Ronald Reagan, a former US President
stated that, “Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many
rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.” But Josh
Billings in his opinion feels strongly that, “No one can disgrace us but
ourselves.” In fact, John Fru Ndi, National Chairman and Joshua Osih, Vice
National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, SDF which is the frontline
opposition party in Cameroon
sufficiently disgraced themselves politically in Cape Town, South Africa.
Oblivious of the universal principles of democracy that obtained at the
international level and blinded by their thirst for revenge and their
insatiable quest for positions, John Fru Ndi and Joshua Osih in an unexpected
twist wanted to compromise the position of Chantal Kambiwa, another SDF
militant to the Vice chair of Socialist International. The duo met with doom as
Joshua Osih positioned and projected by Fru Ndi to dwarf Chantal
Kambiwa was seriously whipped in the elections that ensued while Chantal
Kambiwa won in grand style, thus retaining her post of Vice President of
Socialist International. John Fru Ndi and Joshua Osih who had almost always
shouted their opinions like demi-gods in the hall had nowhere to hide their
public disgraced, apart from leaving the election hall with their heads buried
in their hands and their tails in-between their legs.
Chairman Fru Ndi left Cameroon with a delegation of 9 people to attend
the XXIV Congress of the Socialist International in Cape
Town South
Africa that ran from August 30 to September
1, 2012 with a serious hidden agenda only known to him and Osih. The members of
the delegation were: John Fru Ndi, Joshua Osih, Milton Taka, Paul Nkamankeng,
Jessy Itambi, Ben Fru Ndi, Chantal Kambiwa, Mbah Francis and James Mbinkar.
Although the delegation consisted of people of questionable militancy in the
SDF, like the chairman’s son Ben Fru Ndi and others in the delegation, they
were part of a Machiavelli plan hatched and nursed by Fru Ndi to dislodge
Chantal Kambiwa from her post. The floor rules adopted by most member countries
were geared towards presenting one candidate in elective positions and backing
that candidate. John Fru Ndi and Joshua Osih had their hidden agenda. Fru Ndi
added Joshua Osih’s name to that of Chantal Kambiwa and thus Cameroon had to
present two candidates. This posture adopted by Fru Ndi stunned the Socialist
International officials and most of the members. In the heat of debates, Fru Ndi
proposed to withdraw one candidate and according to political observers,
chances were that it was Chantal Kambiwa that was to be sacrificed. The
election returning officers sought for a common ground by allowing SDF to
present two candidates to the thunderous applause of the women who had long
thrown their weight behind Chantal Kambiwa. And in the elections that ensued,
Chantal Kambiwa won while Joshua Osih lost woefully as he came amongst the
unclassified.
Political analysts back home hold
that Fru Ndi’s decision to present two candidates did not only tantamount to
political treason within the SDF, but equally portrayed him as gullible and
vindictive. A school of thought holds that for some time now Fru Ndi has not
been comfortable with the rising popularity of Chantal Kambiwa and wanted to
cut her in midflight. This very school of thought postulates that this sudden
hatred of Chantal Kambiwa by Fru Ndi cannot be unrelated to numerous
surreptitious attempts by the chairman to entertain a carnal relationship with
Chantal Kambiwa and her constant rebuff of the chairman’s amorous advances. And
that the chairman wanted to clip her wings by flushing her out and positioning
his cohort Joshua Osih, thus stopping her from embarking on international
outings in a bid to coerce her to dance to his tune. It is even alleged that
the National Chairman reaped some juicy pecuniary benefits in the arrangement
to position Joshua Osih. And after the unpalatable results, a fuming and
furious Joshua Osih is alleged to have immediately stretched his hands towards
the chairman for a refund of what he is alleged to have collected. Yet another
school of thought holds that the SDF National Chairman wanted to position
Joshua Osih in Socialist International in order to keep Osih’s eyes away from
the position of National Chairman and thus pave the way for his chosen
candidate to sail through unperturbed.
Also it is being circulated in
subdued tones in SDF high quarters that Fru Ndi wanted to reignite his
commitment to Socialist International after he failed to exploit the golden
opportunity given the SDF by the election of François Hollande, a socialist as
president of France.
Against all popular expectation, Fru Ndi stayed away during the swearing in
ceremony of François Hollade. This attracted criticisms across the board and
generated debates during a NEC meeting. Fru Ndi sprang up in NEC and questioned
the raison d’etre of such an exercise where he was expected to hop on a plane
just to go and queue up and shake hands with François Hollande and return to Cameroon. But
he received whispers from the hall that it was necessary for it was a forum for
him to meet other top-notch world leaders and exchange contacts with them, thus
galvanizing the position of the SDF on national and international issues.
However, many are saying that it
is just because the SDF National Chairman is so vindictive and does not forgive
any person who crosses his path that he personally travelled to South Africa to
see how he could dislodge Chantal Kambiwa. Those who hold this opinion are
constantly pointing to many instances, especially to the recent SDF North West
Provincial Conference during which Fru Ndi clearly demonstrated that he is yet
to forgive Hon Fobi Nchinda Simon, SDF MP for Bamenda Central and Bali Constituency.
During the elective conference, John Fru Ndi violated all conventional wisdom
rules of a modern democratic society by openly campaigning on the floor of the
elective conference for Hon Fobi Nchinda’s adversary. He wanted to square with
Hon Fobi Nchinda Simon who purely in a democratic manner wanted to vie for the
post of National Chairman when Fru Ndi had made several public utterances that
he wanted to relinquish that position. Fru Ndi in an unprecedented manner
swallowed his words later and turned around to contest in an unorthodox manner
and unchallenged the positions of National Chairman and Presidential candidate.
Yet he has not put behind him Hon Fobi Nchinda’s attempt to vie for the top job
of the party, though Hon Fobi was the first to congratulate him when he won and
even offered to be his campaign manager. And unlike others Hon obi Nchinda has
remained committed to the SDF but he is yet to be forgiven for a crime that
never was committed.
Travelling to South Africa,
John Fru Ndi who is always full of himself and passes for an all-knowing person
erroneously thought that elections and issues pertaining to democracy function
in like manner as obtains in the SDF where his words are law. He met with
international waterloo as he was given a practical lesson in functional
democracy. Why cannot Fru Ndi learn from some other leaders like Abraham
Lincoln who stated that, “Destroy your enemy by making him your friend.”
Maybe if he had made Chantal Kambiwa a friend and not a foe, a compromise
would have easily been reached to present one candidate which was his
candidate. Now that Chantal Kambiwa is sufficiently aware of the National
Chairman’s intentions, where does allegiance now sway to and who holds who in
awe? He who was disgraced internationally or she who was recognized
internationally through a highly competitive election? This further plunges the
SDF into disrepute for preaching virtue and practicing vice. Power to the
people has become power to a selected few by the National Chairman and nothing
to the people. What a shame. Anyway Fru Ndi has one option, writing a book.
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