Gaullist Africa: Cameroon Under Ahmadu Ahidjo PDF
Preview Gaullist Africa: Cameroon Under Ahmadu Ahidjo
Gaullist Africa : Cameroon under Akmadu Ahidjo G a u l l i st A f r i c a: ** < C a m e r o on u n d er A h m a du A h i d jo edited by Richard Joseph H FDta FOURTH DIMENSION PUBLISHERS 1978 G a u l l i st A f r i c a: ** < C a m e r o on u n d er A h m a du A h i d jo edited by Richard Joseph H FDta FOURTH DIMENSION PUBLISHERS 1978 ' >* r. 4"\ first Published 1978 by I C o n t e n ts v N Fourth Dimension Publishing Co. Ltd. 1-3 Hassan Lane, P.O. Box 553, Enugu, Nigeria - I Page © Fourth Dimension Publishers 1978 Acknowledgements * vi ISBN 978 156 004 5 Selective List of Abbreviations viii Preface ix PART I: Introduction and General Framework 1. France in Africa 1 3 2. The Gaullist Legacy 12 3. Cameroon under Ahmadu Ahidjo 28 PART II: The Political System J. F. Bay art 4. The .Birth of the Ahidjo Regime 45 5. The Structure of Politieal Power 66 6. The Neutralisation of Anglophone Cameroon 82 PART'III: Political and Social Critique i 7. The Hidden Truth about Cameroon Mongo Bed < 93 CONDITIONS OF SALE All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in 8. Government by State of Emergency a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, Abel E'yinga , 100 mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior 9. The Power and the People permission of the Publisher. Philippe 'lippens'and R. A.Joseph 111 Jacket design by Reno Psaila PART IV: The Political Economy Photoset and printed in Malta by 10. From African Socialism to Planned Liberalism Interprint (M*alta) Ltd. Abel Eyinga 129 ' >* r. 4"\ first Published 1978 by I C o n t e n ts v N Fourth Dimension Publishing Co. Ltd. 1-3 Hassan Lane, P.O. Box 553, Enugu, Nigeria - I Page © Fourth Dimension Publishers 1978 Acknowledgements * vi ISBN 978 156 004 5 Selective List of Abbreviations viii Preface ix PART I: Introduction and General Framework 1. France in Africa 1 3 2. The Gaullist Legacy 12 3. Cameroon under Ahmadu Ahidjo 28 PART II: The Political System J. F. Bay art 4. The .Birth of the Ahidjo Regime 45 5. The Structure of Politieal Power 66 6. The Neutralisation of Anglophone Cameroon 82 PART'III: Political and Social Critique i 7. The Hidden Truth about Cameroon Mongo Bed < 93 CONDITIONS OF SALE All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in 8. Government by State of Emergency a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, Abel E'yinga , 100 mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior 9. The Power and the People permission of the Publisher. Philippe 'lippens'and R. A.Joseph 111 Jacket design by Reno Psaila PART IV: The Political Economy Photoset and printed in Malta by 10. From African Socialism to Planned Liberalism Interprint (M*alta) Ltd. Abel Eyinga 129 VI Contents 11. Economy and Society R. A.Joseph 142 12. The Political Economy of External Dependence in Cameroon y * , \ForJ.LJ. J i * /! Reginal Herbold Green 162 PART V: Epilogue and Conclusion 13. Contemporary Cameroon 181 14. Conclusion 189 Appendices Appendix I 203 Appendix II 208 Appendix III 215 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "Without the financial support, 'material facilities and secreta rial assistance provided by the Institute* of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, this project might never have.pro- gressed beyond the planning stage. At the point when the editing work became onerous I was able to benefit from the full-time services of a most gifted editorial assistant in the person of my wife, Jennifer. My colleague and friend, J. F. Bayart, was very helpful in many ways, including sending xeroxed copies of rele vant articles published in France. Warm thanks must be expressed to those individuals who provided useful information and their own acute opinions about the politics and society of contempo rary Cameroon but whose names must be withheld. For per mission to include material here which formerly appeared in their publications, I am most grateful to Francois Maspero, the Revue Francaise d'Etudes Politique^ Africaines of 97 Bid d'Auteuil, Boulogne, France, and the International Commission of Jurists, Geneva, Switzerland. VI Contents 11. Economy and Society R. A.Joseph 142 12. The Political Economy of External Dependence in Cameroon y * , \ForJ.LJ. J i * /! Reginal Herbold Green 162 PART V: Epilogue and Conclusion 13. Contemporary Cameroon 181 14. Conclusion 189 Appendices Appendix I 203 Appendix II 208 Appendix III 215 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS "Without the financial support, 'material facilities and secreta rial assistance provided by the Institute* of Development Studies at the University of Sussex, this project might never have.pro- gressed beyond the planning stage. At the point when the editing work became onerous I was able to benefit from the full-time services of a most gifted editorial assistant in the person of my wife, Jennifer. My colleague and friend, J. F. Bayart, was very helpful in many ways, including sending xeroxed copies of rele vant articles published in France. Warm thanks must be expressed to those individuals who provided useful information and their own acute opinions about the politics and society of contempo rary Cameroon but whose names must be withheld. For per mission to include material here which formerly appeared in their publications, I am most grateful to Francois Maspero, the Revue Francaise d'Etudes Politique^ Africaines of 97 Bid d'Auteuil, Boulogne, France, and the International Commission of Jurists, Geneva, Switzerland. Selective List of A b b r e v i a t i o ns P r e f a ce AN (or MANC) (Mouvement d') Action Nationale BMM Brigades Mixtes Mobiles BPN Bureau Politique Nationale It occasionally happens that a* cloud of silence envelops deve CCCE Caisse Centrale de la Cooperation lopments in particular countries-. In such situations it is often possible to discover deliberate efforts at concealment on the Economique CFDT Compagnie Francaise pour le part of the ruling authorities. In the case-of Cameroon, there have certainly been aspects of the political and socio-economic Developpement des Fibres Textiles CDC Cameroon Development Corporation system which the -Ahidjo.regime has preferred to see little publi CNU (or UNO Cameroon National Union cised, both at home and abroad.1 Yet, such'an explanation does CPNC Cameroon Peoples National Council not fully account for the general low level of awareness, even CUC Cameroon United Congress among. Africanists, about the evolution of this country over the DIR.DOC Direction Generale des Etudes et past two decades. Part of the blame, I believe, can be placed pn de la Documentation those whose task it has been to report on and analyse contem FAC Fonds d'Aide et de la Cooperation porary politics in Cameroon, as well as that of countries governed FIDES Fonds d'Investissements pour le by similar regimes elsewhere in Africa. The first reason for this inadequacy is ideological and derives Developpement Economique et Social from the riatural tendency of writers to present the most flat de la France d'Outre-Mer JUC (and JUNC) Jeunesse de l'Union (Nationale) tering image of governments with whose political aims and oper ations they' are in general agreement. Of course, sirice studies Camerounaise KNDP Kamerun National Democratic Party of a particular country or subject are often written by individuals OFUNC Organisation des Femmes de l'Union of differing ideological standpoints, the reader is usually able to, arrive at his1 "or her own assessment by weighing the conflicting Nationale Camerounaise ORSTOM Office de la Recherche Scientifique arguments and information. In the event, however, that all major works which have appeared on a particular country, and a parti- et Technique d'Outre-Mer PDC Parti des Democrates Camerounais i. When the security police play as large a part in creating, as in uncovering, PSC Parti Socialiste Camerounais intrigues .against the government, even intense publicity is no guarantee SEDOC Service des Etudes et de la that full explanations of particular events will ever emerge. On the 1970 "Ndongmo Affair" involving the arrest and trial of the Cameroonian Documentation Catholic .bishop, along with the UPC guerilla leader, Ernest Ouandie\ SNI Societe Nationale d'Investissement and a scqre of purported UPC activists with whom he was accused of UC (and UNO Union (Nationale) Camerounaise being in coljusion to topple the regime, see Mongo Beti, Main Basse sur le UDEAC Union DouanieYe des Etats de Cameroun (Paris: Francois Maspero, 1972), 97 ff., and J. F. Bayart, "Les l'Afrique Centrale rapports entre l<s Eglises et l'Etat du Cameroun de 1958 a 1971," Revue Franqaise d'Etudes Politiques Africaines, 80 (August, 1972), 101-103. UPC Union des Populations du Cameroun Selective List of A b b r e v i a t i o ns P r e f a ce AN (or MANC) (Mouvement d') Action Nationale BMM Brigades Mixtes Mobiles BPN Bureau Politique Nationale It occasionally happens that a* cloud of silence envelops deve CCCE Caisse Centrale de la Cooperation lopments in particular countries-. In such situations it is often possible to discover deliberate efforts at concealment on the Economique CFDT Compagnie Francaise pour le part of the ruling authorities. In the case-of Cameroon, there have certainly been aspects of the political and socio-economic Developpement des Fibres Textiles CDC Cameroon Development Corporation system which the -Ahidjo.regime has preferred to see little publi CNU (or UNO Cameroon National Union cised, both at home and abroad.1 Yet, such'an explanation does CPNC Cameroon Peoples National Council not fully account for the general low level of awareness, even CUC Cameroon United Congress among. Africanists, about the evolution of this country over the DIR.DOC Direction Generale des Etudes et past two decades. Part of the blame, I believe, can be placed pn de la Documentation those whose task it has been to report on and analyse contem FAC Fonds d'Aide et de la Cooperation porary politics in Cameroon, as well as that of countries governed FIDES Fonds d'Investissements pour le by similar regimes elsewhere in Africa. The first reason for this inadequacy is ideological and derives Developpement Economique et Social from the riatural tendency of writers to present the most flat de la France d'Outre-Mer JUC (and JUNC) Jeunesse de l'Union (Nationale) tering image of governments with whose political aims and oper ations they' are in general agreement. Of course, sirice studies Camerounaise KNDP Kamerun National Democratic Party of a particular country or subject are often written by individuals OFUNC Organisation des Femmes de l'Union of differing ideological standpoints, the reader is usually able to, arrive at his1 "or her own assessment by weighing the conflicting Nationale Camerounaise ORSTOM Office de la Recherche Scientifique arguments and information. In the event, however, that all major works which have appeared on a particular country, and a parti- et Technique d'Outre-Mer PDC Parti des Democrates Camerounais i. When the security police play as large a part in creating, as in uncovering, PSC Parti Socialiste Camerounais intrigues .against the government, even intense publicity is no guarantee SEDOC Service des Etudes et de la that full explanations of particular events will ever emerge. On the 1970 "Ndongmo Affair" involving the arrest and trial of the Cameroonian Documentation Catholic .bishop, along with the UPC guerilla leader, Ernest Ouandie\ SNI Societe Nationale d'Investissement and a scqre of purported UPC activists with whom he was accused of UC (and UNO Union (Nationale) Camerounaise being in coljusion to topple the regime, see Mongo Beti, Main Basse sur le UDEAC Union DouanieYe des Etats de Cameroun (Paris: Francois Maspero, 1972), 97 ff., and J. F. Bayart, "Les l'Afrique Centrale rapports entre l<s Eglises et l'Etat du Cameroun de 1958 a 1971," Revue Franqaise d'Etudes Politiques Africaines, 80 (August, 1972), 101-103. UPC Union des Populations du Cameroun X Preface Preface XI cular regime, share the same uncritical perspective, it is not more polemical intent; thirdly, to place these discussions into surprising that little advance has consequendy been made in an immediate (as opposed to abstract) theoretical framework, and producing perceptive analyses. one which elucidates1 the historical role of the French/African The second reason, though not unconnected to the first, con connection; -and, finally, to try to open up avenues for future cerns the clarity, quality, and even-readability of many available research on Cameroon and ex-French Africa which have been studies of post-independence Africa. At times it appears that some prematurely closed because of unquestioned assumptions. writers are more determined to obscure rather than to elucidate In Part I, a brief outline of France's colonial impact in Africa is the systems they set out to examine.2 This obscurantism, I believe, given, followed by a more detailed discussion of the complex results from the exacerbation of tendencies inherent in certain post-colonial relationship 'between France and Africa seen as a schools of Western social science. These include the urge to con direct consequence of Gaullist rule in France. The basic character-' coct theories of increasing opacity, the compulsive coining of istics of the regime of Ahmadu Ahidjo in Cameroon are then scientistic neologisms, the insufficiency of attention paid to his sketched to show how they fit into a particular pattern of the torical modes of explanation, and the conversion of loose ways of neo-colonial polity as well as to illustrate a successful solution speaking, i.e. "modernisation," into self-complete theories of to the specific problems involved in operating such a polity. political, social and economic change. In Part II, written exclusively by J. F. Bayart, we begin with The third reason is more broadly applicable to the world of his careful tracing of the establishment of the Ahidjo regime, scholarship and is usually summed up under the phrase "acade examining the tactics used to overcome the various obstacles mically respectable," with "academic" taken to imply "objective" to his party's monopolisation of power. The actual mechanisms as distinguished from "polemical" meaning "partisan." The of government, as well as the operative principles and the evolving following gratuitous statement by a student of Cameroon politics structure of the political system are covered in his next chapter. illustrates this point: His final chapter is devoted to analysing the ways in which the constitutional autonomy of Anglophone West Cameroon was In view of all the coercive and preventive measures taken by the regime progressively undermined by the central government. of President Ahidjo, some speak of systematic repression while others of simple legitimate defense. It is not up to us to enter this debate . . .3 Part III begins with excerpts from the controversial book by the exiled Cameroon novelist, Mongo Beti, which was banned upon If it is not the task oT individuals who have become most in its first appearance by both the French and Cameroon govenu formed about the basic political practices of a given regime to ments. One consequence of the usually harsh reactions of the assess how much its repressive behaviour exceeds "simple legi Ahidjo regime to any published work which criticises its actions timate defense," then whose task is it? From this standpoint, and performance is that the writings of Cameroonians have ten fundamental questions concerning the exercise, and abuse, of ded to be either sycophantic or highly polemical. Since Mongo governmental power should not be taken up because of the risk Beti excoriates journalists as well as "professors of political of soiling one's academic hands. science'1' for their disservice to the truth about Ahidjo's Camer With these criticisms in mind, the aim of this study has been oon, it is appropriate to include in this study a few pages of his four-fold: first, to present as accurate an account as possible of treatise. Abel Eyinga's discussion of such unsavoury features the major dimensions of contemporary Cameroon life; secondly, of Ahidjo's rule as the maintenance of the State of Emergency to combine academic critical analysis with contributions of a for over fifteen years, the throttling of the judiciary's indepen dence, and the heavy reliance on the political police has relevance 2. See the relevant comment by Immanuel Wallerstein in "Dependence in an beyond the case of Cameroon, as contemporary developments Interdependent World: The limited Possibilities of Transformation within in such countries as Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, the Phillipines, South the Capitalist World Economy," African Studies Review XVII 1 (April, 1974), Korea and Uganda demonstrate. In an article by Philippe Lippens, 2. revised and elaborated by'myself, an attempt is made to show 3. Michel Prouzet, Le Cameroun (Paris: Librairie Generate de Droit et de the direct ways in which the arbitrary and often brutal methods Jurisprudence, 1974), 282.
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