By Peterkins Manyong
The necessity for collaboration among nations has given rise to two very important categories of persons: the diplomat and the foreign correspondent.
While the diplomat conveys positive information about the country to which he/she has been accredited, the foreign correspondent does just the opposite. A diplomat, according to Samuel Johnson's "Dictionary", is "an honest man sent to lie abroad"
But unlike fellow diplomats, Janet Garvey, US Ambassador to Cameroon, is a strong adherent to the truth. She told the press the truth when she said the US stood for democracy and economic advancement. She has not budged from this position.
Her boycott of the masquerade called the swearing-in of ELECAM is a glaring proof of her sincerity. She did not only keep away, like the British, Dutch Embassies and the European Union; her spokesperson, Mathew Miller, is categorical that ELECAM is not a step forward for democracy because of its pro-CPDM composition.
The position of the US Embassy in Cameroon is a direct reflection of President Obama's who stated unequivocally in his inaugural speech that sit-tight leaders like Biya are on the wrong side of history.
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Even before the boycott, Garvey had demonstrated her strong disapproval of ELECAM by barring the "Almighty" Fonkam Azu'u from attending Obama's inaugural at the US Embassy. If the US were not a superpower, we could liken her act to the achievement of the little boy who turned back the Duke of Wellington who was about to trespass on his father's estate.
This is not the first time Ambassador Garvey has acted as the comforter of the afflicted. She was vehemently opposed to Biya's "rape" of the Constitution, which took place in April 2008. What is particularly commendable about this lady is that, unlike Francis Cooke, a female predecessor at the US Embassy in Cameroon, Janet Garvey's actions and declarations do not leave room for misinterpretation. Like every genuine intellectual, she calls things by their true names.
Perhaps her character would be better illuminated through comparison with Mrs. Cooke
In terms of charisma, that quality which inspires respect, even awe, at first sight, Garvey and Cooke are on the same pedestal. In 1992, Cooke achieved, by subtle means, what Garvey has done today without any ambivalence or euphemism.
On the eve of the 1992 Presidential Election, Cooke instructed that the communication, through bugging and other advanced telecommunication methods, between Biya and MINAT as well as between MINAT and the then Provincial Governors be monitored. It was from these official sources that the 43 percent which Fru Ndi is said to have obtained as against Biya's less than 39 percent was recorded.
The Biya Regime was so vexed about this that Frances Cooke was given all the obnoxious insults that can be heaped on any female. In response, the US Embassy told the Regime that it could accuse the US of spying, but not of lying.
Garvey doesn't need to use such a strategy today. Cameroon has gained world repute for being most expert in election rigging and so doesn't need any experiment to prove its culpability. Biya's acolytes could easily fling words in the face of Mrs. Cooke because the Regime though morally weak, was still economically formidable.
Today, Biya is a political humpty dumpty, surviving through the economic prop of the IMF and World Bank. In terms of courage, the supremacy must, without any hesitation, be given to Garvey. Whereas her female predecessor flirted with the Regime to achieve her lofty mission, Garvey keeps Biya and his lackeys at bay.
In 1991, the Regime placed diplomats under city arrest in Yaounde and Cooke obeyed its instructions. Whoever attempts to stop Garvey from visiting any part of the country would be behaving like the silly frog that attempts to halt a fast moving car by puffing up and standing in the way.
She has identified herself with the downtrodden and embraced the press more than any previous US Ambassador ever did. Garvey visited Fru Ndi without fear of incurring the wrath of New Dealers. She was at her most unassuming maternal and humane mood when Fon Gwan Mbanyamsig III and his people of Guzang in Batibo honoured her with the title "Ma Guzang"
With the position of the US on democratisation and Ambassador Garvey's magnanimity, Cameroonians can mobilise to confront the Biya Regime on the issue of mandate extension in 2011.
In 2003, Biya pulled a fast one by dashing to the White House to cajole George Bush over the US-led war on Iraq. In 2009, Obama says he is on the wrong side of history.Amnesty International has brought to the limelight crimes committed under cover of night. Biya's fear of the people's wrath is dearly manifested by the provision in his amended Constitution shielding himself from accountability for crimes committed while in office.
The solution is not trying to secure himself after power. It is by making peace with the people before quitting power in 2011.Rather than boycott elections, Cameroonians should register massively and vote in the 2011 Presidential Election.
If Janet Garvey is not here to support them in their war against electoral fraud, Cameroonians can be sure that another guardian angel will replace her. Luckily, Obama will still be President of the United States in that crucial year.
It's good to see that the US Embassy is once more overtly active in the democratisation of Cameroon. I hope that there are some strong arm tactics the US could use against Biya to force him to stop rigging elections in Cameroon.
Posted by: Dr A A Agbormbai | Friday, 06 February 2009 at 07:33 AM
So the SDF did indeed win that election in 1992.
Posted by: Dr A A Agbormbai | Friday, 06 February 2009 at 07:36 AM