That Message of Appeasement of the CPDM at SDF Convention By Gregoire Owona

Mister Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, Ladies and Gentlemen, all protocol respected,

It is a great honour for me to take the floor at this 8^th ordinary convention of the Social Democratic Front, SDF. Before I continue, I wish to thank you Mr. Chairman Ni John Fru Ndi, for the warm welcome reserved for the Delegation I am leading on behalf of the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement.

Mister Chairman, Dear participants,

Invited to participate at the convention of the Social Democratic Front, the National President of the CPDM, H.E Paul Biya appreciates in a very special way this mark of esteem placed in him.

The national president of the CPDM, H.E Paul Biya has therefore appointed me as head of the delegation representing the CPDM at the 8^th convention of the SDF.

He first of all asked me to express his sincere thanks to the Chairman of the SDF, Mr. Ni John Fru Ndi and to the SDF party and then, to convey to you his republican and patriotic greetings coupled with his wishes of total success for your deliberations.

As you all know, Bamenda remains engraved in the golden letters in the annals if the CPDM for, the CPDM saw the light of the day on the 24^th March 1985 in this same Bamenda congress hall. It is also from this city that the SDF your party was presented to Cameroonians.

Since then, the CPDM and the SDF have been working together differently and today they are the leading political parties in Cameroon, with the first having a comfortable majority in the National Assembly and controlling most of the councils while the second as the leading opposition party represented in the National Assembly, also manages some councils after the CPDM.

History will retain that it is here in Bamenda, the headquarters of the North West Region that these major political were created since the return to multiparty democracy!

This unprecedented invitation is a historical fact to which we can add other historical facts that have occurred here in Bamenda that need to be kept in the collective memory of the democratic life of our country. I am talking, amongst other things, of the first meeting between the President of the Republic, H.E Paul Biya and the Chairman Ni John Fru Ndi during the celebrations of the 50^th anniversary of the Cameroon’s Armed Forces.

Your invitation and our presence at this 8^th convention of the SDF symbolizes our common will to pursue the dialogue between the forces of progress for the advent of a strong and authentic democracy in our country. This invitation of the SDF sounds like a resumption of dialogue between the CPDM and the SDF which started in 1997 with the creation of the joint reflection committee, which unfortunately died off prematurely. Many years have gone by, many things have changed but our common will to build a special model democracy that ties in with the virtues of peace, tolerance, acceptance of our differences in unity, remains stronger than ever in our country.

The CPDM on his part, has never relented in its efforts to maintain an appeased relationship with your party, which it should be recognized that this plays a vital role in the construction of democracy in our country. That is why, the National President of the CPDM has accepted your invitation to demonstrate how much he is attached to peace and dialogue and finally to show the way forward for the construction of a true democracy in Cameroon. It is therefore as a friend, a brother, a partner and interlocutor that the CPDM is attending this convention. Our party has always stretched its hand and will not turn down any stretched hand no matter where it comes from. The CPDM is for dialogue, this is the meaning our national president gives to the concept of democracy of appeasement, togetherness and overture. The historic meeting here in Bamenda between President Paul Biya and Ni John Fru Ndi, the leader of the SDF, during the celebration of the 50^th anniversary of our National Armed Forces falls therefore within the framework of this policy of dialogue and overture that President Paul Biya has always wished and a vision which is shared by the chairman.

Thus, taking good note of the theme under which you placed your convention, that is “Engagement and Determination” the CPDM reads in the engagement of the SDF to privilege dialogue, tolerance and appeasement. The CPDM therefore congratulates you for this, for our country needs to consolidate social peace on the national territory and as well as on its frontiers in order to pursue its development.

That is why, it is the fervent wish of the national President of the CPDM that your convention should avail you with greater means and resources to efficiently contribute to build an emerging Cameroon cherished by all of us.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Our parties therefore carry a historical responsibility vis-à-vis Cameroon and Cameroonians. This responsibility obliges them to permanently adopt a constructive attitude, above their differences and competition, for the honour of our nation.

In spite of our incomprehension and impatience, we have always agreed on total democracy in Cameroon and together we are forging ahead with the modernization of our electoral system.

Dear delegates,

In responding to your kind invitation, the CPDM wishes that the higher interest of Cameroon be kept above partisan interest. Our wish is that the present meeting should permit the CPDM and the SDF to work together  for the promotion of a modern and emerging Cameroon in the name of this historic responsibility which theirs; guided by the enlightened leadership of H.E Paul Biya, President of the Republic shared Ni John Fru Ndi, we have to be partners in a just cause and great values which Cameroon has to uphold, thus peace, unity, stability, democracy, liberty, economic progress, social justice, development and human rights.

It is for all this that the CPDM through my voice wishes you total success in your deliberations.

God Bless Cameroon

Thanks for your kind attention

Gregoire Owona