Dr Chris Fomunyoh "Prolonging Biya's mandate is dangerous for our country"
ICIcemac, Cameroon
July 23, 2005

Interviewed by Mokun Njouny Nelson

Dr.Fomunyoh has been deeply involved in the development and strenghtening of democracies in Africa since 1989. He is currently NDI Senior Associate for Africa and Regional Director. Dr.Fomunyoh has organized and advised internatinal observer delegations to national elections on behalf of NDI in many countries. Dr.Fomunyoh interacts regularly with Heads of State and Government, Cabinet ministers. Recent calls by some top CPDM militants for president Biya to modify the Constitution so that he can again be candidate during 2011 presidential polls, has raised worrying debates among the political class. In the interview that follows, Dr Christopher Fomunyoh, bares his mind on this issue and opines that, true leaders leave power before power leaves them.

Recent calls by some top CPDM militants for president Biya to modify the Constitution so that he can again be candidate during 2011 presidential polls, has raised worrying debates among the political class. In the interview that follows, Dr Christopher Fomunyoh, a Cameroonian of international repute, bares his mind on this issue and opines that, true leaders leave power before power leaves them.

You are aware of recent clamourings from a certain section of the Cameroon ruling CPDM party for a modification of the Constitution to provide for a non-limitation of the presidential mandate. What is your reaction to this?

Dr.CF: I would say very simply what a number of African wise men and women have repeated often: that is, in politics, true leaders leave power before power leaves them. I don't think the hand clappers that you refer to in the CPDM serve their flag bearer well, and I hope Paul Biya, who probably wants to be remembered as a democrat, knows better than to fall into that trap which contains dangerous consequences for our country and his legacy. Lest we forget, some of those same individuals demonstrated against multiparty democracy in Cameroon in 1990/91.

You were the main initiator of the African Statemen Initiative that brought together former African heads of state and government in Bamako, Mali, last June. Did this phenomenon, that I must say is recurrent in Africa, come up during debates?

Dr. CF: First, it's true that NDI and my humble self played a role in facilitating the high level symposium of African Heads of State and governments in Bamako, Mali; but the real credit goes to these very distinguished leaders who advised and encouraged us through the planning statges and graciously gave off their time and presence to share their thoughts and experiences with the participants present. Bamako was an incredibly enriching experience and we have these 'walking libraries' as some described the former presidents to thank for it. Yes, the phenomenon of presidents who stay in power for too long was discussed during the ASI high level symposium in Bamako, Mali, and the distinguished African leaders present restated their belief in democracy and institutions that ensure sustainable peace, security, economic growth and social well being of citizens. Tinkering with the country's constitution to maintain oneself in power does not gurantee any of that.

Lets come back to the case of Cameroon, if such a project is deposited in the National Assembly, it would go through like a letter in the Post Office and Mr Biya who is serving his second and last seven year mandate may be candidate. If that be the case, would it be a good indicator for Cameroon's growing democracy?

Dr.CF: Absolutely not! It's not just a question of a second seven year mandate. By the end of this term, Biya would have been Head of State for 29 years, to which some would add the seven years that he spent as Prime Minister from 1975-1982. There are millions of Cameroonians who still believe in the rule of law and in peaceful transitions of political power; and no one who loves this country and its people should give them reason to think otherwise.

Besides being a Cameroonian the nature of your job warrants that you should be abreast with the political happenings here. What is your appreciation of the opinion that Cameroon's opposition has failed the aspirations of its supporters?

Dr.CF: There is a lot to be said about the state of both opposition and ruling political parties, and the overall environment in which political parties function in our country. The number of political parties existing in Cameroon says something about the fragmentation of political mobilization and the inability of our political leaders to build and sustain broad based alliances for meaningful change, so are concerns about the lack of special status for opposition parties and their leaders, and question pertaining to internal democracy within parties. We must remember that viable opposition parties are instrumental to sustainable democracy and the checks and balances that need to be in place to curb abuses of power. Yet I would admit that I am concerned that the true aspirations of Cameroonian democrats are being eclipsed by the excessive polarization of politiocal discourse and the systerm of material incentives that seem to guide citizen participation in politics in our country.

What about this strong rumour that you wanted to be the opposition's candidate for last year's presidential polls? Or was it a scheming by your entourage to position you for an eventual political carreer when you retire home?

Dr.CF: As I explained to your colleagues of "Le Messager" and "Mutations" in seperate interviews published early October 2004, and to other media across the country and internationally, there is more that I can offer my country and the continent of Africa than thrusting myself into a partisan electoral process with unorthodox rules and a predetermined outcome. For me, democratic politics is public service of the highest order, and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity right now to contribute, however modestly, to positive political transformations on our dear continent. Besides, serving one's people is not an afterthought for retireers, but rather a full time endeavour requiring of energy and a vision; so were I set to ask for the trust and confidence of my people, I wouldn't wait to attain retirement age before doing so.

Preoccupied with the prevalence of conflicts in Africa, the African Statemen Initiative, in the Bamako Declaration, "encouraged the international community to commit resources to the prevention of conflicts. " The UN is blamed for not doing enough to bring an end to the conflict between Cameroon and Nigeria in Bakassi Why in your opinion is the UN hesitant to use force to if need be or despatch UN forces to compel Nigeria respect the verdict of ICJ?

Dr CF: In fairness to the United Nations, the joint Nigeria-Cameroon commission that was set up to facilitatethe full implementation of the ruling of the International Court of Justice, including the demarcation of the international boundary between our two countries, is being sponsored snd supported by the United Nations. The commission has done its work successfully in the disputed areas in the north and is now zeroed on the Bakassi Peninsula. I would like to place good value in the declarations of both Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Paul Biya of Nigeria and Cameroon respectively, to ensure the ICJ verdict is executed peaceable. Many world leaders take Obasenjo at his word in the hopes that he and Nigerian policy makers comprehend their reputation and credibility will suffer globally, as well as among the peace loving people of both Cameroon and Nigeria, should the full implementation of the court ruling delay further.

Is Nigeria's reticence to respect international decisions not a poor example from a country heralded in Africa as a pacesetter in conflict resolution and one that is lobbying for a permanent seat at the UN Security Council?

Dr.CF: The Cameroon government should be reminding her Nigerian counterpart and the rest of the world of these international standards of good global citizenship that have to be met for a country to garner respect among its peers on the continent and internationally. These conversations take place within international forums and regional entities such as the African Union, ECOWAS, CEMAC, etc. How the Biya government gets its message and concerns across with such a weak diplomatic posture and perpetual absence from most of these multilateral settings is my guess as well.

As NDI Senior Associate for Africa and Regional Director, what is on your diary?

Dr.CF: NDI has major ongoing democracy support programs in many African countries including Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Sudan. We are also looking at several national elections coming up in countries in which we have activities or would like to assist such as Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire and Liberia, just to name a few. The good news is that all of NDI's work is being done alongside african democrats from political parties, civil society organizations and parliaments who take the lead because they understand that it is incumbent on us all to guarantee an improvement in the wellbeing of our people and to ensure that they enjoy the same civil rights and freedoms that derive from genuine democratic governace.

Who is Dr.Fomunyoh?

A native of Cameroon, Dr.Fomunyoh has been deeply involved in the development and strenghtening of democracies in Africa since 1989. He is currently NDI Senior Associate for Africa and Regional Director. The National Democratic Institute for International Affairs(NDI) in Washington, DC is a non-profit, nongovernmental organization, established in 1983 by an Act of the United States Congress to strenghten and promote demcratic instititions and pluralistic values in new and emerging democracies around the world. Dr.Fomunyoh has organized and advised internatinal observer delegations to national elections on behalf of NDI in many countries including; Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali and Nigeria. In the course of his work, Dr.Fomunyoh interacts regularly with Heads of State and Government, Cabinet ministers, elected official, politicaland civic leaders, and as regional director is the principal liaison between NDI and the U.S Department of State, U.S Agency for International Development and U.S Embassies in Africa.

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