Ahead Of The First Multiparty Presidential Election In 1992: Why ARC – CNS Was Transformed Into Union For Change

How civil society organizations and activists, took over the leadership of the fight for change from opposition party leaders

When it appeared in the horizon, that the first presidential election in the new multiparty political system in Cameroon was to hold in the later part of 1992, the leaders of ARC – CNS resolved to enlarge or broaden the group to prepare for the election, by creating another form of coalition of opposition parties and civil society organizations. At one of its meetings in Douala, ARC – CNS was transformed into what became known as UNION FOR CHANGE. ARC – CNS which was a hardline organization that denounced the government – organized Tripartite Talks, and insisted on the holding of Sovereign National Conference, had sidelined the opposition parties that took in the Tripartite Talks up to the end.

It should be noted that ARC – CNS in English meant Alliance for the Reconstruction of Cameroon through a Sovereign National Conference. As The Mentor News stated in an earlier article, the creation of ARC – CNS after the Tripartite Talks, greatly weakened and finally killed the Coordination of Opposition Parties and Civil Society Organizations, which was run by party leaders, with the then National President of UNDP, Samuel Eboua as President, and Nj John Fru Ndi of SDF as Vice President.

Strong Opposition To Tripartite Talks

It should be noted that  civil society organizations and activists that were members of  the Coalition of Opposition Parties and Civil Organizations, were strongly against the participation of all members at the government organized Tripartite Talks, insisting on the holding of a Sovereign National Conference which President Biya had unfortunately and provocatively dismissed as ‘Sans Objet, meaning that it was not necessary.  In fact at the last meeting of the Coordination of Opposition Parties and Civil Society Organization that held before the Tripartite Talks, the entire group adopted a resolution to boycott Biya’s Tripartite Talks, and insisted on the holding of the Sovereign National Conference.

But as The Mentor News stated in an earlier article, following both pressure and intrigues by the Biya regime,   all the frontline opposition leaders, with the exception of Jean Jacques Ekindi, finally shelved the resolution and showed at the Tripartite Talks in Yaounde. Along the line however, the SDF leader, Ni John Fru Ndi, decided to abandon the meeting, and leave Yaounde. The decision was applauded by the civil society. Samuel Eboua, Ndam Njoya and others stayed on at the Tripartite Talks, til the end.  They were denounced by the civil society

Civil Society Takes Over Control

With the creation of ARC – CNS which weakened and finally killed the Coordination off Opposition Parties and Civil Society Organizations, civil society organizations and activists took over control of the fight for change from opposition party leaders that had disappointed them by attending Biya’s Tripartite Talks.

When the presidential election appeared in the horizon, the leadership of ARC – CNS rightly thought that it was necessary to enlarge the base or membership of the coalition, and so ARC –CNS was transformed into Union for Change.  But the leadership of Union for Change continued firmly in the hands of the civil society organizations and activists.    

  It should be noted that Union for Change that was created in 1992, was another coalition or alliance of opposition parties and civil society organizations and activists, in the fight for change in Cameroon.  Though big, Union for Change was however comparatively smaller when compared to the Coordination of Opposition Parties and Civil Society Organizations of 1991.  This was because some political parties that were members of the Coalition of Opposition Parties and Civil Society Organizations of 1991 were not members of Union for Change created in 1992. For example, Bello Bouba Maigari that took over the leadership of UNDP in January 1992 was not, a member of Union for Change, even though UNDP then was a big and strong opposition party.   Also, Augustin Frederick Kodock’s legalized faction of the UPC had become an ally of the CPDM. Kodock and his legalized faction were now with the ruling CPDM, while another faction, ‘UPC Fidele’, that refused to wine and dine with the CPDM, stayed in the opposition.

   Members Of Union For Change

It should be noted that the powerful or hardline civil society groups and activists in Union for Change included ‘Cap Liberte’, a local human rights group known as Human Rights Watch (nothing to do with the international whistle blower, Human Rights Watch), among others.  There were also influential activists like Pierre Roger Lambo Sandjo aka Lapiro de Mbanga, Barrister Charles Tchoungang, Ekane Anicet, Henriette Ekwe, among others. There were also quite a number of civil society personalities and intellectuals in the Union for Change, though the radicals (activists) were those at the forefront.

Meanwhile almost all the frontline opposition parties like Fru Ndi’s SDF, Jean Jacques Ekindi’s MP, Ndam Njoya’s CDU, Samuel Eboua’s MDP, Hameni Bieuleu’s UFDC, among others, became members of Union for Change. Some other major ‘allies’ of the Union for Change, were the then three major private French language newspapers in the country with headquarters in Douala. This group of three newspapers that became known as ‘Holy Trinity’, were Benjamin Zebaze’s Challenge Hebdo, Pius Njawe’s  Le Messager and  Severin Tchounkeu’s La   Nouvelle Expression. These powerful media organs got so fully engaged in the fight for change in the country.