Beyond the fanfare, colour and thunderous drum-beats of a successful celebration of the reunification 50th anniversary, the event has gone down in the annals of history as one during which president Biya reneged on his old tradition, when he failed to announce any important projects for the host region, during his 5-day stay in Buea to preside over the sovereign events. The president in his anniversary address did not as much as promise even a single project for the South-West region neither did he give assurances that some projects long announced by his appointees would be realized at term.
This was interpreted by many well-meaning South Westerners as taking the entire region for a ride and for granted. “Why provide answers for the demands of other regions and not those of the South West region?” wondered one South West elite in utter disbelief, when the official ceremonies came to a halt at the ceremonial grounds at Bongo Square in Buea on 20 February. “The president is taking South westerners for fools or what? Not even a single project? Not even a pledge?” questioned one other elite, who consoled himself in the forlorn hope that may be the president would sign some important decrees before he leaves Buea.
Hon. John Ebong Ngole
Sen. Mafany Musonge
Even some elite and chiefs from the sister North West region could also not belief what had just happened. Some even resorted to mocking their South West brothers: “We thought that by postponing the celebration many times the president was busy tying a big bundle for our South West brothers. But I am surprised that he came to Buea empty-handed,” remarked some North West elite, who joked that “may be the president forgot the package he brought for the South west people in his helicopter.
It should be recalled that the president has always made pronouncements and promises of development projects in every of his sporadic outings to the regions. In fact, movements of president Biya within the country have come to be associated with the announcement and/or confirmation of development projects for the regions visited. He did it in Maroua (The State University and college of Education); in Bertoua (The Ayos-Bonis road); in Douala (The 2nd Wouri Bridge, opening of the East and West outlets of the economic capital and many more); in Bamenda (The Bamenda University, Referral Hospital, Ring road etc). So why would the president not promise something for the South west, at least in recognition of the support, both political and otherwise, that he has always had from the SW people over the years? “Why should the South West get so little in return for all its enormous and indispensible contribution to the national economy of this country? Where did we go wrong?” lamented a visibly embittered South west chief and patriarch, who registered that “something must be done to stop this nonsense.” The chief recalled that even during the celebration of the first Agric. Show in Buea in 1973, nothing in terms of development was done to the region, as opposed to other regions that hosted the show in latter years.
Wrangling, questionable
political leadership
However, even as some observers have indicted president Biya for what they considered as an over-sight, some analysts took no time to heap the blame instead on South West political leaders, whom they said because of sheer greed, inter-personal and inter-divisional wars, disunity and glaringly self-seeking and self-serving postures, failed to forge a united front to confront Biya with the problems of the region. The Median was hinted even before the president read his address that because SouthWest elite could not arrive at a consensus on who among them should read the elites’ address on the occasion, the chairman of the National Organizing committee for the reunification, Martin Belinga Eboutou in concert with the protocol sub-committee, decided to keep out that aspect from the initial program. We gathered that while some elite wanted John Ebong Ngole to read the elites’ address on their behalf, others preferred Senator Peter Mafany Musonge or Prof Peter Agbor Tabi for the task. Yet another group wanted a person from the younger generation, even the SWELA scribe, Epie Ekale, to read the speech. In the end no consensus candidate was presented to the protocol sub-committee, and so the aspect of a welcome remark from the elites was deleted from the program, unfortunately.
And it was for this reason therefore, that the president’s planned answers to the problems of the Southwest were not included in his address, The Median gathered further. Also, because the Mayor of Buea was told that the problems of the region would be contained in the elites’ address to be delivered on the occasion, Ekema Patrick had to delete all regional aspects from his original speech to avoid duplicity, we learnt. So, because no speech was read out presenting the problems of the Southwest region, the president could not by himself imagine the problems and provide solutions to them. In fact, the president simply considered that the Southwest had no problems because if they did, they would have organized themselves and tabled them to him.
South West chiefs fail to show the good example
It should be mentioned here that the division among the people of the Southwest did not end only with the elites. It was also epitomized by the chiefs, who also resorted to presenting different and separate gifts to president Biya and in dispersed ranks. In fact, we gathered that the Fako chiefs did not condone the fact that they were relegated to the background by the president of the SW chiefs’ conference, HRH Fontem Njifua and his predecessor, HRM Nfor Tabetando Ndiepso from Lebialem and Manyu Divisions respectively. The Median learnt further that because of the disappointment of Fako chiefs, some of them decided to boycott the reception offered by the presidential couple later in the evening on Thursday 20 February.
Oh! Cry the beloved SWELA
Many South Westerners especially those of the younger generation have not stopped blaming their leaders especially CPDM party barons, for doing everything to kill the Elites Association, SWELA, which in her heyday, fought very hard for the South west to also grab its own fare share of goodies from almighty Yaounde including notably the appointment of a first South west Prime Minister, Peter Mafany Musonge, in September 1996, after 35 years of the reunification.
It turned out that the same SWELA that fought so courageously to get a Prime Minister for the South West in the second half of the tumultuous 1990s suddenly began to loose its steam and verve in about the same period, due to political wrangling, infighting and witch-hunting among CPDM power mongers in Yaounde and partly because of an ensuing CPDM-Opposition divide within its ranks. Because South west power barons in Yaounde wanted to transform the association from the apolitical lobby machinery that it was, and as was conceived by the late Barrister E. T. Enaw (RIP), Pa E.T. Egbe(RIP) and others, into an appendage of the ruling CPDM party, SWELA obviously fragmented. And today it has gone moribund, very sadly.
It was no doubt therefore that SWELA played no role in mobilizing South Westerners for the reunification celebration. Surprisingly though, its supposed role was hijacked by the so-called local support committee headed by one of its own products, Senator Peter Mafany Musonge.
That said therefore, the celebration of 50 years of the reunification in Buea is now history. But it has left the people of the South west with a bitter pill to swallow, especially as they have emerged as arguably the best losers of the whole reunification process. And this only puts the political leadership of the region to question. Many are already asking if the political leaders of the region should continue with the rather docile and passive approach to politics or they should adopt the more vigorous, concerted and aggressive attitude like their brothers of the North west region, who had long understood that the only language that Yaounde understands is ‘gra-gra’ and not quiescence and complacent passivity.
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