Biya’s Regime only reacts and doesn’t anticipate problems

-Hon. Chief Paul Nji Tumasang

Hon Chief Paul Nji Tumasang is Member of Parliament at the National Assembly for Mezam South, Santa Special Constituency. Speaking during the National Executive Committee Meeting of the Social Democratic Front that took place in Bamenda on Saturday May 27, the outspoken MP said among other things the Biya Regime only reacts and doesn’t anticipate problems. Pointing at the problems presently plaguing Cameroon, he said for more than fifty years of Independence problems which have always starred at us in the face are suddenly resurfacing and taking the regime by surprise. He was interviewed by Francis Ekongang Nzante.

Excerpts  

The just ended National Executive Convention of the SDF is seen to be very strategic since it is considered by many as the end of an era. What were its highlights?

The journalist may say that it is the end of an era but it is just a continuation of what the Social Democratic Front stands for and what we have been working on for a long time. During the last Convention we postponed the Elective Convention just to better organise things on the ground. Talking about the crises that have been plaguing the country, we insist in our support of the legitimate demands of the teachers and lawyers. We are amazed by the non-challant attitude of the Government so far. Cameroonians in the Northwest and Southwest Regions have stuck to the requests of these Trade Unions and the SDF has simply continued to do what it has always done. There is nothing new in all of that. We are blaming the government for letting a situation that could have been easily handled in the first place to go out of hand. We are also preparing for the eventuality of any elections. You know with the Biya regime, things can be announced at anytime to surprise us. The Chairman as such called for us to go back into the field and get our structures organised at the level of the base in view of the elections. 

We understand that elective exercises were already carried out in seven Regions except in some three problem areas; the South, Centre and Adamawa. How did the National Executive Meeting seek to redress this?  

NEC approved the report of the South and Adamawa Regions and encouraged them to continue working in the right direction so as to complete their work by putting in place the Regional Executive. In the Center Region there was a problem of collaboration between the out-going Executive and the NEC team that was sent in to work with them in order to re-organise the structures. Our Constitution makes room for a solution of such a problem by what we call 18.8. which states that if a certain structure is being disturbed from functioning normally, the regional team will be suspended and a NEC team will be sent in to coordinate the activities until such a time that the problem is resolved. That is the resolution that was taken as far as the Centre Region was concerned. The outgoing executive was suspended according to the provisions of article 18.8. Before the Elective Convention in October, the NEC team would have finished its work.

How hopeful are you with regards to the mellifluous continuity of the party against a backdrop of general feelings that there is no preparation for transition?

 

We have always been grooming the younger ones within the party and encouraging them to work hard and take over. I am surprised that any one should think that there is no preparation for continuity. Look at the National Executive Committee and you will see that a cross Section of them is made up of young people. A good number of the Mayors and Parliamentarians are young people. The idea of not grooming young people is really not a problem in the Social Democratic Front. When you go into the field you will see that most of them are taking up positions in the party from the wards up to the level of the Regions. Our advice now is for people to go into the field and prepare for elections at the various levels; the National Executive, at the level of the Municipals and the Parliament.

As a person with a National image considering your presence in Parliament what message do you have for Cameroonians?  

  

I call on SDF Militants and Cameroonians in general to join us in this fight against a regime in place that has run short of ideas on how to run the country. They are bankrupt of ideas on the way forward for the solution to the problems of the country. To participate in the political life of the country SDF militants and Cameroonians in general simply have to register massively and vote when the time comes so that we can increase our representation and why not a majority in Parliament. Our orientation as Social Democrats is putting the people first. The problems of the people include the present Anglophone Crises, the lawyers and teachers problems, and infrastructural problems that we have all over the country, general poverty among many other problems plaguing the people. 

What was your political vision when you decided to step into politics?

What generally inspired me was the fact that Cameroonians were being misused by the regime. The basic necessities of life were not being given to the Cameroonian people. Problems like the lack of roads, no assistance to farmers, very epileptic water and electricity supply, very expensive telecommunication services, security of Cameroonians especially the young ones have been completely ignored. The people as such have been left without a sense of direction to the extent that the government has actually turned a blind eye to the barbaric activities of sects like Boko Haram. When I looked at the political landscape I felt that SDF was the best platform for these problems to be solved and in good time. After 21 years of decentralization in Cameroon nothing has happened. Biya’s regime reacts to and doesn’t anticipate problems. After more than 50 years of independence, problems are coming up despite the fact that these problems were staring at them in the face all the time. When we told them in Parliament that the law on terrorism could turn everybody into a terrorist they went ahead and passed it and now they are using it to stifle political discussions in the country. We have been so abused that radicalism is stepping in and we’ve got to step in and de-radicalise the situation. Let us focus on building the State in a way that everybody will belong. We should build a Cameroon in which everybody belongs. 

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