Cameroon: Moving Forward to 2011

By Tazoacha Asonganyi in Yaounde.

With all the distractions around us, like selective arrest of embezzlers of state funds, noises about impending big projects, pompous declarations about the food crisis and more, we should not lose sight of the momentous 2011 that is approaching at a gallop.It is of historical interest that once in a while, extraordinary human beings that stand out head and shoulders above all others appear on the scene. We all had this in mind when we embarked on the politics of change with the return of multi-party politics in the early ?90s.

This was especially so because experience from South East Asia had taught us that one commanding personality could change a country in a generation?Such a personality gets thrust up by forces under the surface and they alter the direction of the forces in their poor, underdeveloped countries and make their life a legend, like Mao, Park Chung Hee and others...It is true that the opposition figures that emerged on the stage in the early ?90s were products of different backgrounds: some were realists, others were idealists, but they seemed to be all aware of the weak foundation on which the country stood. They also seemed to be aware of the forces under the surface that had brought the country to its knees. All of them had one thing in common: each behaved like a star.

It was not long before we became aware of the dangers that had been cast on the struggle by these "shining" stars. Since great stars are only happy in their own unimpeded orbits, it was difficult to put them in one orbit! Each time they were "forced" together, it was more a partnership of circumstances and convenience, than of friendship and cooperation. And so under our eyes, the mission of the struggle whittled down and was departed from. In their dazzling, competitive orbits, they developed "strategies" that were more shell than kernel... As years went by, each developed the myopia of old men that it is difficult to imagine a satisfactory younger successor!So what was the challenge the emergent leaders were bound to meet? Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai has responded with a question: "...why is Africa one of the richest continents on the planet, endowed with oil, precious stones, forests, water, wildlife, soil, land, agricultural products, and millions
of women and men, and yet most of Africa?s people remain impoverished?" (seewww.project-syndicat.org/commentary/maathai1).

Thesimple reason is the lack of serious leaders with vision like Mao Tse-tung (for China) and Park Chung Hee (for South Korea) that truly emanate from within the society to create the appropriate environment for their countries to emerge from poverty, underdevelopment and helplessness. Africa?s false step was taken by the leaders that took over African countries following independence, because of their "limited and conditioned vision".

To paraphrase Paulo Freire (Pedagogy of the Oppressed), the perception of the leaders of the colonised people was impaired by their submersion in the reality of colonisation. They were so inside the system that they could not see themselves in the struggle to free their countries except in terms of raising themselves to the status of those who colonised them.

Although they were colonised and abused, they identified with the colonial forces that denied them what they dreamt to become.Since the coloniser had inspired "admiration", being like the coloniser would also inspire "admiration"!Consequently, the opportunity to rule was confused with oppression; they imitated the use of power and authority by colonisers and ruled their people in the manner of the colonialist they had just replaced.Unfortunately, those who succeeded to replace these "strongmen" or "fathers of the nation", continued in the imitation.

Therefore the mission that faced the "new" opposition parties that emerged in the early ?90s was to end this sterile imitation by providing appropriate leadership to lead our country out of the stalemate of underdevelopment and poverty. As would be realised later, the leaders did not seem to have a single grain of conviction, except in the hope that by some luck, they could grab the country and commandeer it in the image of those they were fighting to replace. Their political attitudes seemed to be dictated by opportunism, rather than by any coherent corpus of belief.

"Democracy" was always their pet slogan, and they invariably included it in the names of their parties, although they had very little idea of what it meant. It was like a password for self-preservation and self promotion?Most of the "leaders" spent precious time uprooting plants from the gardens of ideological certainties and replanting them in the gardens of the outfits they had set up as political parties; giving them funny names like rigour and moralisation, new deal, grands ambitions, power to the people, equal opportunity, republican ethics... and even creating "shadows" that fell into desuetude upon their creation... As expected, the gardens became more and more barren with passing years? and the hungry and expectant people became more and more restive!Although a politician should always be ready to prick the balloon of his own enthusiasm, none of ours allowed their balloons to be deflated.

Slowly, most of them came to believe in the illusion that the people can "rise up like one man" against injustice and frustration without nurture and prompting ... without professional managers of the emotion of change. What is difficult to understand is that although some of them led themselves up futile, blind alleys, they still seem to be persuaded that they are on the crest of a winning wave!After Ahidjo?s 22 years at the helm, it seems the only ambition of the present man at the top in our country is to be remembered for having blown out the highest number of candles in the presidential palace.

As we move forward to 2011, the various "stars" circling their individual orbits leave us only to hope that the year will mark our own "once in a while" when, from relative obscurity, an extraordinary human being with vision and patriotism will emerge on the scene.

Post-strike arrest: 729 people jailed in Cameroon, 157 still on trial, and 466 on appeal

Amadou Ali, Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seal, of the Republic of Cameroon has revealed that of the over 1600 persons arrested during the February 24 to 29 social unrest in the country, 729 of them have been tried and sentenced to serve various prison terms ranging from three months to six years.

Speaking during a press conference which took place at the nation’s capital, Yaounde, the Justice Minister made it clear that of the 1671 individuals arrested nationwide, 199 were released in the West province by a decision of the local administration, 256 set free by the courts while 470 others who have been found guilty have appealed against the decision. Contrary to popular out cry that the victims most of whom were innocent did not have a fare trial, Amadou Ali assured
that the trials were being done under the strict respect of the law.

Meanwhile youths and some politicians who have been targeted as being at the origin of the wanton destruction that took place during the strike had gone underground. They are said to be escaping from security operatives who have intensified the search of those alleged to have been actively involved in the destruction of property. A couple of weeks ago Hon.
Nicheau, of the Social Democratic Front Party (SDF), was blocked at the Douala International airport, in an attempt to travel abroad.

During the unrest, furious youths in Bonaberi destroyed fuel stations, rampaging and looting shops. They were stopped at the Bonaberi Bridge on their way to Banonjo on grounds that they wanted to meet the Governor of the province Fai Yengo Francis. Trapped on the bridge most of them were arrested while others jumped into the river for safety. In a nationwide statement, the president of the Republic, Paul Biya, blamed politicians for manipulating the youths in order to reap political gains. He warned that their plans were doomed to failure as he would use all legal means available to ensure the rule of law. Biya’s threat became real as Courts held urgent sessions passing a number of summary judgments on youths arrested by the security
during the social action. During a press conference in Yaounde, a few days after
the strike the Vice prime minister, Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Amadou Ali, disclosed that of 1671 arrests made across the country, 671 came from the Littoral province. He said the arrests were made following instructions given out to judicial police officers by the state prosecutors, by virtue of Article 103 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Consequently some Courts in the various jurisdictions held in-camera summary session to try those arrested

In Douala, two people received sentences ranging from seven months to one year at the Douala-Bonanjo Court of First Instance. The same court acquitted 22 arrested suspects. In the Douala-Ndokoti Court in the same city 48 persons received prison sentences between six months two years while 17 were acquitted. In Nkongsamba, of the nine persons brought before the
court, two were acquitted; six sentenced to prison terms between four and 16 months while one case is pending. In neighboring Mbanga, the six arrested persons were each sentenced to 18 months in prison. In Limbe in the South West province, two of the six persons brought before the Court of First Instance were acquitted while four received sentences of six to eight months. In Tombel, three people appeared before the court. One was acquitted while two others were
fined CFA 50.000 frs or an imprisonment term of six months.

Meanwhile, armed security operatives still roam the streets of the main cities, especially Douala and Yaounde in search of the alleged perpetrators of acts of vandalism during the strike.
Parents who have not been able to trace their children after the strike are in a state of total bewilderment as to whether they are dead, alive, or locked up in one of the cells or prisons while awaiting trial. Mrs Wambo Madalene, of Ndogpassi, Douala, for example was lucky to find her son alive though locked up in the Bonnajo Judicial police cell. This situation of families seeking to have concrete information about their arrested offspring has been an embarrassment
even to the administration.

It is alleged that some of those recorded as arrested were released by some government officials without authorization, a situation that has created confusion on the check-list of those declared dead, arrested and detained. Amadou Ali said investigations were still underway in Buea, Tiko, Bamenda, Kumbo, Kumba, Dschang and Bafang. ‘Bush Faller’ Jailed Amongst Riot suspect
Meanwhile, Nkeng Thaddeus, a Cameroonian living abroad commonly referred to as ‘bush faller’ who was in Cameroon to prepare for the funeral celebration of his late father will have to spend one year at the Kumba principal prison before ‘falling bush’. Nkeng Thaddeus was jailed amongst nine others as they were found guilty as charged by the Kumba court of first instance for having committed offences contrary to and punishable under the Cameroonian Penal code. Nkeng and
the others, the court declared, were found with crates of beer and other valuables from less Brassieres du Cameroun and Transformation Reef Cameroon (TRC) during the recent strike that was characterized by looting, vandalism and destruction.

Though the state prosecutor Florence Nzene had called on the court to give maximum sentences with hard labour in order to deter looting and vandalism in future, the presiding magistrate, Maire Asong, tempered justice with mercy as pleaded by the defense lawyers, finding Pascal Ayuk Marnus Mbah, Thaddeus Nkeng, Augustine Nkeng, Patrick Tabe, Kamga, Philimon Nkemasong and Emile Forgwe guilty. They will serve an imprisonment terms ranging from 3 months to 1 year.