Speach by Chairman John Fru Ndi

At the Launching of the SDF in Bamenda

on May, 26 1990

Fellow Cameroonians!

Today is the most significant day in the struggle for DEMOCRACY in Cameroon. You are here in your numbers because you do not only have faith in democracy but more so because you are determined to ensure that it works in Cameroon.

Thank you for that faith and determination. Make no mistake and do not allow yourself to be misled or misguided by anyone, no matter his station in life. Democracy has never been handed over to a people on a platter of gold!

For long you have heard several meanings attributed to democracy. Some of these have tended to justify tyrannies. Whether we go back to Aristotle's Athens or we remain in the present with Abraham Lincoln's America, we find ourselves with viable definition; that democracy is about people and the laws that they enact to govern themselves.

And that you should know that the struggle for democracy is not easier today than it was in Greece 2500 years ago. In this context, we share the views of Archbishop Abel Muzorewa when he wonders aloud:

"Why is it that we Africans can go to Britain and I here add Europe and the United States of America and be free to criticise their governments and heads of state without any fear of disappearing the following night or fear of being deported. Why are we afraid of doing it in Africa?

It is a heinous crime in black Africa to open your mouth freely and talk about the doings of the government or head of state. You will get thrown into prison, accused of treason, or simply disappear in such states. Political leaders do not trust their own people. They are tyrannical in the sense that they will not allow criticism."

And yet they were elected by these same people whom they now oppress. We say that democracy is about people because we believe that failure to respect the fundamental freedoms, namely, freedom of conscience and religion, freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, deprive the people of their basic rights, which are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as human beings.

The fact that we have had to put up a hard struggle to hold this rally is abundant evidence that we have a long way to go in achieving the democratic process.

Today, we call on you to yell for DEMOCRACY.

For as someone has rightly said, "…unless people yell a lot, they get ignored. You can't afford to get ignored. You must yell because even if you are ignored, your children and your children's children will not get ignored tomorrow".

Whether those who govern us accept it or not, we believe, as others before us have believed and asserted, that the essence of democracy is about local people controlling their day-to-day affairs.

Let us make this clear to all those who are hearing us today that in the view of the Social Democratic Front, the struggle will continue, not only here, but anywhere in the world as long there is someone who is governing and someone who is governed. This struggle can only stop when all the people participate in their own government.

But what we see today is that African leaders have cultivated the tendency of using the vocabulary of democracy to conceal modern forms of dictatorship. It is against this dictatorship and oppression that we join the battle with anyone, and we assure you today that we shall emerge victorious.

The SDF has included DEMOCRACY in its motto because of its fervent belief and conviction that the essence of the democratic process in any society means the denial of JUSTICE and the retardation of DEVELOPMENT. Because where the people are not free to go about their daily chores without undue molestation, they cannot exhibit their skills and talents.

As we have just pointed out, we eschew any form of dictatorship because, in contrast to a true democracy where the people decide what is good for them, dictatorship produces the following results in the words of Argentina's great blind writer Jorge Luis Borges: "…oppression, servility, cruelty and more abominable is the fact that it breeds stupidity."

We have set as one of our goals to rid the Cameroonian society of a system that deprives people from being free men or otherwise punishing them for daring to think freely, associate freely, assemble peacefully and freely.
Let us assure everyone here present that our own view of democracy is one where the people will retain their own society. We are searching ways and means to secure the future for the generation that will follow us. And therefore to be democratic is to disagree about what democracy is."

Finally, we call upon you to stand up and be counted among those who share our democratic ideal. You have nothing to lose but the straight jacket in which, you, as freeborn citizens, have been cast.

Long live the SDF!
Long live Cameroon!

In the current senate, (2018 – 2023) seven senators represent the SDF.

The members of municipal councils elect Cameroonian senators.

After the first senatorial elections of April 14, 2013, the SDF won 14 seats. This number unfortunately dropped to seven during the second senatorial elections counting for the 2018 - 2023 term.

The.SDF has currently 18 sits in the National Assembly. Chief Paul NJI TUMASANG is the current SDF Parliamentary Group Leader.

The National Executive Committee is the highest decision making organ of the party after the congress.

Composition of the National Executive Committees

The National Executive Committee shall consist of:

1. The National Chairperson;
2. Five (5) National Vice Chairpersons, classified as 1st, 2nd, 3rd,4th and 5th, one at least of whom shall be of the opposite sex;
3. The Secretary General;
4. Four (4) Assistant Secretaries General classified as 1st, 2nd, 3rdand 4thone at least of whom shall be of the opposite sex; (B’da conv. 11-14, 10. 2012)
5. The Treasurer General;
6. The Assistant Treasurer;
7. The National Financial Secretary;
8. The Assistant National Financial Secretary;
9. The National Secretary for Political Education and Training; ( B’da conv. 26-28 May 2006)
10. Three (3) Assistant National Secretaries for Political Education and Training, classified as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, one at least of whom be of the opposite sex; ( B’da conv. 26-28 May 2006)
11. The National Secretary for Communication;
12. Four (4) Assistant National Secretaries for Communication, classified as 1st , 2n d, 3rd and 4th , one at least of whom shall be of the opposite sex. (B’da conv. 11-14, 10. 2012)
13. Two (2) Assistant National Secretaries for Communication, classified as 1st and 2nd, one at least of whom shall be of the opposite sex
14. The National Organising Secretary; xv. Three (3) Assistant National Organising Secretaries, classified as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, one at least ofwhom shall be of the opposite sex;
15. A National Secretary for Human and Peoples’ Rights; (B’da conv. 11-14, 10. 2012)
16. Two(2) Assistant National Secretaries for Human and Peoples’ Rights, classified as1st and 2nd, one of whom shall be of the opposite sex. (B’da conv. 11-14, 10. 2012)
17. A National Socialist Women Coordinator; (B’da conv. 11-14, 10. 2012)
18. Two(2) Assistant National Socialist Women Coordinators, classified as 1st and 2nd,one of whom shall be of the opposite sex, (B’da conv. 11-14, 10. 2012);
19. A National Socialist Youths Coordinator; (B’da conv. 11-14, 10. 2012);
20. Two (2) Assistant National Socialist Youths Coordinators, classified as 1st and 2nd,one of whom shall be of the opposite sex.
21. Ten (10) National Legal Advisers, classified as 1st, 2nd, “3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th. (B’da conv. 11-14, 10. 2012);
22. Three (3) Internal Auditor classified as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd;
23. Ten (10) other members, four (4) of whom shall be of the opposite sex, proposed by the newly elected National Chairperson and ratified by the Convention;
24. The Chairpersons of Standing Committees;
25. The Chairperson of the Union of Mayors;
26. The Chairperson of the Union of Presidents of Regional Councils;
27. Regional Chairpersons;
28. The speaker of the National Assembly and/or The Group Leader of the Party in the National Assembly;
29. The Speaker of the Senate and and/or The Group Leader of the Party in the Senate;
30. The President and Vice President of the Republic or Prime Minister, members of the Party;

Meeting of the National Executive Committee

1. The National Executive Committee shall meet at least four times each year;
2. It shall also meet at any time at the written request of the Chairperson or two-thirds
   (2/3) of the voting members; (Buea conv. 11-15.12.96)
3. The quorum for the meeting of the National Executive Committee shall be one-third
   (1/3) of its membership;
4. The National Executive Committee shall keep records of its proceedings.

Powers and Functions of the National Executive Committee

The National Executive Committee shall be responsible for the nation-wide administration of the party and putting into effect the decisions of the National Convention. It shall also:

1. Prepare the agenda for the National Convention;
2. Prepare and submit reports and the budget for the consideration of the Convention;
3. Examine reports from the Standing Committees, initiate policies and programmes
   for consideration and adoption by the convention; ; ( B’da conv. 26-28 May 2006)
4. Conduct the Party’s Presidential Campaigns, formulate and disseminate Party
   policy;
5. Make rules for party discipline and loyalty which shall be binding on all organs
   and members of the Party;
6. Make Party electoral regulations, subject to ratification by the Convention, which shall govern elections to all Party offices at every level and the procedure for selecting Party candidates for these elective offices;
7. Employ and determine the conditions of service of officials of the Party;
8. Co-opt such persons as it deems necessary, desirable or expedient to attend its meetings and take part in its deliberations; provided that such co-opted persons shall have no voting rights;
9. Have the power to initiate the Standing Orders of the Convention;
10. Deal with any other matters referred to it by the National Convention and/or the Advisory Council;
11. Deal with appeals and other problems referred to it by/or coming from Regional or other levels;
12. Create and establish such committees, organs and/or services as are necessary for the efficient management of the Party and report to the Convention for ratification; (Bfsm. Conv.29-31.07.93)
13. Consider reports from Regional Chairpersons of the Party and take such decisions as are necessary for the protection, advancement and/or consolidation of the gains and interests of the Party; (Buea conv. 11-15.12.96)
14. Exercise such other powers and functions as shall be vested in it by the Convention;