Open Letter from Presidential Candidate Nfor Susungi to John Fru Ndi of the SDF

March 5, 2011

Ni John FRU NDI

Chairman

Social Democratic Front (SDF)

Ntarikon Bamenda

Bamenda - Cameroun

 

Mr. Chairman,

Subject: October 2011 Presidential Elections in Cameroon

Why I am a candidate

I have the honor and duty to write to you as a senior politician of the Republic of Cameroon and the Chairman of the SDF which is the leading opposition party in the Republic of Cameroon.  I am quite sure that you have learned from the media that I have declared my candidature for the presidential elections scheduled for October 2011.  Because of the respect that I owe you, it was my intention to come and visit you at about this time, in order to explain to you personally why I have decided to take this step. Unfortunately, the deteriorating political situation in Cote d’Ivoire has made it difficult for me to move because we woke up one morning to find that all banks were closed, without prior warning, making it impossible for us to have access our savings in the banks.  I am therefore constrained to write a letter to you in order to explain a few things in advance before I arrive in Cameroon.

I had the pleasure of receiving Mathias Ofon and Mo Chiggle in Abidjan during the presidential elections in Cote d’Ivoire during which we had broad discussions of many issues of common interest.  The current crisis which Cote d’Ivoire is currently going through merely illustrates what can go wrong in a country when political leaders to not talk to each other enough.

I have had the benefit of a good education and a rich and wide-ranging work experience which has enabled me to travel throughout the world and understand how the world works and how to make a country successful.  At the age of 63, I believe that I have reached the level of maturity which makes me believe that I can serve Cameroon at the highest level.  This is a position which requires a tremendous amount of self-confidence, good bilingual skills, a strong capacity to reach out to other people and the capacity to be interested in what is happening to people everywhere in the country.  I have all of that.  That is the reason why I have decided to run for the presidency.

President Paul Biya should retire

President Paul Biya has been in power for 29 years and his current term of office shall come to an end in October 2011 which is also the Golden Jubilee of reunification.  I am one of those who believes very strongly that President Paul Biya should respect the two-term limit which was imposed by the 1996 constitution rather than try to run for another term on the basis of  the 2008 amendment which was introduced at  the cost of many lives on the streets of Cameroon.  The current crisis being experienced by North African countries should serve as a warning that we in Cameroon should tread carefully and not try to defy God. 

I have been a strong critic of President Paul Biya primarily because his economic management of the country has been disastrous.  He could have done more to create jobs in order to diffuse the unemployment time bomb which is ticking in Cameroon.  I do however recognize that he has done his best to hold the country together in spite of the centrifugal forces operating on the country.   His commitment to free up the electoral system has been weak; but he can be commended for having liberalized the media landscape which is now characterized by community radios, TV stations and a vibrant written press.  All these reforms are making way for a very vibrant political debate at the moment.

The domino revolutions that are taking place in North Africa are increasing the hunger for change in Cameroon.  Our peculiar political system may make it difficult for popular discontent to be expressed in the streets the same way that we are witnessing in the Arab world.  But if we fail to respond to the aspirations for change, discontent will eventually find another way to channel itself in the political system.  There is absolutely no reason why young Cameroonians should die in order to get the change that they want.

Reluctance to register to vote

Although we are only seven months away from elections, voter registration is extremely slow because there is no enthusiasm on the ground.  The SDF has taken the view that reforms must be done to ensure the independence and neutrality of ELECAM before they can call off the campaign against voter registration.  Unless credible elections take place before October 2011, Cameroon will find itself in a crisis which may not be easy to resolve.

Our own research has shown that the problem of voter registration is not entirely linked to the neutrality or independence of ELECAM.  The composition of ELECAM is only a collateral issue. The main problem according to our research is that young voters feel that there is no attractive candidate to vote for.  So there is no point going to register to vote, even if ELECAM is believed to be neutral and independent. 

Our research shows that 50% of Cameroon’s population of around 19 million is below the voting age of 21.  Out of the population above the voting age, 36% are in the 21-28 age groups.  These are young men and women who were not yet eligible to vote in 2004, but who can now vote in 2011 if they register to vote.  When you add the people aged 29-36, who voted for the first time in 2004, the combined group aged 21-36 constitutes 51% of the voting population.  The common problem facing this large voting group is that they are young, still in university or have graduated but are jobless.  When you add the age group from 36-39 you find that the combined population aged 21-39 constitutes 62% of the voting population.  You can see that the problem with voter registration today is largely due to the fact that most of them are young people aged between 21-39 and whose main concern is jobs.   Many of young males who are aged 30-40 should already be married; but they are still single because they are jobless.  They are not interested in going to register to vote because no candidate is telling them how the issue of jobs is going to be handled in the next 7 years.

The Newcam Prosperity Pact

Based on these findings I have prepared a platform document to support my campaign which is known as the Newcam Prosperity Pact. It is a very comprehensive document outlining the political, economic and constitutional reforms that I shall implement when I am elected. The economic component of the Newcam Prosperity Pact focuses on what we shall do in order to create prosperity and jobs during the next 10-15 years.

The Newcam Prosperity Pact is a politically and ideologically neutral platform which is neither for nor against any political party in Cameroon.  Its main concern and focus is to define the conditions which will enable Cameroon to achieve the change which the country is yearning for and to bring about a stable and peaceful transition in Cameroon.  It is based on the assumption that President Paul Biya is not going to run for another term of office in 2011.

The reason why the Newcam Prosperity Pact is politically neutral is because it is my intention to formally propose it to the CPDM and the SDF for consideration so that these two important parties can jointly back my candidature for the October 2011 elections.  Through this strategy, I am interested in bringing the SDF and the CPDM into one government at the same time since the introduction of multi-party democracy in Cameroon in 1990.  If I can achieve this goal, then I am confident that Cameroon shall be spared any kind of political upheaval that is facing Egypt, Tunisia, Libya and Cote d’Ivoire.  Cameroon cannot afford the partisan politics of the past. I am convinced that unless we start thinking about building a broad consensus between the SDF and the CPDM and other political parties, Cameroon can easily find itself in the same type of turmoil as the North African countries.

The Golden Parachute

I have the honour and duty to also inform you that one of the proposals that are included in the Newcam Prosperity Pact is the idea that the outgoing president should be offered a Golden Parachute in order to enable him to retire honorably at the end of his current term of office.  The terms of the Golden Parachute include:

• The payment of a monthly pension for the head of state and his spouse;
• Immunity from prosecution for offenses and infractions committed during his tenure covering the period from 1982 to 2011. He may however be called to testify under oath before a commission of inquiry appointed to investigate any events of public interest for the period from 1962 to 2011 or before a court for a case in which he was in possession of information likely to enlighten the Cameroonian justice;
• Building a retirement home in any Cameroonian city of choice;
• The employment of a secretary, a driver, an aide and a security officer of his choice at the expense of the State;
• Academic scholarships for children aged 19 to 25;
• Health coverage for the head of state and his spouse;
• An annual travel allowance;
• Funeral at the expense of the state at the end of his life.

 

Thee Golden Parachute shall apply to President Paul Biya if he does not stand for presidential elections in October 2011 and is preparing to retire from office in October 2011, at the end of his current term.  The Golden Parachute law shall take effect retroactively from 1982, and conditions shall be applied cumulatively to all those concerned. This means that the late President Ahmadou Ahidjo shall also benefit from the golden parachute.  The retirement benefits of President Ahidjo shall be paid in full up to his death in 1989 and his remains will be repatriated to Cameroon for final funeral rights in his home town.  His wife shall continue to receive the pension payments of a former first lady till her death.

 

Need for greater consensus building

 

I have decided to address this letter to you in order to explain my thinking to you as comprehensively as possible so that you will understand that my decision to stand for the 2011 presidential election was the result of very careful thinking.  This letter is being copied to the Secretary General of the SDF and I trust that you shall do what is necessary in order for this matter to be considered carefully within the National Executive Committee of the SDF.

I have also written a letter to Hon Samuel Ngeh TAMFU, a Political Bureau member of the ruling CPDM party with copies to His Royal Highness Fon Angwafor III, and René SADI, respectively Vice President and Secretary General of the Central Committee of the ruling CPDM, explaining to him that I have entered the presidential race because as a member of the younger generation, I would like the SDF and the CPDM to start collaborating more constructively for the benefit of the younger generation.   Assuming that I shall receive support from the CPDM and the SDF, I shall proceed to publish the Newcam Prosperity Pact in English and French in Cameroonian newspapers in the coming weeks and use it as the basis to personally wage a strong campaign to encourage young people in the country to go out and register to vote.  If I receive the joint support of the CPDM and the SDF, then the issue of the independence and the neutrality of ELECAM shall be considered settled because we can be reasonably assured that the elections shall be free and fair for the first time in 50 years.

The reason I embarked on this high-risk strategy is that I belong to a younger generation. Thus, I am naturally concerned about the stability of political system that your generation will pass down to us. It would have been very easy for me to create a new political party to allow me to achieve my goals. But Cameroon already has more than 250 political parties and I am not convinced that all these political parties were created to promote democracy. The real challenge is to provide a platform that can be adopted by several existing parties. I think I've done with Newcam Prosperity Pact.

 

In the coming weeks I shall be looking at the most appropriate moment to release this document to the general public in order to provoke the type of debate which we had with NESPROG in 1997.  I shall also forward it to the SDF and to the CPDM so that my proposal can be given much closer examination.   I also believe that in the public interest, the content of the present letter shall be made public when the Newcam Prosperity Pact is published in the papers.  More particularly, I shall forward to you a copy of the letter which I have addressed to Honorable TAMFU, member of the Political Bureau of the CPDM, and vice versa.

While wishing you continued good health, kindly accept the assurances of my highest consideration.

For:  The Newcam Prosperity Group (NPG)

Nfor N Susungi

Dr. Nfor N Susungi

Chairman

 

CC:  Elizabeth Tamanjong

Secretary General of the SDF

 

 

 

Dr Nfor Susungi for Etoudi Palace

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Comments

[anchor]

Now, this is something original!

[Felix]

hmm given too much to the Devil Paul Biya who needs to answer a lot when he step down even in his grave......
Well it is a good carrot Idea provided the stick to use on Biya is Big enough to take away all the offers including those he had stollen for more than 30yrs.
I belief Biya knows the evils he had been doing for a long time and he will not be fooled by such a pact. In Cameroon as with most dictators lessons can only be learn by politicians if they are prosecuted.

[flashman]

I think it is a small price to pay to move on. A deal should be made and the country should stick by the deal.

[Ismael Shakur]

Before any good solution, there must be revolution. This is a good idea, but with the greedy politicians we have in Cameroon...I just hope both Fru Ndi and Popo gonna be able to go with your proposal. Good luck because u need. Truth be told; democracy is not for Africa...we should try to device a new system, democracy is a failure in this continent.

[Felix]

Ivory Coast: The colonial roots of disorderThis has no similarity in Cameroon where the two main Candidates are form the South.Colonial tensions in Cameroon are "Anglofool-Francofool" and "Come no go"(practice with the North/southwest Regions).

[Gan Charles]

Dr. Nfor N Susungi's proposal warrants consideration, but I am at a loss at the following key statement:
"The reason why the Newcam Prosperity Pact is politically neutral is because it is my intention to formally propose it to the CPDM and the SDF for consideration so that these two important parties can jointly back my candidature for the October 2011 elections."

Is Newcam Prosperity Pact a political party or a mediator? You can not be politically neutral while declaring your cadidacy. It is unclear to me how he intends for the CPDM and SDF to back his candidacy. Is he saying that by presenting this proposal to both the SDF and CPDM, these parties will see the wisdom and approve his candidacy? How credible will the endorsement be?
Why would the the CPDM back a candidacy that may remove them from power?

I hope the Dr. mispoke and can clarify this statement.

My advice to the Dr. is to take his idea directly to the Cameroonian people. Make this proposal on the campaign trail and maybe it will gain traction. In the course of doing this he may just convince the ruling cabal that there will be no retributions if he were to be elected president.

Making a deal with leadership of the SDF and CPDM will not convince the majority of Cameroonians that he is a serious candidate.

[benjamin]

Dr. Nfor Susungi,
You have great ideas and hope they translate into a great Cameroon> But tribal linings may sole your greeat ideas. Why did you not write to the CPDM Secretary General? you prefer a memeber of the Politburo fo that same party(who is from your region of origin)What criteria did you use to choose Tamfu? be open to Cameroonians before we can think of electing you into office.Do your tribal linings play a greater role than your national linings?
Take Heart!!!
Benjamin

[THAILAND]

The writer must have worked under Paul Biya
Carry ur dum ass document packs and rot in Ivory Coast. What is the name of ur party?Why beg CPDM and SDF before running for the presidency?

[Sammy]

This is one of the greatest insane piece that Iahve ever read. Surprise to hear some one saying he has great ideas. Saying he wants SDF and CPDM to supoort his presidential overtures. I tire this reality. Cameroonians refusing to vote bc there is no leader to inspirre them? Wao !! Not to go through this hwole junk bc it damnned ridiculous Please your wirtes up show how super confuse y0ou can be!!!

[Nformi Tamfu]

Good theory Dr.
However, you lack the wisdom to rule Cameroon. This lack of wisdom is manifested in the fact that in your mind you cannot divorce Cameroon from its current political dwarfs. This is the reason why you think you must seek their consent or strike a deal with them. You must be original in your thoughts and actions. You never lay bare your political motives, strategy, weaknesses nor strengths to your opponents.
Bottom line: YOU LACK WHAT IT TAKES!

[anchor]

Susungi is not really about politics, but about the program that he has, which he believes will bring prosperity, jobs and development. He thinks the SDF and CPDM should take a pause from throwing verbal stones at each other to collaborate to effect the program.

Before cursing him, people should first look at the program. Susungi, when does the prosperity program go public. I want to see it.

[John Dinga]

It it not good to toss blames at someone who comes forward with a proposition. This is a departure from the usual blame game, criticism ad infinitum. Frankly if there is someone willing to stand up and be counted, we should not dismiss him outright. It is possible to take his proposal, examine it and strengthen its weakness and come up with something good. As my friend used to remind me, "Bafoussam n'a pas ete construit en un jour."

If Cameroonians blame Paul Biya, Fru Ndi, Bouba Belo, Frederic Kodock , Ndam Njoya and the rest for sitting tight, they must complete the blame game by focusing also on those who have not taken up the challenge to propose something new. Here, I believe, is someone different with something new, even if there are holes in it.

What I would task Dr. Susungi with is 1)the kind of team he has to work with 2)the criteria for choosing the SDF, parts of the CPDM, 3)nothing of the UPC, UNDP, MP and the other actors who must also give him their blessings, since that is what he wants for now. I would also seek to know whether he has perused the conditions for forming a political party or whether he is running as a member of an existing political party. Imperfect as the applicable text may be, I believe there is something like residence requirement, endorsement by 500 heavyweights, asset declaration and other conditionalities for entering the race. These to me are matters worth assessing so that useful energy is not wasted and then the project allowed to evaporate into thin air like others before it. I hope I was not too critical myself or too hurtful on anyone?

[flashman]

John Dinga makes some pertinent and constructive points, which I hope Dr Susungi ends up addressing. We are in desperate straits and we need new thinking. At the bottom of this article is a link to Susungi's facebook, where there is discussion ongoing addressing some of these points. I suggest people click through to "friend" and "like" and engage him on facebook. The anonymity here just makes some people post things without thinking.

[Mallam Shehu]

Well said Dinga. What the Doc wrote must be sieved, and all that is unwanted thrown away. No need to rumble over nothing, any person having a better write-up or ambition, should also give us the courtesy to read and debate over it too.

[limbekid]

I think what is best for Cameroon is for everyone to make an impact in their own little corner. I will not disuade presidential aspirants, but my belief in the office of the presidencyas a panacea for national problems, has wained.

[facter]

I know what you are saying, Limbekid, but the president and government are very important, because they are either creating an enabling environment or creating blocks. Lots of hardworking, creative people have left the territory out of frustration. Forward-looking and innovative governments caused people to return to a lot of countries with large diasporas such as Ghana. Do not minimize the importance of a progressive president. Personally, I will keep my skills, my person and my money abroad until things look right.

[njimaforboy]

Things are not going to look right anytime soon. Cameroon will follow the same fate as Zaire and Ivory Coast.

France is a cursed society. Nothing good will ever happen to Countries colonized by the French, except u purge the society of anything French like was done in Viet Nam.

A progressive President creates a progressive environment. A Brain dead dictator like Biya is doing nothing but making preparations for chaos and anarchy. With his penile implant and hooker wife, this buffoon called Biya is going nowhere anytime soon.

Both of them are suffering from HIV and that is why the ..itch can not have any more kids and they are always away for blood transfusion and more HIV drugs. Pathetic.

[Felix]

njimaforboy Funny lol
@ 78 Paul Biya should keep producing Kids.Some comments here aren't worth the laugh.

[Felix]

Zimbabwe's indigenization law.The Road Map to Real Independence.

[Mallam Shehu]

Hihihihihi Njimaforgirl aka Ma Marry, so you're still around. Thought you went to fight the French in Abidjan with your Molotovs and soldier ant army. Hihihihi, life must be pretty hard is America. Suffer Boy!

[Emmanuel Elangwe]

@Njimaforboy
It's sometimes so difficult to take you seriously (I mean that in a nice way). I'm not sure where this crazy love of conspiracy theories comes from. Why would you call another man's wife a hooker when you really can't prove it? I understand your dislike for Paul Biya, but my golly...what has his wife got to do with his policies!? HIV, blood transfusions...etc That's CRAZY!!!! What do you care if him and his wife bore any more offsprings!? seriously....!

Can't we just have a civil disagreement over policy and politics without zooming off to a mental asylum? Is that too much to ask? eh?!

[Elizabeth Moore]

"Nfor' or whatever he calls himself, must be a MAD MAN. He is planning to give a criminal like Paul Biya, a golden exit.AHHHHH! After the old crook has deprived Cameroonians of all opportunities, killed many others, imprisoned some?
Instead of thinking of what he can do for Cameroonians, he is thinking of how to pacify criminals like Paul Biya and power-loving minds like John Fru Ndi? Nfor is not fit to be the quarter head in his village, not to talk of a president!

[ayukpascal@yahoo.com]

He who proposes himself to be King,be careful.He's Nothing less of a stingy and greedy one.
That's all I got to say.Doctor,Professor or whatever,It all boils down to the fact that he wants power too.Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Dr ose what you got to help Cameroon,do not use it to be KING

THAT'S BAD...Become a genuine evangelist,Chair Charity orgarnisations,or what ever...Start from there,THEN THE PEOPLE CAN TRUST AND LOVE YOU..Start from there,not just wake up one morning and propose to be KING...

You Are Crazy

Ni John will Roast Your balls
Biya will be having that for Lunch

[erdisamuels]

At the age of 63 you should also retire. Idiot!

[ecoco]

He is 63 and thinks we are stupid. He is not young. Let all the old folks go to sleep!!

[Kene]

Dr. Nfor N Susungi you claim at 63 you belong to the younger generation? So where do I belong at 36? Please, if your really want Ni and Biya to protect the enterest our interest as you state please, Joing any person as old as Kah Walla and advise them on how to implement such good proposals of yours.

[39 year old youth.]

To all of you brothers and sisters that have commented,what plans have you to join Dr. in the fight for change in Cameroon?.Dr.Susungi is the ideal person to be elected and i promise you that after electing him he is going to hand power to a young man.I support all what he proposes because i think a great nation like Cameroon will be free of chaotic platforms only when some one voluntarily comes up with a proposal to unite Cameroonian.
We should give much courage, support him up and give him a try.
We can only compare him to any other persons proposals but now that there is none i think his is best.

[Discount UGGs Boots UK]

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