Fru Ndi warns Biya to learn from Burkina Faso

The National Chairman of the Social Democratic Front, SDF, Ni John Fru Ndi, has told President Paul Biya to draw lessons from what is happening in Burkina Faso and called for dialogue before the sweeping win of change reaches Cameroon.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Post at his Ntarikon residence in Bamenda, on Sunday November 2, Fru Ndi said the ousted Compaore opted for dialogue with the opposition and other stake holders when it was too late.

"With the present trends of events in Cameroon today, I fear for Cameroon because there is a lot of resentment among Cameroonians and the regime in place does not seem to border. If things continue this way, we should be prepared for the worse scenario, unless Biya calls for dialogue with Cameroonians,else he would be preparing to follow the footsteps of his Burkina Faso peer, who could not withstand the fire he ignited by attempting to twist the Constitution so as to permanently remain in power.LetBiya call for dialogue, before he starts saying had I known."

The SDF condemns those who get to power by eliminating others. "You are aware that Blaise Campore came to power by killing Thomas Sankara and he buried Sankara in the night. Looking at the scenario in Burkina Faso, I can say without blinking that Cameroon has arrived at that stage and this was a missed opportunity that came to Cameroon in 2008, it must be noted that the boys and girls who took to the streets of the major towns in Cameroon came up on their own to condemn constitutional changes and the hike in food and petroleum products.

"At every National Executive meetings of the SDF,(NEC meetings) we have always drawn the attention of Cameroonians and the regime in place that we are sitting on a time boom, giving proposals in order to avert the dark clouds hovering over this country, but nobody seems to care.

"No civil society leader has even dare presented any programme, not to talk of working with us to save this country. Same goes with Journalists Associations, who are so quiet when Government keeps threatening the lives of their colleagues claiming that these Journalists are in possession of very sensitive documents that if published could jeopardise public peace. I do not want to think that these associations have been bought over by the regime in place; else you must prove the contrary. Why are strike actions quickly called off by the organisers, who most of the time, would not explain reasons for calling-off such strikes?"

FruNdi said in 2008, when Cameroon was experiencing a similar situation like in Bukina Faso, “Biya came on television and made a mockery of me, calling me ‘Apprentice sourceire’,accusing me of igniting the youths because I could not win elections through the ballot box. One of his Ministers, Marafa now in Prisons, even lied that during that period, I hired a harden criminal from New Bell Prisons in Douala and brought him to Bamenda.”

According to the SDF Chieftain, the ousted president of Bukina Faso maltreated his people for over 27 years, and when the people felt the pains they had to do what they did. "But in Cameroon, the civil servants whose salaries are slashed with impunity or when prices of petroleum products increased, they turn to ask what FruNdi has done.

"I have opened the eyes and ears of Cameroonians to fight for what belongs to them. I have received two house arrests and state of emergency, when my own mother was flogged by Biya’s gendarmes in front of me but soldiers held me back from dying with her. What else do they want me to do? Look at Burkina Faso learning from us and they are being liberated, so let us keep suffering and waiting for FruNdi.”