The Paul Biyas’ of Saker Baptist, CPC Bali, Sasse, Sacred Heart…

By Innocent Chia
As night broke into dawn this morning, most of the world was waking up to President Barack Obama’s defense of US intervention in Libya to save it from itself.  But even more significantly, dictators who may have been praying for American inaction to inform their future brutish repression of civilian uprisings are waking up to a forewarning that natural and supernatural forces may have been in collusion when Obama promised to “un-clinch” those fists that perceive freedom and change as the enemy. Without taking the eye off of Paul Biya and his ilk of dictators and armed robbers who reduce the citizenry to pulp while pilfering from the national coffers, this write up, on the heels of last week’s piece (If not Biya, Who?), shines a flashlight at how Cameroonians, in organizations at home and abroad, behave almost in identical fashion to Biya. As generation Y continues kicking out rulers across the Middle-East and other areas get the jitters, it is no longer safe to cling onto elitist power paradigms that have held authority at arms-length from the young and poor.

“If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” – John 8v7

I have certainly attended my own share of ethnic conventions, alma mater meetings, and have listened to enough stories from former students of other schools. The story of inclusion by financial status and leadership by class seniority, or age, has been the rule at the heart of splintering organizations. Older members of organizations – SAKERETTES, BOBANS, LESANS, SESHANS, SOBANS, etc - are invariably accused by the younger, generally less affluent and unsettled, members of claiming omniscience in the decision making process. Even more damning, the “smalls” are accusing their “AUNTIES” and “BIGS” of using organizations that are supposed to be support groups as arenas for the promotion of class segregation and the perpetration of inferiority complexes.

“At monthly meetings, those of us that still attend are just like window dressing and house girls”, a former student of the renown all girls secondary school, Saker Baptist College of Limbe (SAKERETTES), conveyed as we chatted away about the power dynamics at organizations that one can arguably call incubators of future leadership. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the proud SAKERETTE regretted the fact that “our seniors seem to attend these functions to “ show-off their wealth and hear themselves speak and care less what the rest of us younger gals think about the very institution that we all profess to care about – Saker. It is incredible,” she concluded.

According to former students of several other alma maters, disregard and contempt of their views and being are common denominators at the local chapter meetings and annual conventions. The irony and kicker, meantime, is that they are – poor and rich, young and old – entitled and obliged to pay the same annual dues irrespective of their longevity in the United States, professions or annual household incomes. I would think that if you have to mouth me off, pay the piper to cut off the music. If seniors have to lord it over the rest, let them pay annual dues proportionate to their time of admission or let the affluent members donate a percentage of their salaries - much like tithing in the Bible. That may really entitle the trash talking and disrespect, but it will not bring young blood into the fold, a precondition without which an organization will self-destruct or simply die.

Biya in us
Whereas the US and Europe are supposed to be several thousand miles safely away from the lack of visionary leadership and intransigence of regimes, many become dumbfounded and hopeless when confronted with various isms in their alma maters and ethnic associations.

Several years ago, Afoakom USA – a US based development association of sons and daughters of Kom origin – was in an election year for the President and entire executive. While it was generally acknowledged that the achievements of the outgoing executive were numerous and significant, there was also a subterranean yearning for a new leadership that was going to change directions to focus on more generational concerns. In an opinion piece to the group, I made the case for the “under-50s versus the over-50 year olds”. Later at the annual convention, there was a sweeping victory by a new brand of young leaders that have been feeling their way along, making mistakes along the way, and learning the responsibilities that come with office.

By their enthusiasm, they are charting their own course and embracing causes that reflect their times and addressing concerns that if left unattended, will never be resolved by any other generation because there probably would be new challenges. To be concrete, the focus drifted from fixing a dilapidated Kom Palace – a prime achievement of the previous administration and pride of the Kom people - to the current administration that is steering the wheel towards campaigns on building better and cleaner sanitary facilities in primary schools to prevent diseases in the short term while reducing health costs in the long term, as well as plans to obtain medical equipment for some area hospitals that are in dire need.

More often than not, the issue is not that anyone is embarking on a project or projects that are not good for the organization and its direct and indirect beneficiaries. More often than not, the generational gap dictates that both cannot peacefully co-exist without one asking for subservience and deference from the other.  The truth of it is that age, experience, education, expertise, availability, willingness and many more, are all pieces of the puzzle for which no one has a monopoly over.

Lessons from the world of Sports
There is reason to hope that the myriad of social organizations that we are a privileged part of, serve as incubators where visionary leaders are trained and taught lessons on running relay races and passing of the baton. As a one-time sports commentator, I not only enjoyed the endurance and strength of athletes in individual disciplines like the 100m dash or in marathons, swimming, table and lawn tennis singles …etc, I fell in love with group sports and some of the inherent life-lessons that they teach – division of labor and trust. Whether in basketball, soccer, handball, football, volleyball or, my favorite relay racing, individual actors learn to place their faith and trust in one another. Far be it for me to conclude that trust always means trusting each other with doing the best thing. Sometimes, you just trust the other with time – for instance, a little time to recuperate in basketball. I see LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Paul Pierce and the greats before them, Jordan et al, taking breaks and turns.

In the peculiar case of relay races, the race is structured with rules that mandate that after a certain distance, the athlete must pass-on the baton to the next athlete. One can imagine a situation where the fastest track and field star Jamaican-born Usain Bolt, decides that he is going to run an entire relay on his own because he has the stamina and physical wherewithal. He can do but won’t do it because there are rules of engagement. There are rules of the game.

Whether in our respective countries – as in organizations large and small or with poor and rich members - it behooves every single member not only to rise up for the voiceless, but to equally rise up to the financial bullies and others who skew the definition of success to mean only what they have. Standing up to defend a principle or rule generally results in less personality conflicts than when we oppose individuals who may feel personally attacked. But we must be ready to defend the principles and values that we stand for, even when such are against our personal interests.

As a member of little group of testosterone Cameroonians with common interests in Chicago, it was a privilege to be its founding Secretary General. At the end of the first successful term, some members suggested we simply carry on with the business of governing and not waste any time with an election. Such a ringing endorsement of our service to the group was naturally heartwarming. But as one who believes in due process and respect of the constitution (by-rules and regulations), it just did not seat well with me. According to the Constitution, an election by ballot count was due to determine whether to extend the term to a second and last one, or to have new leaders. I thought it was preposterous for us to suppose that everyone shared the same view that the Executive Committee had performed and outstanding job. Even supposing it was unanimous, was it possible that there was an EXCO member who no longer wanted to serve or one of the club members who wanted a shot at leadership?                             
Consequences of our inaction

When we bypass procedure it inevitably leads to discontent within the fold, but of greater significance, it sets a precedence that becomes difficult to reverse. In Cameroon for instance, President Paul Biya and his concubine John Fru Ndi, the erstwhile champion of Cameroon’s hopeless and disenfranchised – have exploited and abused the system because they could tweak the laws of the land and their respective political parties. While it has served both of them well and Biya is currently running against himself as title holder of the longest serving President of Cameroon after his predecessor, Ahmadou Ahidjo, John Fru Ndi is setting his own record as SDF Chairman for life. It all begins from them disrespecting a simple rule because of the assumption that all are on board, and everything is OK. Those rules are in place to protect the “least of us” and to give us an avenue of expression that is generally drowned by the strong, rich and the old.

As we rightfully take liberty to throw stones at Biya, his household and all those who embody the same spirit, let us be mindful of the challenge that Jesus Christ had for the mob that was about to stone the adulterous woman - “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” – John 8v7. Our mindfulness should not be to stop critiquing or criticizing the shortsighted, exclusionary politics of these regimes.

Our mindfulness is to look at the relationships that we develop in the organizations that we manage or belong - large or small, for-profit or non-for-profit – and to ask ourselves whether we are respecting the rules of engagement. Let exceptions not become the rule. As a start-up entrepreneur, I am the first to tell you that I have made some monumental mistakes and lost faith by my partners. I know the feeling of failure, but I know it cannot be worse than that of never trying. However, once you find the solution, you are not entitled to keep it to yourself or to lead forever.

Therefore, before you throw out the bath water along with child in the basin, remember that this is not about chastising the respective organizations that have been cited in this write-up. This is not for organizations to go about witch-hunting of who said what to whom. This is really about how we better our lives, communities and countries by instilling in the young and the old that we are all custodians of this temporal space that we are sharing – Earth. You don’t throw parties and invite only yourself. I am told that you invite your seniors to see how far you have come; you invite your peers to show off where you are going; and you invite the less fortunate to envy how far gone you are, as well as to eat the food that the higher-ups would otherwise leave to waste. In it all, each person has value at the party. Let us acknowledge our limitations and recognize the value in others.

Comments

[Erico]

Well written concise and precise this is spot on.

[salome]

Everybody needs to print copies of this article and distribute at the next contri meeting or ex-students organization.

[Aken Aten]

Innocent. Innocent ! INNOCENT!!!!!!
You have to agree that this is as useless as the power of Biya!
An open-ed by Innocent Chia on a the "Chia" report??? Are you wondering about the last name of the ower of this web page???

Needless for me to remind you that Africa calls for a greater level of remembrance! Maybe it is time to relocate to a a web page called "U-KA-PTHAT Report" (name of the first large city in Africa).

Once you have overcomed this very general tendency to "personnalise" power that you seem to share with the duke of the collective behind of Cameroon, you might consider elevating yourself to write about the future of cam (oop"s) i MEANT AFRICA!
The future of that continent is important! The one of Cameroon is TOTALLY irrelevant!

For the one of biya...................

[Judith]

Good piece!!!!

[John Dinga]

Frankly Mr. Chia you have been an inspiration in many ways and your incisive analyses have been a pleasure to read. You have often provoked plenty of soul-searching in your write-ups, for which you deserve my doffed hat.

However, this particular one defies whole-hearted appreciation. For one thing, you have lumped too many things together which do not quite belong. For another you have made some awfully sobering remarks which I would hesitate to make without substantiation. Whatever metaphor you intended when you mentioned President Paul Biya and his concubine, John Fru Ndi is less than clear to me.

Yes, it is true and perhaps one can not argue it enough that it is in the DNA of Cameroonians to look down on the young and the poor, to sit tight in elective positions and spurn the views of those below. Yet, the amalgamation creates a comparison that is at best tenuous. It is true that two courses may run parallel for a while and socialize but as soon as they exhaust whatever common ground they share, they divert to their separate trajectories. It is like the Opposition political parties at one point coming together in a Union for Cahnge to fight the powerful incumbent president and as soon as they failed to uproot him, they began to drift their separate ways. Organizations of ex-students of Cameroon's many colleges may share persons who are also villagers and committed development agents of different backgrounds. But that is as far as the comparison goes. Two organizations with different objectives call for separate analyses and comparisons to make sense. It is true that most Cameroonians like to look forward whereas the famous ex-students' organizations such as BOBANS, SOBANS, SESHANS and the others you enumerated tend to look backward. Obviously the rationale is to celebrate the one academic institution that made them what they later became in the wider world. I wonder if one can declare the same for village development meetings either out here in the US or back at home in Cameroon. Yes, it is unfortunate that the older ones often treat the younger members with a degree of condescension, which does not augur well for overall development and advancement. Your metaphor of relay race is quite apt. Persons elected to pilot the organization ought to be able to pass on the relay baton and help the younger members to also evolve. Alas the Cameroonian DNA....

I see the biggest challenge for Cameroonians is what to do in case of a Biya abdication. See what is happening in Libya today!To fight to get rid of an incompetent leader is a good fight; but better still is the effort to groom an appropriate successor. For this, the only medicine I can think of is that an organization should have its standing rules and abide by them, trying as hard as possible to resist the temptation to make any elected leader a providential person, without whom the organization is doomed. Seen in this light, one can sympathize with the view that party leaders tend to overstay their welcome, to the detriment of the party. But then again, each passing day, did we not all expect the party leader to deliver the goods? People blame Paul Biya but fail to look at the other side of the coin - those who maintain Paul Biya in place for their own selfish agendas.

[queen]

whoa, i love this article and the bible quote is well chosen, we all have to examine our consciences and see if we are qualified to throw the first stone at Biya and his household, Biya has done so many wrongs in a country that was full of life and was once a greener pastures, that we all know but is he the only bad man? if we cannot manage little responsibilities entrusted in our leadership, then how can we manage bigger ones. food for thought. it is not easy to be the president and really biya has over stayed his welcome and whether he likes it or not, one day he will leave power. the question now is, who will be the next, will he be different from Biya - will he be able to eat and don't break the pots?, will he be able to set rules and don't break them? will be be able to show the world that they are still some good people living? conscience, conscience my brother, is what we all need.

[Idon'tHaveA.Name]

This explains why i don't enjoy those functions because i don't kiss up, and don't want anyone to kiss up to me either.
I couldn't put it any better. If cameroonians don't change this, the next rulers will not perform a differently. So i think will take generations to become cultural