By Noela EBOB BISONG
The Secretary General SG of the Social Democratic Front SDF party, Njong Donatus Fonyuy has announced that the party will celebrate its 34th anniversary with prayer and thanksgiving to God taking centre stage. The anniversary is billed for Sunday, May 26, 2024.
Addressing comrades of the SDF in a circular in prelude to the anniversary celebration, the SG instructs that “Given the current socio-political context of our country, it is important for us to come together in prayer for peace and thanksgiving on Sunday 26th May 2024 to celebrate the 34th anniversary of our party.”
It reads that, “As members of the Social democratic Front (SDF) party, I am by this circular calling on all the Regional Chairpersons to take measures to ensure that their regions gather for a special ecumenical prayer session in thanksgiving to God for the 34 years of existence of the SDF and to seek God’s guidance and blessings. This call for prayers is in addition to all the local manifestations that have been planned by our District Chairpersons for that day.”
The SG implores that “Let us lift up our voices in unity, asking for justice, peace and prosperity to prevail in our country Cameroon, and for wisdom for our leaders. We believe that prayer has the power to bring about change and unite us in a common purpose. Let us set aside our differences and come together in faith and hope.”
The SDF scribe furthers that “As we stand together in prayer for the betterment of our country, let us also pray for the peaceful repose of the soul of our founding and pioneer National chairman of blessed memory, Ni John Fru Ndi.”
The SDF was born on May 26, 1990 in Bamenda, Northwest of Cameroon, as a main opposition party to the ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement CPDM (born 1985 in Bamenda from the CNU). The SDF held its Constitutive Assembly on February 3, 1991 and elected its National Executive Committee-NEC.
At the dawn of multi-party politics in Cameroon 34 years ago, the then vibrant and energetic chairman of the SDF, John Fru Ndi, in outright courage without fear or favour, on May 26, 1990, delivered a keynote address to launch the party. “Fellow Cameroonians! Today is the most significant day in the struggle for DEMOCRACY in Cameroon. You are here in your numbers because you do not only have faith in democracy but more so because you are determined to ensure that it works in Cameroon…For long you have heard several meanings attributed to democracy. Some of these have tended to justify tyrannies…democracy is about people and the laws that they enact to govern themselves…The SDF has included DEMOCRACY in its motto because of its fervent belief and conviction that the essence of the democratic process in any society means the denial of JUSTICE and the retardation of DEVELOPMENT. Because where the people are not free to go about their daily chores without undue molestation, they cannot exhibit their skills and talent…We have set as one of our goals to rid the Cameroonian society of a system that deprives people from being free men or otherwise punishing them for daring to think freely, associate freely, assemble peacefully and freely…whether those who govern us accept it or not, we believe, as others before us have believed and asserted, that the essence of democracy is about local people controlling their day-day affairs”, the speech read in part.
However, the struggle for democracy from the SDF perspective has been a heavy fight, which has almost snuffed-out the high momentum of the party over the years. The party remains standing 34 years after, nonetheless.
After close to two years of existence, the SDF boycotted the 1992 parliamentary elections on grounds that government failed to meet opposition demands, (e.g. the establishment of an independent electoral commission to oversee the election), but took part in the presidential election that same year, where it harvested its highest result till date and emerged second after the ruling CPDM (about 36% votes against about 40% of the CPDM). In the 1997 parliamentary elections, the SDF won 43 out of 180 seats in the National Assembly but boycotted the presidential elections that year. In the June 2022 parliamentary elections, it won 22 seats. In the presidential election of October 11 2004, the party won 17.4%. In July 2007 parliamentary, the SDF won 16 seats. In the 2011 Presidential election, the SDF came second with 10.71% while in the February 9, 2020 Legislative elections, the party went down to five seats
Joshua Osih Nambangi became national chairman of the SDF in October 2023. He replaced John Fru Ndi, who passed away on June 12, 2023.