilities suffered from poor execution with some either completely abandoned or are in dangerously advanced state of disrepair.

      In the event, most of our villages are getting extinct and increasingly becoming uninhabitable as we currently experience the highest rural- urban migration in the region occasioned by lack of access roads.  The massive exodus is not as a result of natural disasters, wars or epidemic but simply lack of access roads and connectivity to the rest of Cameroon, to support socio-economic activities.

     In actual fact, the situation has become so worrisome that, it is increasingly becoming difficult for most villages to bury their dead, as there are not enough young men to even dig graves. Pathetic!

     In some of our villages, schools, hospitals, telecommunications facilities, security posts, electricity and offices are either lacking in personnel and in infrastructure or do not exist at all in some parts of the division. We need urgent help; if it is available, and, we can count on your high office and esteemed person to help our dreams come true. It has been 50 years grueling patience.

      THE STATE OF THE KUMBA-EKONDO TITI-MUNDEMBA-BAKASSI ROAD

     Your Excellency, we would like to refer to your promise to the good people of Ndian during your maiden visit to Buea- South West regional headquarters in 1984 that, the Kumba-Ekondo Titi- Mundemba-Isangele-Akwa Road stretch shall be constructed. We are not sure if we should continue to rely on that promise after 32 years even as we still see magnanimity of a concerned father in your person. This explains why we have deemed it necessary to remind you of your obligation because the white man has told us that, a promise is a debt. Your Excellency, with all due reverence to your office, I dare say your indebtedness to the people of Ndian is long overdue eliciting in its wake a desire to cry aloud.

     We also recall here, your reiteration of the same promise in Buea on Tuesday, February 18, 2014, during the celebration of the 50th anniversary of Cameroon’s reunification.  It is based on these promises and demands of protocol that we are serving you this petition not as a protest of our grievances but as a reminder for you to fulfill these endearing promises you made to the people of Ndian 32 years ago which were still reiterated in Buea,  two years ago.

      he Kumba- Ekondo-Titi- Mundemba- Akwa road is 175 kilometers long.  The journey from Kumba to Mundemba is 120 kilometers. During the wet season, it takes between two to three days depending on the type and condition of the vehicle to travel from one town to another.

PHOTO OF THE STATE OF THE NDIAN ROAD DURING THE WET SEASON.

This is the state of the roads in Ndian division for you to see, Mr. President

Indeed, the impractical nature of the only road link to Ndian division has left the people of Ndian even more miserable as prices of every single good and services imported from the Republic of Cameroon is sold at triple, the price in Ndian because the traders have to factor in and pass on the transportation cost of their commodity to their hapless consumers.  There is always massive shortage of food stuff, provisions, medicine, fuel and gas to even power the thermal electricity generator during the wet season. Below is the factorization cost of same goods at different cities in Cameroon compared to Ndian division.

  

SN	DESCRIPTION OF ITEM	COST IN CFA DOUALA	COST IN CFA KUMBA	COST IN CFA NDIAN
1	50 KG OF RICE	16,000	17,000	22,000
2	A BUNDLE OF ZINC	180,000	185,000	200,000
3	A BAG OF CEMENT	4,500	4,700	7,000
4	50 KG FLOUR	14,000	15,000	20,000
5	ANIMAL FEED 50KG	5,000	6,000	10,000

     Our farmers and fishermen who are the main economic operators and mainstay of our local economy are unable to convey their produce to the nearest markets in Cameroon because their products cannot face the market prices since they have to add the cost of delivery to the market. Similarly, they are barred by the Local Administrators to export or sell to Nigeria wherein the market is competitive and buyers are prepared, to buy even at above market price when transport cost is factored. Even worse still is Pamol Plantations Plc that barely manages to pay salaries to its workers during wet seasons when the roads are virtually impassable and bar potential customers from coming down to buy oil and rubber. The losses incurred owing to impassable roads runs into hundreds of millions, annually.

     Your Excellency, consequent upon the message conveyed hereinabove; we humbly and respectfully make the following requests:

 

a)  That, you kindly use your good offices to expeditiously, put in place immediate mechanisms  for the construction and paving of the Kumba-Ekondo Titi- Mundemba- Akwa road to save us from imminent economic genocide
 

b)   That, you kindly consider the establishment of a Ndian Development Authority, funded annually by a minimum of five percent from oil proceeds as accrued royalties to tackle effectively and efficiently developmental issues for Ndian as an oil and border community. This is the principle of derivation in elementary economics which states that, part of the proceeds of a resource-producing region shall be used to optimize development in that area.

c)  That, you kindly use your good offices to consider formulating and enacting a bill on derivation to enable Ndian councils and communities benefit from oil proceeds.

d)  That, you kindly direct relevant Government agencies to audit all funds budgeted for rehabilitation and reconstruction of projects earmarked for Ndian division under the Bakassi rehabilitation projects and other such programs.

 

e)   We would like to reassure Your Excellency and the good people of Ndian of our commitment to be civil, law abiding, true and patriotic citizens of the REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON in spite of our present not-so-fancied predicament and challenges.

     While reveling in the optimism that, this time around, our petition shall receive utmost considerations and your promises shall be upheld to the appreciation of our people, accept our boundless esteem for your high office and person.

Long live Ndian Division,

Long live the REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
 

 

DONE THIS 12^th DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2016 IN MUNDEMBA By Concerned Citizens of Ndian Division (CCN)

CC:  

• HE THE PRIME MINISTER OF REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
• HE THE SENATE PRESIDENT REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
• HE SPEAKER OF THE PARLIAMENT, REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON
• THE HON MINISTER OF TERRITORIAL ADMINISTRATION AND DECENTRALISATION.
• MINISTER OF PUBLIC WORKS
• THE HON MINISTER DELEGATE DR DION NGUTE
• THE GOVERNOR, SOUTH WEST REGION
• THE SENIOR DIVISION OFFICER, NDIAN
• THE MAYOR, MUNDEMBA RURAL COUNCIL
• THE MAYOR, EKONDO TITI RURAL COUNCIL
• THE MAYOR, ISANGELE RURAL COUNCIL
• THE MAYOR, TOKO RURAL COUNCIL
• THE MAYOR, DIKOME RURAL COUNCIL
• THE MAYOR, KOMBO ABEDIMO RURAL COUNCIL
• THE MAYOR, BAMUSSO RURAL COUNCIL
• THE MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENTS FOR NDIAN
• THE SENATORS REPRESENTING NDIAN
• THE PRESIDENT NDIAN TRADITIONAL CHIEFS
• THE PRESIDENT SOUTH WEST  TRADITIONAL CHIEFS
• THE PRESIDENT SWELA
• THE PRESIDENTS OF ALL NDIAN CULTURAL AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATIONS.