allAfrica.com: Cameroon: Failed SDF Strike Political Quinine for Fru Ndi (Page 1 of 1)

Last Monday, April 21, something really unfortunate happened. A call for a sit-in strike by the SDF was ignored, even in Bamenda, the party's headquarters.

According to the party's plan of action, Cameroonians were also to dress in black as an outward show of grief for their compatriots killed during the February 25-29 unrest in five provinces. On that day a few persons, among them this analyst, cared to dress as prescribed and worse still, everybody went about their duties despite the fact that a few tracts had been circulated the previous night warning everybody to stay at home.

The tracts warned that the homes of all those who disobeyed the instructions would be targeted for destruction. The military men deployed to crack down on all demonstrators were all dressed in anti-riot gear ready for action. They were very disappointed that nothing happened and many of them made their feelings known to the public by grumbling.

The failure of the strike does not by any means signify loss of support for the SDF. Two main factors contributed to the failure of the strike: poor sensitisation and the Balick Awa Inertia. Those who lived the 1991 six-month long "Ghost Towns" era would recall that the SDF-led opposition protests were preceded by a lot of sensitisation.

The independent press which at that time was predominantly pro-opposition publicised every action plan. The reverse happened before last Monday's strike action. Whether for strategic reasons or out of cowardice, the SDF postponed a NEC meeting which would have better articulated the strike action. Instead, the party held a secret meeting whose resolutions were a guarded secret.

Only one English newspaper (not The Post) had access to them, thanks to the good relationship between one of the paper's cordial relations with SDF Chairman, John Fru Ndi. No SDF action plan had ever been treated with such exaggerated secrecy.

For such an action plan to work in Bamenda, the Bamenda SDF Electoral District should have championed the sensitization. Unfortunately, the District is headed by an uninspiring Chairman, Fidelis Balick Awa. Awa, who lost in the race for parliament, was compensated with the Bamenda Council chairmanship.

But since he achieved his ambition of grabbing a paying electoral position, he has become an Abel Ndeh lackey and worse still, stands like a Pharisee on the door of the District. He is neither going in nor will he allow a more charismatic person to enter.

Before the ill-fated strike action, the press had been awash with stories of SDF parliamentarians, led by Mbah Ndam, striking financial deals with the ruling CPDM to support the much detested constitutional amendment which cost Cameroon more than a hundred lives in February.

Hon. Joseph Mbah Ndam, one of the Assembly's Vice Presidents, has been particularly faulted. Mbah Ndam it was who tabled a bill supporting the idea that the constitution needed revision because of some post crises factor. This act gave the ruling CPDM the opportunity it needed to table the bill on constitutional amendment.

The SDF MPs were very enthusiastic in the discussions on the bill which took place in the Constitutional Law's Committee. Their boycott of the plenary session, wherein the bill was voted into law, was seen by many as a stratagem to hoodwink the public.

The electorate also felt it was being taken for a ride, especially with the information that Fru Ndi gave Mbah Ndam, leader of the party's legal team, a document which if presented at the Assembly would have made Biya's task of tabling the obnoxious amendment bill more difficult.

The document prepared by Cameroonians in the Diaspora, pointed out that according to Article 26 of the 1996 Constitution, an amendment could only be effected by parliament which includes the Senate (not yet in place) and the National Assembly. Therefore, the present National Assembly lacks the competence.

Mbah Ndam's critics equally fault him for not using the constitutional amendment opportunity to table a bill recommending a special status for the main opposition leader in Cameroon who happens to be Fru Ndi. This means Fru Ndi should have a salary, bodyguards and domestic servants paid for by the state.

The SDF Chairman needs such a status not only because he feeds hundreds of guests a week, but also because willy-nilly, the peace reigning in this country is thanks to the SDF Chairman.

Fru Ndi has resisted all the temptation to which any human being can be subjected to oust Biya by military means. If the SDF Chairman had a status, an upstart like Paul Atanga Nji wouldn't boast openly about personally being able to arrest him. But that is beside the point.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle tells us in "The Speckled Band" one of his Sherlock Holmes stories, that when an intelligent man uses his knowledge for negative purposes, he can be a very dangerous adversary of society. Mbah Ndam has alienated many SDF adherents through his great influence on the SDF Chairman.

The exclusions of intellectuals like late Siga Asanga, Ben Muna, Tazoacha Asonganyi and Charly Gabriel Mbock, have also been blamed on the likes of Mbah Ndam, whom many now blame for dining openly with the CPDM.

The Assembly Vice President is said to be so much a favourite of Cavaye Jibril that he was overwhelmingly voted representative to the African Parliamentary Union during a session boycotted by the SDF. At another time he attended two international conferences; one in Equatorial Guinea and another in South Africa.

Not even the dragons of the legendry wizard, Medea, or a supersonic aircraft, shuffling between the two countries, could have enabled him achieve that feat. Mbah Ndam's recent controversial role in the Assembly further dampened the spirit of Cameroonians who didn't see why they should continue to sacrifice, while their representatives were dining with the same CPDM they entered the Assembly to oppose.

Besides, many argue that the amendment has already been done and demonstrating now would be like administering nivaquine drips after a malaria patient's death.Fru John Fru Ndi should embrace the adage that it is good to trust, but better to always crosscheck. He has trusted blindly for too long; it is time to scrutinize him.

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