The Campaign Trail

Chapter Three

9 Chapter Three he delegation from the United Nations was given a triumphant welcome back home. That morning crowds gathered at the Fusejo palace to get the news and see the heroes on their return trip. There was feasting along with traditional dances. At the chief’s ceremonial ground, there were basins of fufu, vegetable and meat. When all the dignitaries had assembled, His Royal Highness the Mbe was ushered in by the trumpeting of the royal tusks. Then he sat majestically to receive his honours in a unanimous handclapping salutation from his country-men. When all was set, the master of ceremony, the celebrated teacher Utum Tar, got up with an immaculate white paper in hand. There was dead silence as he started to speak. “We went, we saw, we touched, we won and we are back.. There was deafening applause. ‘‘Kutuma now is to be called the Republic of Kutuma! We are at last independent. As from this moment we have to rule ourselves. The white man who is here will remain as our guest and not as our master. This is a new dawn for our country.” Many people clapped because they saw others clapping and not because they understood what self-government meant. The next item on the agenda was the choice of a Head of State. When he read this out, the chief coughed in readiness to talk and, as he got up amidst honours of clapping, he proclaimed: “We do not have to delay on this point, my position is obvious. Teacher Tar is the right man. Do you doubt it?” The crowd responded once again in unison, “Teacher Utum Tar is our president.” This is how the delegation’s spokesman was indisputably consecrated as head of the new nation. This decision was saluted by more handT 10 clapping. Even Fons mistakenly clapped for him. This was indeed a reversal of roles because the common people usually clapped in reverence to the Fon and not the opposite. There would be many role reversals in the new nation. This coronation was given a traditional colouring. Strong witch doctors prepared a chain made of the strongest medicinal herbs to place round the neck of the newly crowned ruler. This gave him the desired protection. After the coronation of the President, it was time to settle down and give shape to the Republic. There was the great challenge of organising the institutions for the running of state affairs. The first thing Utum Tar did was to appoint a foundation government made up of five key Ministries: Finance, Development, Defence, Education and Justice. This was a challenging task for him because his close collaborators in the colonial struggle were all looking to him for compensation. The Fon was given the post of First Technical Adviser to the President with rank and prerogatives of Minister. An accompanying text that spelled out his duties qualified him as “the Auxiliary of Administration”. One of his main duties was to grace official events with his distinguished royal presence. The compensation for all other persons was also on these lines for it is popularly said: “If you help me scratch the rashes on my back, I will also help you when your back is itching.” At a Cabinet meeting, the Minister of Justice was assigned the task of preparing a constitution to govern the land and give government a sense of direction. This he did, but what he finally produced was a sketchy, dry document that merely stated the internal rules and regulations for Kutuma Republic. A classical constitution was still necessary, but since the Head of State measured his administration as he judged fit, state management went on according to his whims 11 and caprices and the whole idea of a guiding constitution never resurfaced. Running the state like a family affair did not require many written documents. When there were detractors of any kind, the Head of State called a cabinet meeting and scolded whoever had erred. Apologies were made or punishments meted out to culprits without much consideration of a constitution. Utum Tar ruled his country just like a good family head. He fed the hungry to satisfaction, and quenched the thirst of those with throats burning for alcohol. There was food and drink enough for all. This earned him such intimate names as “Baba”, “father of the Nation”, “saviour”, amongst many others. He had become a new...