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153 11 Between Mvondo and Mvodo; The Emergence of Victor Ayissi H onourable Victor Ayissi Mvodo, an erstwhile Minister under Ahidjo’s dictatorship, has emerged from the wings, as it were, and announced his candidature for the up-coming (1997) presidential elections, through the pages of the French language weekly La Nouvelle Expression (NO. 352, 15 October 1996). This is a very significant event in the democratisation struggle in Cameroon which must be put into proper perspective. In thus coming out from the wings and openly avowing his presidential ambition, Victor Ayissi Mvodo counterposes himself, first and foremost, against his countriman, Biya Bi Mvondo Paul. The first reaction of some people might be to wonder what the difference is between Mvodo and Mvondo and many may easily assimilate it to the difference between a raven and a crow. Would choosing between Mvodo and Mvondo be like choosing between a rock and a hard place, between the devil and the deep blue sea? Be that as it may, I believe, that that small letter “n” could make all the difference. The “Ayissi factor” could change the course of our political history. Had this factor emerged during, before or after the 1992 presidential elections, we might all have been spared the anguish of the past four years. Nevertheless, as they say, better late than never. The importance of Ayissi’s challenge, if it is sustained, is that it will break the very dangerous myth that the Centre-South-East of Cameroon is a homogeneous single political entity, divinely carved out and reserved for Biya Bi Mvondo, a sacred and sacrosanct area where no one dares to campaign except for Biya and the CPDM. This myth, which has been sustained by civil administrators and members of the armed forces, has greatly helped in creating the impression that our democratisation struggle and politics in general has not yet transcended tribalism. Our national politics and consciousness transcended tribalism and parochialism a long time ago with the rise of Ni John Fru Ndi, although the present 154 Road Companion to Democracy and Meritocracy dictatorship has found it very expedient to encourage and use tribalism in its frantic determination to hang on to the rafters of illegitimate and unpopular power. It is, as yet unclear from which political party platform Ayissi Mvodo intends to canvas his 1997 presidential bid. Although he himself claims to be a member of the CPDM party, stalwarts of that party, such as Albert Dzongang, in the same edition of La Nouvelle Expression, would seem to cast doubt on that claim. We note in passing that, since the advent of multi-parties in this country, all civil servants, public officials and government employees are presumed, as by obligation, to belong to the CPDM. Hence, they are usually called upon at any time, by radio announcements, without any prior consultation, to go on campaign trips for the party. The silent majority, that is, all those who are not vocal members of any of the opposition parties are also presumed to be members of the CPDM as can be clearly seen from the fact that in places where no election takes place, such as during the last municipals, the CPDM is invariably declared the winner. Reading through Ayissi Mvodo’s interview, I have the impression that he must be one of those progressives, like Simon Munzu, who attempted unsuccessfully to democratise the CPDM. What I cannot, however, understand is why he has been so quiet up till now and how he could have managed to maintain his silence in the face of, say, the outrages of 1992 and 1993. The resilience of dictatorship in Cameroon is directly related to the failure to democratise the CNU alias CPDM. As someone who is, no doubt, greatly respected by His Excellency Paul Biya, imagine what might have happened had Ayissi Mvodo spoken out loudly and clearly at the crucial moments of our democratisation struggle. You may be wondering how I managed to know that Paul Biya greatly respects Ayissi Mvodo. Easy. Mvodo is alleged to have once, in the presence of Ahidjo, given Bi Mvondo, then Prime Minister, a dirty slap. Ayissi was even asked to confirm or deny this widely told story during the interview with La Nouvelle Expression. Very significantly, he answered that, since he was never sanctioned for the slap either by Ahidjo or Biya himself, as President and Prime Minister, respectively, nor was he ever taken to court, that Paul Biya should be the...

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