POST ELECTIONS: CABRAL LIBII vs THE PEOPLE
I just can’t believe people are using a picture of Cabral in his pyjamas, coming out of a Chevy Suburban in the USA to discredit his legitimacy; claiming he has used campaign funds to enrich himself and is now traveling the world enjoying his money while his supporters are still poor and suffering. It is this mentality; the haut display of ignorance that keeps holding us back.
Some people had the same thing to say about Agbor Balla after he was released from prison. I am sure if Mancho Bibixy is released today and we see him standing next to a neighbours Prado, people will have negative things to say.
Are you people telling me civilisation started in Egypt and was denied an entry visa into Cameroon?
Ou bien le respect est dans l’eau?
First of all, the man had made multiple trips to the US and other countries around the world before becoming a presidential candidate. His pyjamas could be gotten at mokolo and any Sirri, Agbor, or Fondzeyuy who finds himself in the US can have access to that class of a Chevy suburban. I’m just saying, those are basic things that everyone of us should be able to afford and in no way depict extravagance or a lack of focus.
So we want him to go to the U.S and drive around in a raggedy car before we believe he can truly bring change to Cameroon? We want him to dress like Ghandi before we believe he cares about the people of Cameroon? This is outright ridiculous, petty and disrespectful. Either that or just testament to the intellectual poverty and sociocultural mediocrity we are drowning in.
Most of us out here can’t even get 10 people to join our djangui but we address with so much disrespect someone who galvanised hundred of thousands of youths, woke them up from their sleep and got them politically engaged? Cabral gave us proof that the youths are fed up. Before it was just a theory but his campaign run proved it. The impact of his presence on that ballot ticket should never be underestimated regardless of the outcome of the elections.
Cabral started his campaign by going out to try and get 11 million youths to register to vote. Going by the official number of newly registered voters presented by ELECAM, we can say he failed in that endeavour but the turnouts to his rallies also say the people realised themselves when it was too late and many definitely walked away from those rallies saying “ had I known, I would have registered to vote.’
What I am certain of is that there will be massive voter registration when next ELECAM opens its doors for that and one person we should be thankful for making that the case is Cabral Libii. Don’t chime in here with that rhetoric of “votes don’t count in Cameroon.” I won’t answer you today; this is not the occasion for that.
Any-Ha!
How about - He deserves a vacation for the fight that he put up?
How about - We keep following his page on which he still communicates, on a daily basis, his current engagements and talks about his plans for the municipal and parliamentary elections?
How about we just appreciate him for not giving up like most of us?
How about we learn to support people through the wins and through the losses?
Ok. He gained some weight. How about he now has and needs better nutrition because of the journey ahead?
This is actually why it is so hard for people to make sacrifices for Cameroonians. You stand up for Cameroonians and when you get shot, all you can hear is “E be want first show sey yi bad pass who?”
We have to be very careful about the rhetoric that we propagate about people, especially the ones that have done even a little to inspire us. It might be all jokes to us but we always need to remember the story of the boy who cried wolf. We say these things and laugh and think that it is over but what we are doing is subconsciously building an ideology that will come back to hunt us.
The way we treat the people that inspire us is heartbreaking. In the end we just make them realise we are not worth the sacrifice. The arrogance with which we do it sometimes can even push people who care about our plight to join the other side in screwing us because we don’t even know how to differentiate between what is good for us and what is bad for us.
Respect the ones that sacrifice for us. Respect the ones that show us the way. Respect the ones that give us hope. There is criticism and there is disrespect. Know the difference.
- Tino Foy