DISENGAGING FROM THE SYSTEM'S CHARADE CALLED ELECTIONS IN CAMEROON UNDER THE BIYA REGIME

Two days and a day before the elections, this same message and others went to many foreign papers and to SDF, etc.

THE OPPOSITION’S LAST SALVATION:

Hours before this presidential masquerade, genuine Cameroonian union nationalists and patriots with a clear vision for the New Cameroon understand that our only victory tomorrow is an opposition disengagement from Biya's fraud. What does this mean? Fru Ndi, Ndam Njoya and the other contestants should pull out of the race, which they are going to lose by the way, even though more than 80% of the Cameroonian population is against Paul Biya. It is claimed that there are 4.6 million registered voters. Actually, less than 20% of Cameroonians of the voting age actually registered. The inflated figure stems from the handing of more than one and in several cases even ten voters card to CPDM supporters. Election results are already being whispered around, even though Cameroonians have not yet voted.

If Fru Ndi, Ndam Njoya and others continue into the race, then they are merely giving Paul Biya more ammunition to defend his false results. And Cameroonians of the post-independence generations will not forgive them. These so-called opposition leaders will be considered as traitors to the spirit of the struggle. They have made too many mistakes in the struggle starting with the TRIPARTITE; taken too many wrong actions, considered by many to be intentional, pursued strategies, which are devoid of advanced, patriotic and embracing ideals. In short Fru Ndi, Ndam Njoya and others have acted like amateurs confronting this monstrous, corrupt and anti-people system under the Biya regime, amateurs who lack an essence of the struggle. They have been allowed to carry on because Cameroonian union nationalists of the revolutionary brand are not yet fully organized. By failing to redeem themselves by pulling out of the race, Fru Ndi, Ndam Njoya and the others would be committing political suicide. The post-independence generation who got involved in the struggle with virginal intentions, who risked and lost their lives, and who feel betrayed today by the opposition, will consider them too as enemies of the people and obstacles in the struggle.

Janvier Tchouteu

                                                                  Janvier Tchouteu | Monday, 11 October 2004

Afterthought: 

There has been a growing consensus that   the current anachronistic system is irredeemably bad, that it is an insult to the progressive Cameroonian mind and soul, that it kills hope and that its retention is an acceptance of the dictatorship and tyranny of Paul Biya as the system Cameroonians deserve.

Seven years after, even elements of the pre-independence generation are echoing their support of the revolutionary path of the Cameroonian struggle and accepting the fact that changing the system is the only salvation for Cameroon.  From Professor Asonganyi who was  skeptical about it  sixteen years ago, to fork-tongued Francophiles and  even  pro-secessionist Southern Cameroons  advocates; the battle cry is for the New Cameroon that would be born from the rejection of Biya's election masquerade where he and his regime are the election administrator (restricting registration of voters), umpire, judge, competitor  and declarer of the results.

The system can not last another 5-10 years  and would be completely dismantled by the end of the decade. Even if the Biya regime goes ahead with its masquerade and give Paul Biya some more years in power, it would be of little effect, just like Mubarak rigged elections in 2010 and got booted out in 2011. The only thing advocates of change need to do is to dissociate themselves from the masquerade.

In a nutshell, Cameroonians who participate in the masquerade would be making themselves traitors to the struggle. We should rally behind Cameroonian Union Nationalism and build the conflagration of forces that would  realize the New Cameroon. Then, hand in hand as committed Union Nationalists, we shall set the momentum that would generate the wind of change that would sweep the system away and realize the change that Cameroonians have been looking forward to for the past six decades.

The fourth phase of the Cameroonian struggle cannot and will not be lost.