.THE PRIME MINISTER`S GAFFE IN BUEA

THE PRIME MINISTER`S GAFFE IN BUEA

One of the comments still being made on the recent celebration of Cameroon`s reunification in Buea is the robust and forthright riposte made by Prime Minister /Head of Government, Philemon Yang in answer to a question posed on the issue of the SCNC.

The question which was posed by Dr. Simon Munzu – a firebrand activist who quit the country many years ago – was about the possibility of the government holding talks with the SCNC. Visibly irked, the prime minister retorted that this could only happen if the SCNC transformed itself into a political party.

The post newspaper reports: “Yang however expressed fear that if SCNC activists, sympathizers and partisans should be allowed to form a political party, they may whip up secessionist sentiments among Cameroonians, - a worry which the government has resolutely fought hard to avert over the years.”

The prime minister`s reaction is cause for concern. His fear that the SCNC might get out of control if it becomes a political party is unfounded. The reason is that if the pressure group accepts to become a political party, then it would be a party just like any other one and toe the line like others. The government would now have some leverage over it. The main problem is even whether the SNC would ever accept to form the party.

By making this demand on the SCNC, the prime minister was no doubt echoing the recommendation by the pan African tribunal in Banjul which had earlier ruled on the SCNC`s case by asking it to constitute itself into a party and talk with Yaounde. What may really stop the SCNC from doing this is that it views Yaounde , or what it calls “La République” as a usurper, and therefore an equal partner.

One thing the prime minister must remember is that although Boko Haram in Nigeria is not a political party, the government of Nigeria has not ruled out talks with it, as a way of solving the great crisis and stress under which it has put Nigerians at all levels. In politics, you never say, ”never”.

It was politically unwise for the prime minster to have made those demands on the SCNC on the occasion of the reunification celebration where there was so much heat in the air. After all, the initial idea was that of the Banjul Tribunal - and not that of the Cameroon government - whose rulings, it appears, are not even legally binding. The prime minster should have held his peace because the house was not on fire.

The prime minister was under no obligation to respond on the spot. One reason is that shifting the goal post in politics is a common practice. Politicians make promises and then break them. That means that after all that we may say today, Yaounde may still end up by talking with the SCNC. It did this with the SDF Opposition Leader, Ni John Fru Ndi, after decades of treating him as an outcast.

We should also recall that when George Bush (Senior) was campaigning for election of the U.S., he assured Americans that if he was elected, he would not raise taxes. But he did after his election. Again, when British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain returned from a meeting with Adolf Hitler of Germany and triumphantly waved the non-aggression pact they had both signed, not long after that, Hitler still attacked Britain. So, what was wrong with the prime minister simply saying: “Alright, we`ll study that posibility’?

Perhaps the prime minister might want to borrow a leaf from the various delegations which Paul Biya sent abroad to inform Cameroonians of what was going on back home when he just took power. When the team visited a place like London, it allowed us invitees to speak freely and even criticize them and the regime. I remember that the veteran journalist, Anembom Munju who was in London at the time working for a law firm (Antony Smith), was one of the most ardent critics of the regime. She remained vocal even when her very own uncle, the Late Minister Joseph Chongwain Awunti came as a member of the delegation.

At the end of the session, the delegation would thank us for coming and sharing our views. Then they would say that once they returned to Cameroon, they would channel our concerns “to the right quarters”.

Whether they actually did so or not is another issue. But they let us speak, unbridled, unimpeded and unthreatened.