“SDF is coming back strong to win lost ground and move further”

-Akere Divine Achu

Prince Akere Divine Achu is a Microsoft certified systems engineer with about 15 years of experience and a web designer both in the United States and in Cameroon. His educational background took him through the Cameroon Protestant College Bali, Lycee Bilingue Molyko Buea and eventually to the US for University studies where he enrolled at the University of California. This coupled with a family of politicians such as erstwhile Prime Minister and now Senator Achidi Achu and former Governor Achu of the East Region as well as his recent election as a ward chairman in Ntaghem II Ward II pushed this reporter to get his feel on recent trends in the SDF Party from a fresh perspective.  Among other things, he states that SDF is coming back strong to win lost ground and move further. It constitutes an exciting interview. Read on.

What role do you play in the SDF and how did your political route in the party begin?

I have been an active member of the SDF for more than 15 years now. I joined the party officially in 1997 when I was in California in the United States so I have been active since then. I just got elected. You know the party is going through a total reorganization of the basic organs going up through the ranks all the way to the National Executive Committee which will be renewed as well during the 2017 convention which is planned for Bamenda. Through this reorganization process I became Ward Chairman for Ntaghem II Ward II.

Many people are of the feeling that from the early 1990’s up to its peak in 1992 when the SDF reportedly won the Presidential Elections, the party has since then been on a decline in its popularity. How true do you think this is?  
  

I will beg to differ a little bit on that. I believe the SDF is still on its peak. It’s a process you know. We sometimes say that progress is progressive. The election results of late may not reflect that but we are still the most popular political party in this country. This is because the message of change of Social Democracy which is equal opportunity for all is still strong. We still need that change more than ever before.

What do you think is the best prescription for Cameroon at a time when Cameroonians are clamouring for Federalism and the government in place doesn’t seem to be doing enough?

That’s indeed a very critical question. The very structure of our country itself has to be revisited because if you look back at our history we got into a union under the principle of a federal system. Somewhere down the line, we found ourselves in a unitary constitution which they call a unitary decentralized state. It’s a little contradictory when you talk of a unitary decentralized state. That’s why we stand for a federal state because we believe that it is the best system for a multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and a multi-historical nation like ours. Most of the former French Colonies in Africa are going with a certain mantra of De Gaulle who said that federalism is secession. We can have a good federal structure that maintains our unity still as one strong nation. We are not for breaking up as such. SDF intends to build a stronger country more united under a federal structure that takes into consideration regional characters.

Some people are of the feeling that when you are Chairman you can then let go the position of candidate for the Presidency of the Republic and that such a move will render more credibility to the democratic nature of the party. How do you look at this?

Permit me to use this opportunity to re affirm my absolute support for the National Chairman of the Party Ni John Fru Ndi and the current leadership of the party. The party has gone through trying times but we’ve always come back stronger. Of course when a party is going through a total reorganization of its organs, there are bound to be new people coming in. We are sort of being reborn with new blood coming in. We are coming back strong because we intend to take back grounds lost and even move further. You know we’ve decided that we are going to stay engaged in the political process peacefully through elections and otherwise but that does not mean that we believe that we have a level playing field.

What do you think about ELECAM?

Results that we obtain now do not necessarily reflect the will of the people. That’s why we have been pushing the Government to make certain amendments in ELECAM you know to make it more independent. What we really needed was an independent electoral commission. For the meantime if we can push for amendments in ELECAM to level up the playing field somehow that will still be progress.

Any last message?  
  

I want to tell my fellow compatriots that we are a great nation that’s why we are all working together irrespective of party differences. Political differences are just differences of opinion and belief sometimes. It is not enmity or anything like that. We are all brothers in a great country with lots of potentials. We really could do much better.   

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