Mass Media and Democratisation in Cameroon in the Early 1990s

Chapter One: Multipartyism in Cameroon

1 Chapter One Multipartyism in Cameroon Cameroon experienced a brief period of multipartyism both before and shortly after independence. The single party instituted in 1966, reigned for twenty-five years, with only a brief change in appellation in 1985 when the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM) replaced the CNU to consolidate President Biya’s accession to power in November 1982. During this period, government impatience with alternatives was remarkable. The party and government monitored and incriminated marxist-leninists, UPCists (Mukong, 1985), and anyone, even the clergy1 with sympathies the power elite did not share. For twenty-five years Cameroonians were forced to live a system where the centre of power was identified with the centre of truth2. What was wanted and got in such a system was, to paraphrase Václav Havel (Vladislav (ed), 1986:39), a conspiracy of silence, a total abdication of reason, conscience, and responsibility. Despite declarations to the contrary, Cameroonians, especially those who differed with the government, needed to “go underground or into exile or desert their families to be able to express their opinions” (CPDM, 1985:35). For the dual ideologies of national unity and national development were used to stifle initiative and stifle creativity. Its critics thus silenced, the government could argue that all was well, and that Cameroon was a veritable island of peace and quiet in an Africa of turbulence.3 1. see Jeune Afrique Economie Nq 148, octobre 1991 for Bishop Ndongmo’s personal account of his tribulations 2 see Cameroon Tribune Nq 3080, vendredi 21 septembre 1984 for Paul Biya’s “truth comes from above, rumour comes from below” speech 3 see Cameroon Tribune, Nq 1069, Tuesday November 6, 1990, p.17 2 It is such thinking, that the stalwarts of the single party used to explain away the “obstinate” launching by John Fru Ndi, of the Social Democratic Front (SDF) in Bamenda on May 26, 1990. The one-party logic demanded that accusations, whether true or false, be levied against John Fru Ndi and everything SDF. Thus the allegations that John Fru Ndi owed the defunct Cameroon Bank FCFA 400 million; that certain Anglophone students at the University of Yaounde had sung the Nigerian national anthem; that 10,000 Nigerians had marched in Bamenda during the launching; and that John Fru Ndi himself had escaped to Nigeria following the death of six people at the launching of his party. Indeed, the whole initiative was presented not only as limited to Bamenda and the North West Province, but also as being “essentially of a tribal character,” in which every person who took part or sympathised with the launching were branded as “victims of a manipulation” (Ngniman, 1993:24-64), by someone (John Fru Ndi) who was low in morals and who was not credit-worthy4. However, pressured from every direction, President Biya used the first extra-ordinary Congress of the CPDM (dubbed the congress of Freedom and Democracy), to urge militants to “be prepared to face possible competition,” and to be tolerant. But he also urged them to, “in all circumstances, maintain a winning spirit”.5 The decision to open up was not because the CPDM was lacking in democratic achievements, President Biya argued. He highlighted the contributions made by him and his party to the advancement of democracy in Cameroon. The CPDM, “born out of the call for freedom and democracy by the Cameroonian people after 20 years of an authoritarian regime,” “did not wait 4 Cameroon Tribune, May 30, 1990, p.2 5 Cameroon Tribune, July 4, 1990 Nq 1033, p.13 3 for democracy to be kindled in the countries of Eastern Europe as a universal principle ... to realize that it is the sole medium of apprenticeship in freedom and development.” However, given that democracy is a process, Paul Biya promised to continue their “onward march towards a modern democracy,” but “at our pace, according to our means and by taking into account our country’s specificities.”6 As promised, President Biya convened parliament in November 1990 to discuss measures aimed at liberalising the country. This resulted in a series of decrees on “rights and freedoms” promulgated in December 1990.7 Amongst these was law Nq 90/056 of December 19, 1990 authorising multipartyism. A law criticised for placing the decision to authorise the legal existence of political parties in the hands of the Minister of Territorial Administration, himself member of the CPDM, a...