“Beware The Lying Pen Of The Scribes!”

“Beware The Lying Pen Of The Scribes!”(Jer.8:8-11)).
(Tribute To Ni John Fru Ndi)!
It took the majority of Cameroonians by surprise. We were comfortable in our misery and living the lie of “What can we do?” The question, “What can we do?” is to say, “We are caged!”
And when the majority were asking in resignation, “what can we do?” as a conclusion that there is nothing we can do, he refused to live the lie. He showed the alternative that it was very possible to do something!
He believed strongly like Wole Soyinka wrote, that, “The man in you dies when you keep silent in the midst of injustice.”
When the river flows alone, it meanders. He couldn’t have been an island; otherwise how could he have gathered the required fifty signatures each from every province!
Someone who was there from the beginning and who as a respectable Justice, enjoying his retirement and who had his fair dose of “prisoner without crime,” writing about his own share of the ordeals of the post 1992 presidential election quotes Frank Harris, “Subtract from the great man all that he owes to opportunity, all that he owes to chance, and all that he has gained by the wisdom of his friends and the folly of his enemies, and the giant will often be seen as a pigmy.”
Ni kindled the fire of hope and restored the confidence of those who think there is nothing we can do.
What motivated the people to make a surprise swing from a one party state to join the Social Democratic Front(SDF) was not the charisma of Ni. Nyo Wakai of blessed memory says that “the Preamble of the launching Manifesto explains” his involvement, namely, “Humiliation of Cameroonians, oppression, hypocrisy, confusion, double talk and compromises have necessitated the creation of the SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC FRONT(SDF). Determined to rid the Cameroonian society of all these evils, the front shall also fight relentlessly against social injustice, tribalism, nepotism, corruption, graft, squandermania, clientilsm, discrimination, and moral decay in Cameroon. The FRONT shall ensure open government in public affairs as well as rehabilitate parliament and the judiciary, and further a sense of national belonging in all Cameroonians.” If this ever happened then it was only for a brief moment. Wakai says these words of 1990 “remained true at the time of 1992…”
Ni John Fru Ndi was a vocal and fearless Jeremiah, even if Jeremiah was a prophet and he Fru Ndi was not!
Is it not like those who crafted the manifesto had the book of Jeremiah as their term of reference?
At one time Jeremiah lamented, “How can you say, ‘We are wise, for we have the law of the LORD, when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely… From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deciet. They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious, ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”
Even today, we have become accustomed to hear that “Everything is under control”, but everywhere there are dead bodies in bedlam!
If there is anything to learn from this great statesman it is that we should not claim any kind of wisdom if we have rejected the word of the LORD. To go back to Soyinka, “The man in you dies when you keep silent in the midst of injustice.” That’s what Ni John Fru Ndi is to be remembered for – even if in later days he became complecant as some contend!
Prayer: Holy Spirit help us not to be greedy for gain, not to reject God’s word and not to practice deceit. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.