The transfer of power between Foncha and Endeley was peaceful but hardly amiable or in a fraternal atmosphere. The tension and lack of a fraternal atmosphere in the Southern Cameroons/ West Cameroon created the divisive and the atmosphere of political tribalism that we are facing today. Let me cite some examples of the political atmosphere in southern Cameroons/ West Cameroon:
Dr Kwame Ntrumah was visiting southern Cameroons in January 1959 at a time when there was an eruption of Mount Cameroon. Endeley as outgoing premier was host to the guest. The premier's car CM 7 was used by Dr Nkrumah. When Dr Nkrumah flew off at the Tiki airport "K.N.D.P. Thugs jumped into CM 7 and drove off, leaving Dr Endeley stranded at Tiki airport. As a matter of fact most drivers of Ministers just drove theirs cars off to the new K.N.D.P Ministers without any of the formalities of handing over. It all looked more like a mini coup than the orderly transfer of power brought by the verdict of the ballot box. As we stood there while CM7 drove off, leaving Dr Endeley, Premier of Southern Cameroons only days before, stranded at Tiko airport, I could see us heading for a very rough time under Foncha's K.N.D.P. Government" ( Mbile, 1999, 119-120)
In early 1960 Prime Minister Foncha went to southern Cameroons house of assembly one morning announcing that he had caught the opposition's plans to sell Cameroon to Nigeria, brandishing some documents he held in his hand. He charged the opposition and said he had caught them in their sinister designs against cameroon. Upon saying that the opposition at him to tender the letter to the house. Foncha refused to tender the document he said he had in his hands as proof of his accusations against the opposition.
Also most of the democracy that was practiced in Southern Cameroons to west cameroon and to this day has been democracy of tribalism. It is very clear that even if there was no war in southern Cameroons political atmosphere as far as transfer of power was concerned, there was always the cold war and sadly based on tribal politics. This is hardly an atmosphere of amiable or fraternal sentiments. The Fonchas laid a terrible political foundation and created the atmosphere that delivered Southern Cameroons into the willing and waiting hands of Ahidjo and the French. They say willing partners in Foncha and Muna and the others who followed. We are left today to bear the consequences of their betrayals.
Christmas Ebini
Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone
-------- Original message --------
From: "Pa Fru Ndeh PaFruNdeh@YAHOO.COM [cameroon_politics]"
Date:04/01/2015 4:34 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: Cameroon Politics
Subject: [cameroon_politics] Cameroon Transition of Power
Dear All,
The peaceful transition of power in Nigeria from an incumbent President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
to President-Elect Mohammed Buhari is something that we as Africans as a whole need to be proud of
in 2015.
Permit me to remind most of you that a very peaceful transition of power and taken place in the
nation state of the Southern Cameroons in 1959 from the incumbent Prime Minister EML ENDELEY
to the opposition John Ngu FONCHA. That was the first time probably on African soil that a
peaceful democratic transition of power had taken place. It was a very amiable and fraternal atmosphere.
Between 1951 and 1961 Southern Cameroonians had participated in voting at least SIX times and hence
the political maturity was inherent in the behavior of Southern Cameroonians.
Compare that to East Cameroon or La Republique du Cameroun whereby power transitioned from
Andre-Marie Mbida to Ahmadou Ahidjo in a tense atmosphere. The circumstances were quite different
because Ramadier had been sent from France to oust Mbida and with the help of Louis-Paul Aujoulat who
had earlier lost parliamentary constituency (elections) to Andre-Marie Mbida.
Southern Cameroonians had long been politically mature.
The PAAWCE calls for a transition of power in Cameroon to a Patriotic Aboriginal Anglophone of
West Cameroon Extraction. Such a transition shall be in an environment that shall be cordial and
filled with the camaraderie of people who RESPECT each other and KNOW that love of country
as opposed to self is of paramount importance.
Blessed Be Cameroon
Pa Fru Ndeh
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