Ni John Fru Ndi, torch bearer of Cameroon’s Democracy
Cameroonians within and without the national territory have been pouring reactions following the death of Ni John Fru Ndi, National Chairman of the opposition party, Social Democratic Front, SDF, on June 12, 2023, in Yaoundé, from a prolonged illness.
While some have described him as a pacesetter for freedom and democracy within the opposition leadership, others say he led down his guards at some point reason why the SDF party is currently facing some internal hurdles.
“His quest for democracy and governance was a noble one, seeing that he came from the streets just two years after creating the SDF to become the first major opposition leader which has been widely described today by political commentators as the turning point in the political life of Cameroon “ political Analyst, Founder of NGO, Youth for a better Cameroon, Cleatine. A Chungong stated.
According to Clinton Tumenta a Student publisher and Journalist, Fru Ndi led a peaceful fight although he led down his guards at some point.
“I think that he left a positive legacy… one that should be respected. He led a peaceful fight and that’s why he dies today a peaceful man. But at one point I feel like he gave up and traded his fight for gold and that’s why his party is no longer what we used to know,” he said.
For Anya N.A. Vincent, a Legal Officer at the Constitutional Council, we cannot talk of the little democracy we see today without putting Fru Ndi at the apex of it.
“Liberty laws only had meaning because there was a fearless man who stood his ground and played his part,” he explained.
He has been described as a servant, a great leader, a man of honor, a pacesetter, courageous and charismatic statesman who was widely regarded as the father of modern democracy in Cameroon.
