By Tazoacha Asonganyi
Marafa Hamidou Yaya was
arrested and put on “preventive detention” in April 2012, with Ephraim Inoni, a
former Prime Minister. In the process, we are learning again that it is not
free, independent state institutions that are playing their role of
investigating, arresting, and detaining suspects; it is all at the pleasure of
one all powerful man, Paul Biya, President of the Republic. Reason why motions
of support to Paul Biya are with us again to praise him for the arrest of
Marafa and Inoni - from CPDM MPs, the National Youth Council, Mfoundi CPDM, and
many more probably to follow in the days ahead...
Like for many political
parties, “democracy” is also the pet “slogan” of the CPDM, which they included
it in the name of their party, but their militants seem to have very little
idea of what it means. Party solidarity cannot be allowed to endanger the
rights of the individual member whose free will must remain realised and
promoted by the party. Since Marafa published his letters, the CPDM has
promoted the politics of personal destruction – visceral, mean-spirited
campaigns to destroy him in public opinion – which I find disheartening and bad
for the present and future of the country. I know in the jungle of the politics
the Cameroonians play, the importance of putting one’s self in the place of
another – empathy - to experience what they were feeling, and to understand
their motives and desires is never as strong in us as in other societies we
look up to.
