"But, dear comrades, it should also be observed that one man's meat is another man's poison. It should also be considered that other reference values can exist... Our party is strong no doubt, but henceforth, it must be prepared to face possible competition." Paul Biya, CPDM Congress, June 28, 1990
Exactly 20 years ago, on June 28, 1990, President Biya, in a memorable address to militants of the ruling party who were holding out against the reinstitution of multiparty politics in Cameroon, asked them to be ready for “eventual competition.” This was the culmination of a multiparty debate which began early that year with the Yondo affair, and reached its violent apogee with the death of six teenagers who were “trampled by bullets” in Bamenda during the launching of the Social Democratic Front (SDF). After the May 26 launching of the SDF and the subsequent smear campaign against the party and its sympathizers, Cameroon seemed to be on the verge of a major conflagration which had been looming in the horizon since the Yondo affair.
The Clash between CPDM Conservatives and ProgressivesWithin the CPDM itself, the battle between conservative and progressive forces which had been brewing for months burst to the surface as the first national congress of the ruling CPDM, which was scheduled for June 28, approached. Pro- and anti-multiparty camps went on the offensive with hopes of influencing the outcome of the multiparty debate which many expected would be high on the congress agenda.
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