2017 National Day: Curious Opposition Boycott Calls!

Information from the SDF party has gone viral on social media provoking outright criticism from many other political parties.

Preparations are with each passing day gaining momentum in the country for the 2017 National Day come May 20. All detachments of the military and paramilitary forces as well as civilians are fast cutting the ‘Ts’ and dotting the ‘Is’ to give the day the grandeur it deserves.
Curiously, the euphoria that comes with the commemoration notably from the political parties appears tainted with boycott calls from the SDF party.
A communique going viral on social media from the main opposition party in the country, the Social Democratic Front (SDF), states that, “We are therefore taking a stand not to participate in the upcoming celebrations of our highly endangered national unity. This is in strong protest against the current decaying state of our nation.”  The communique justifies the party’s decision to boycott the celebrations on what it termed, “the State’s inability to provide simple solutions to the pertinent problems being posed by respectful trade unions and associations…”
Freedom of expression and association are realities in Cameroon. The Head of State in his 2016 end-of-year nation’s address, and in relations to what the SDF is decrying today, stated unequivocally that, “our country does enjoy political and trade union freedoms which are guaranteed and governed by our laws and regulations. Against this backdrop, citizens can rightfully opine on any aspect of national life, including through duly declared strike action. This is a fundamental human right as desired by the Cameroonian people given that it is enshrined in the Constitution.” It is therefore the inalienable right of the SDF, within the framework of the model of democracy which the Head of State proposed to Cameroonians when the country journeyed into multiparty politics in 1990 and which the Cameroonian people have been painstakingly building daily, patiently and resolutely, to decide what to do.
What is however curious is the context of the boycott call and the calibre of the caller.  Even as the party has the right to decide whether or not to participate in festivities of national interest like the upcoming National Day, doing so within a context of socio-political crisis rocking parts of the country and coming from a national party, is to say the least, disturbing.
Boycott may be a political tool to manifest discontent but from experience, it doesn’t yield fruits all the times. The SDF knows that better than any other party. Turning out massively to march past and perhaps showcasing its discontent in huge numbers and through diverse messages could enlighten more people than simply staying away to gnash teeth in silence. Building a fortified and more united Cameroon should have been a goal of a party that aspires to rule rather than opting for boycott that at best abandons ‘aggrieved’ people to themselves.

Réaction

Jacques Fame Ndongo: « La fête nationale n’appartient à aucun parti politique »

Membre du Bureau politique, secrétaire à la communication du Comité central du RDPC.

«Chaque parti ayant le loisir d’exprimer librement ses opinions, au Cameroun,  les militants du RDPC, parti  républicain, défileront avec enthousiasme et ardeur patriotique sur toute l’étendue du territoire,  le 20 mai  2017,  comme  à  l’accoutumée, sans préjudice des mots d’ordre de telle ou telle formation politique.  Ils exprimeront ainsi, avec patriotisme, leur  attachement indéfectible aux principes constitutionnels ci-dessus évoqués : démocratie, souveraineté, unité nationale.
Comme nous le savons tous, la Fête nationale n’appartient à aucun parti politique.  Elle est l’apanage de toutes les citoyennes et de tous les ...