Beyond the CPDM Regalia: The Business Wing

By Martin-Luther Fon Yembe
When the Social Democratic Front emerged in the Cameroonian political scene, CPDM maharishis were quick to warn that it is better to deal with the devil you know than the angel you do not know. This message

was, of course, being directed at the business community and the administrators in Cameroon. It was like telling them that “yes, Biya  and the CPDM are devils, but, you are what you are today because of

the prevailing situation…”!

This message calls to mind an aspect of the Zurich axiom which states that “ if a caterpillar wants to become a butterfly, it must dare to crawl out of the shrubs and expose itself to the sunshine. The risk is

that it can be eaten up by birds, but if it remains in the dark shrubs, it will forever remain an ugly crawling creature, and never a flying butterfly with beautiful colours!”!! Thus, without risk, no business can grow. But the CPDM gurus were quick to tell businessmen in Cameroon to shy away from the SDF because “it was an angel they know nothing about”! The business community, especially in big business centres reasoned as business minds, took the risk and flooded along with the SDF. They adhered to calls for Ghost Towns and

boycotts. They voted for SDF at the 1992 Presidential elections, and the 1996 Municipal elections, reason why the SDF was in control of all the economic centres like Douala, Victoria, Bamenda, Bafoussam, Kumba, Kumbo, and even Yaounde, though the CPDM resisted handing Yaoundé

over.

These wonderful conquests terrified the CPDM regime and they resorted to one of the devil’s schemes, coercion, intimidation, threats and state terrorism to oblige business people succumb and submit

themselves to the agenda of the CPDM. Taxes were slammed on their businesses; planned robberies and even fire disasters were multiplied and some even closed down by force. Business gurus like the Kadjis who

had openly adhered in the SDF were cowed into capitulating and yielding to the diabolic CPDM agenda. The Fotsos, the Siyam Siwes, the Powos( Pa Guarantees), etc were obliged to start singing some

gibberish political songs in favor of the number one businessman, Paul Biya…else, they will be “taught a bitter lesson”.

Today, when the CPDM is organizing any event, the first persons, militants they address appeal letters to are these businessmen. Those who give below their targets or nothing at all are quickly reminded that they are in Biya’s country and his political cult called the CPDM dictates the tone of profit or losses. And they cave in and begin singing the chorus.

The quirk of fate here is that all these business militants end up being swallowed by the lion they were taming. Where is Yves Michel Fotso; Siywm Siwe, Pa Guarantee etc. They are either in hell here on earth or in the land beyond where their consciences will be battling with eternity . It is a very multifarious issue when one imagines what will become of these business militants when the CPDM cult collapses in 2018 as previewed by the diabolic pact of 1968.!!!

scene, CPDM maharishis were quick to warn that it is better to deal with the devil you know than the angel you do not know. This message was, of course, being directed at the business community and the administrators in Cameroon. It was like telling them that “yes, Biya and the CPDM are devils, but, you are what you are today because of the prevailing situation…”!

This message calls to mind an aspect of the Zurich axiom which states that “ if a caterpillar wants to become a butterfly, it must dare to crawl out of the shrubs and expose itself to the sunshine. The risk is that it can be eaten up by birds, but if it remains in the dark shrubs, it will forever remain an ugly crawling creature, and never a flying butterfly with beautiful colours!”!! Thus, without risk, no business can grow. But the CPDM gurus were quick to tell businessmen in Cameroon to shy away from the SDF because “it was an angel they

know nothing about”! The business community, especially in big business centres reasoned as business minds, took the risk and flooded along with the SDF. They adhered to calls for Ghost Towns and boycotts. They voted for SDF at the 1992 Presidential elections, and the 1996 Municipal elections, reason why the SDF was in control of all the economic centres like Douala, Victoria, Bamenda, Bafoussam, Kumba, Kumbo, and even Yaounde, though the CPDM resisted handing Yaoundé over.

These wonderful conquests terrified the CPDM regime and they resorted to one of the devil’s schemes, coercion, intimidation, threats and state terrorism to oblige business people succumb and submit themselves to the agenda of the CPDM. Taxes were slammed on their businesses; planned robberies and even fire disasters were multiplied and some even closed down by force. Business gurus like the Kadjis who had openly adhered in the SDF were cowed into capitulating and yielding to the diabolic CPDM agenda. The Fotsos, the Siyam Siwes, the Powos( Pa Guarantees), etc were obliged to start singing some gibberish political songs in favor of the number one businessman, Paul Biya…else, they will be “taught a bitter lesson”.

Today, when the CPDM is organizing any event, the first persons, militants they address appeal letters to are these businessmen. Those who give below their targets or nothing at all are quickly reminded that they are in Biya’s country and his political cult called the CPDM  dictates the tone of profit or losses. And they cave in and begin singing the chorus.

The quirk of fate here is that all these business militants end up being swallowed by the lion they were taming. Where is Yves Michel Fotso; Siywm Siwe, Pa Guarantee etc. They are either in hell here on earth or in the land beyond where their consciences will be battling with eternity . It is a very multifarious issue when one imagines what will become of these business militants when the CPDM cult collapses in 2018 as previewed by the diabolic pact of 1968.!!!

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)