Firing a discordant note to Biya:

Was Mbombo Njoya stage-managed?

For some Cameroonians the Sultan-King of the Bamums said the things he said in his 20 February address in Bafoussam because he truly meant his words. But others are of the view that the speech was stage-managed by President Biya as a way of getting an alternative view of Cameroonians at a time when “the people’s call” is in motion

By Essan Ekoninyam in Yaounde

Paul Biya and Sultan Njoya

The dust raised by the controversial speech that the Sultan-King of the Bamums who is also senator and member of the political bureau of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, made in Bafoussam on 20 February 2016 has not at all settled. The address made by Ibrahim Mbombo Njoya to his fellow comrades of the ruling party, in his capacity as coordinator of the CPDM in the West region, is still the subject of heated debate and counter arguments in many political, social and even casual circles in Cameroon.

                Many people, especially Anglophones, know that Mbombo Njoya is one who can embarrass his fellow countrymen at anytime, and so believe that the pronouncements he made in Bafoussam truly came from the bottom of his mind. “If he can call the Anglophones of this country ‘les enemies dans la maison’ (enemies in the house) who should go back to their Biafra country if they are not satisfied, then what can stop him from telling CPDM members some simple truths?” a senior Anglophone civil servant questioned when The Median sought his opinion about Mbombo Njoya’s recent declarations.

                Others say the King of the Bamums has no reason to hide his feelings given the high office he holds amongst his people. Ngoupayou Seydou, a businessman who hails from the Noun division, said to this reporter at the weekend: “That man is a king; he’ll die a king. What do you expect from a figure that casts such an image? Do you think he can hesitate to voice out any truth in his mind? Who can sanction a king?

                “I read the papers last week and agreed with some of the things said in them. Firstly, the Sultan is not happy with the appointment of inconsequential people from his division in government. Secondly, he wants Foumban to be elevated to a city council with a government delegate. Thirdly, he had expected to be made the president of the Senate instead of his old rival, Marcel Niat Njifenji. Lastly, he knows his closeness to Marafa Hamidou Yaya is now an open secret and that he is now paying the price for this. Those are the reasons why he was angry and said some of the things he said.”

                The views of some other Cameroonians whom we contacted are, nevertheless, different. They see the whole thing as staged-managed to suit President Paul Biya’s whims and caprices.

                “Since when did a rebellious voice ring such a bell in the party?” Binzouli Meka, a councillor in one of the councils in Yaounde said. “CPDM stalwarts are not rebels; they are conformists who are all behind President Biya, the natural candidate of the party for now. We should not fear Mbombo Njoya’s speech. We should instead look at it as something that the party hierarchy is using to test the waters so that we can know how best to swim.”

                Proponents of this view justify their point with the Paul Biya – Mbombo Njoya meeting in Switzerland recently, a meeting allegedly called by the former so that he and “his man” could analyze the impact and outcome of the speech.

                “President Paul Biya is an old political fox. The older he grows, the wiser he becomes politically. If you watch every action of his nowadays, you would realize that he doesn’t do anything by chance. Every action of his is well-calculated. At a time when everyone is saying he should run for the upcoming presidential election, he needed to have arranged for a contrary opinion in order to get the feel of Cameroonians who had a contrary view. That is why when he got the Sultan to say what he said, he summoned him to Geneva for them to examine all of that together,” a former member of the opposition Social Democratic Front, SDF, member who joined the CPDM recently, argued.

                His former colleague who remains an opposition die-hard had this to say: “Do you think Biya is a fool? At 83, he is playing his last cards and he makes sure he plays them pretty well. Mbombo Njoya could not be saying all those things from the blues. They were pre-arranged and well thought-out. The aim was to see how Cameroonians would react to an alternative view. Biya and his guys are now taking down their notes and calculating the next move. We should expect much from the President in the weeks and months ahead. 

What did Mbombo Njoya really say?

                For want of space, what the Sultan-King of the Bamums said in his speech will not be discussed here in its entirety. Just a highlight of some of the controversial points he raised will be mentioned.

                It should be recalled that Mbombo Njoya said the keys of both Biya’s and Cameroon’s misfortune and happiness are found in the former’s hands. It was a way of saying that it is left for the President to decide which one to choose.

                The Sultan also called for an extraordinary as well as an ordinary congress of the CPDM to be held so that key decisions (such as whether President Biya should run for the upcoming presidential election and whether or not the election should be anticipated) could be made.

                Also, Senator Mbombo Njoya said confusion should not be made between the longevity of a person in power and the conservation of power by a political party. He said it was thus time to debate the preoccupying the situation of Cameroonians which could seriously compromise the peace that is very dear to us and which was achieved after a huge fight.

                Finally the King warned that it is not necessary to wait for three years to engage appropriate political measures, for at the rhythm that things are evolving in the world, “we are not free from unpleasant surprises.”