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Cameroon: 27 Years of Biya: What Happened to Rigour and Moralisation?
By Ajong Mbapndah L
It was not a public holiday at least not a statutory one but everything was at a stand still with administrative services grinded. The day was November 6 and the same scenario has played out for the past 27 years in celebration of the day late President Amadou Ahidjo constitutionally handed over to Paul Biya. While his supporters and militants of the ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement led by Biya were in a festive mood, many are those who either remained indifferent to the significance of the day or spent time pondering on the abysmal record of what initially started as a very promising presidency. A novelty at this year’s anniversary was a message from President Biya published in the official daily Cameroon Tribune with yet another litany of promises with subtle hints of a re-election bid when his current term ends in 2011.
Dubbed the New Deal, President Biya’s accession to power in 1982 was greeted with unbridled euphoria. Though hand picked by President Amadou Ahidjo who himself had occupied office for some 22 years, it did not take long for Biya to warm himself into the hearts of Cameroonians. He was relatively young, dashingly handsome, well educated and on his first official visit to the North West Province, he actually uttered words in English, a thing his predecessor never did despite English been one of the country’s official languages just like French. So carried away were the leaders of the North West that the traditional rulers crowned him the Fon of Fons. Although the lone candidate in the Presidential elections of 1984, the Provinces rivaled each other to give him the highest percentage of votes. His initial pronouncements were full of hope; words like democracy hitherto unheard of in the days of former President Amadou Ahidjo were regularly used by Biya. Rigour and moralization he said were going to be the order of the day and a lucid vision for Cameroon was spelt out in his political treaties known as Communal Liberalism.So how does the Cameroon of today stand out in comparison to the one espoused by Biya at the onset of his presidency in 1982? A stark contrast, his opponents and millions of aggrieved Cameroonians will be quick to point out. The Biya years have seen great strides in the right direction for Cameroon, his supporters and those who share the spoils of power with him will certainly enthuse. However the facts on the ground do not lie and no matter the level of spin, it is hard to miss the largely gloomy picture. Be it in terms of politics, in terms of the economy, in terms of quality of life et al, Biya has fell way short of expectations many at home and in the diaspora think.
The economy he inherited in 1982 was buoyant, and almost debt free. Though of inferior educational pedigree, astute management of the economy by President Ahidjo had put the country firmly on the path of growth and development and Cameroon was highly respected within the sub region and the continent. Corruption was the exception rather than the norm as is the case today .Granted the economic crises did not make things any better for Cameroon under Biya, but who can dare argue that it is blatant embezzlement and gross mismanagement of resources that have brought the country to its knees? Germaine Ahidjo widow of late President Amadou Ahidjo pointed out in a documentary with Alain Forka of RFI that her husband had night mares thinking of what President Biya had done with the huge surpluses that he was entrusted with.
Asked by CRTV ace Journalist Eric Chinje in the early 90s on reports of rampant corruption within the ranks of government, President Biya instead asked of proves. In 1998 and 1999, the International Corruption watchdog Transparency International ranked Cameroon as the most corrupt country in the world.Perharps jolted by this the government embarked on a crusade which saw a sitting Minister like Mounchipou Seidou incharge of Post and Telecommunications and a member of the political bureau of the ruling CPDM Pierre Desire Engo charged for corruption. The operation dubbed sparrow hawk or its better known French acronym Epervier has been extended today with its victims all former barons of the ruling party or former government Ministers. Critics say the crusade selectively targets only those who pose real or imagined threats to his leadership. Titus Edzoa, a former personal physician of his who also serves as Minister of Higher Education, Public Health and Secretary General of the Presidency was only arrested and thrown behind bars on charges of corruption only after he resigned from government and went public with his intention to run for the Presidency. Former Secretary General at the Presidency Atangana Mebara, Minister of Health Olanguena Owona, and Minister of Economy Polycarpe Abah Abah, despite accusations of embezzlement and mismanagement that resulted in their present incarceration are believed to have incurred the wrath of President Biya because of allegiance to the G11 a reflection group with a focus on the 2011 elections and the post Biya era.
The crusade has however failed to convince many on the sincerity of Biya to combat corruption. Not much has been done to recover the ill gotten wealth and way too few people have been targeted by the crusade. Moreover the reluctance of the regime to put into operation Article 66 of the 1996 Constitution which mandates public officials to declare their assets upon assuming office lends credence to the fact that Sparrow Hawk maybe nothing but a charade to divert attention and trick the international community. Biya himself has not been spared with charges of corruption. Messi Messi a former Bank Manager now in Canada sensationally declared in the early 90s how Biya and his late wife Jeanne Irene Biya made withdrawals which nearly crumbled the Credit Lyonnais Bank. Recently, the French NGO Catholic Committee against Hunger and For Development –CCFD came up with a recent report on the questionable fortune of Mr Biya and his cronies spread across western countries. On the heals of this damaging discovery came reports from the French media about outrageous bills by President Biya and his suit at a French resort. Three French media outfits Radio France Inter, Radio Fidelite Nantes, and the regional daily Ouest France, revealed that accompanied by a delegation of circa 40 persons, President Paul Biya took up lodging at the Hermitage and the Royal two luxury hotels in La Baule for three weeks. Just for the hotel rooms alone, the bill stood at about 880.000 euros. In addition to this was 340.000 euros per day on a chattered plane placed on standby. Chief Milla Assoute a former CPDM kingpin and now one of the most vocal critics of Biya considered the expedition atrocious and urged the President to interrupt his vacation and return home. His advice went unheeded but the reports forced the government into damage control gear with little success.Looming in the horizon of the 27th anniversary celebrations were the 2011 Presidential elections. A few years back Biya would have been out of the race following the expiration of his second seven year term but the constitution was amended in 2008 with term limits abrogated. It is an open secret to many now that President Biya will be seeking reelection and all is been done within the ranks of the ruling to pave the way for a hitch free nomination process for him. CPDM scribe Rene Sadi at a party meeting to prepare for the anniversary celebrations took a veiled swipe at enemies within the house who may be nursing ambitions to succeed President Biya. At a party event on November 6, he referred to Biya as the father of the nation and Biya’s message to his militants and Cameroonians spelling out further ambitions left no doubts in the minds of many that after 27 years in power, he had no plans yet to relinquish power.
What really does he hope to achieve in another five years that he has failed for 27 years to do? A report by the authoritative French daily Le Jour revealed that for this year alone President Biya has spent over 150 days out of the country on official and private business which are often confused. After participating at the last United Nations General Assembly, President Biya spent about thirty three days in locations unknown to Cameroonians before returning home. With such a style, one wonders when or how he has time to keep abreast with the myriad of problems plaguing the country or participate actively in the quest for solutions as he claims.
As fed up as Cameroonians are with the status quo, there seems to be very little alternative from the current crop of opposition leaders. The leading opposition Social Democratic Front-SDF has itself recklessly squandered the huge trust that Cameroonians had in it. Competent party cadres have been regularly shown the door because of differences with its Chairman leaving the party a mere skeleton of what it was at creation in the 1990s. Stigmatized in the same report from the French NGO that nailed Biya, its Chairman Mr John Fru Ndi promised to declare his assets. Many saw in this a step that may jolt the ruling elite to do same but postponement after postponement ended up with a disappointing declaration by Chairman Fru Ndi that he was under no obligation to declare his assets.
Despite the great distrust that Cameroonians have for the new outfit charged with the conduct of elections dubbed ELECAM, the next elections provide a great opportunity for the people to usher in leadership which matches 21st century ambitions. Taking the patience and peace loving nature of a people as a sign of weakness can be very dangerous. Strikes by taxi drivers in Yaoundé albeit brief have been known to paralyse the town.Moto taxi drivers in the capital city have given authorities and the forces of law and order goose pimples each time their patience has been pushed to the limit. Students in State Universities notably in Yaoundé and Buea have given the regime very anxious moments each time they take to the streets. In February of 2008, the nation wide riots generated by the hike in prices of basic commodities as well as designs by President Biya to do away with term limits imposed by the constitutional caught the regime virtually off guard.
Civil Society groups like the Progressive Initiative of Cameroon –PICAM paint a rather abysmal picture of 27 years of Biya. In a strongly worded press release captioned “Paul Biya’s 27 Years of Underdevelopment and Dictatorship as President of Cameroon Is No Reason for Celebration” Picam believes that Decades of failed political, economic, educational, social, and development policies have led Cameroonians to lost confidence that the current system can bring any meaningful change to their lives or the direction of the country. In contrast to the future of hope that President Biya sees for Cameroon, PICAM however has a different view stating that “The misdeeds of President Biya and members of his governments have deprived Cameroonians of basic rights such as freedom of speech and expression and the complete absence of development initiatives and employment opportunities. The once prosperous nation of Cameroon has been transformed into a corrupt, seemingly lawless kleptocracy. As the government continues to strengthen its hold on power at the detriment of Cameroonians, there is little hope that the situation will self-improve without motivation, increased local and international scrutiny, and concerted international pressure. Without the institution of democratic reforms, Cameroon would eventually fall into the chaos of civil war, a fate that has befallen many similar African nations.”
Rigour and moralization pledged in the wee hours of his Presidency has no traces in the Cameroon of today nor has it at any point been taken seriously through out his 27 years in office. He claims credit for bringing democracy to Cameroon yet virtually all elections organized have failed to pass the freeness, fairness and transparency test. The reluctance to create a truly independent and neutral body to manage elections as recommended by the civil society, political parties, and international bodies like the Commonwealth portray the insecurity of President Biya and his ruling CPDM even in the face of a badly fragmented opposition. In 1992, he used the symbol of the lion as his campaign logo yet many Cameroonians believe he has not exhibited the legendary fighting spirit of the soccer national team dubbed indomitable lions in seeking solutions to the problems plaguing the country. In the 2004 presidential elections, the political cliché used by candidate Biya to hoodwink Cameroonians was “great ambitions”.
Certainly his spin masters should be hard at work again with another election looming in the horizon but he may have to do more, a lot more than just the scandalous three campaign stops that earned him a landslide victory of sorts in the 2004 elections. The impossible is not Cameroonian goes a popular saying, unemployment has grown higher, infrastructure has continued to dilapidate, corruption has continued to increase, salaries of civil servants are still begging for a significant raise, the remains of Amadou Ahidjo Cameroon’s first President who voluntarily handed over to Biya remain on exile in Senegal, the Southern Cameroons problem remains a time bomb. Sooner or later, one way or the other it will be dawn for Cameroon.
Cameroon Bloggers Discuss 27 Years of Biya*
By George Esunge Fominyen
On 6th November 2009, President Paul Biya of the West African state of Cameroon celebrated his 27th anniversary in power by writing a letter to his citizens. The letter was issued to Cameroonians via daily newspapers in the country of nearly 20 million inhabitants.
Paul Biya's message to his compatriots stressed the importance of the country's peace and stability in a generally turbulent continent as a major achievement. But Voice of the Oppressed did not quite fancy this argument:Without much to showcase to languishing Cameroonians, Biya had no choice but to hide under the canopy of inert and sometimes illusive concepts like peace, unity and democracy to present as his hallmarks for the past 27 years, as if a hungry man knows peace or the thwarting of the constitution to enable him rule ad infinitum was a democratic precedence.
The fact that he highlighted the deprivation of basics like food, health, shelter, and education to a majority of Cameroonians, confirms the intensity of the failure of Biya and his Stale Deal policies. He just didnot want to belabour the points on persistent power cuts, water shortages, bad roads and dilapidating infrastructure, which are characteristic of his failed policies, aggravated by the extreme egocentric manner in which he and his associates embezzle state funds
However, Christopher Ambe Shu in a post on the blogzine –the Entrpreneur – thinks it is unfair to dismiss Mr Biya’s 27-year stay in power as wasted years because “his successes in the political, social, economic and diplomatic domains are there for any person of good faith to appreciate”:
Politically, to begin with, when he assumed the presidential office on November 6, 1982, the country was a one-party system. Democracy was barely practiced within the party. But in March 1985, he transformed the lone party – the CNU - into CPDM, introducing democratic reforms within the party. He reintroduced multi-party democracy in 1990, against protests from some learned Cameroonians.
Today, Cameroon has over 200 political parties, with citizens free to belong to any of their choice or even to form more. With the multiplicity of parties came greater freedom of expression. Cameroonians under former President Ahmadou Ahidjo did not actually enjoy freedom of expression.
Since 1992 elections - notably presidential, municipal and parliamentary - have been organized for Cameroonians to democratically choose their leaders and representatives. It is true complaints of electoral fraud and rigging have been alleged by mostly loser-opposition parties such as the SDF, but the Supreme Court has always adjudicated on such complaints.
As if to buttress Christopher's views a Cameroonian who claims to a supporter of Mr Biya's ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) party, posted some of the President's achievements since 1982 as a comment on Gef's Outlook:
“When president Biya took over in 1982, the coffers of the country were depleted. Thanks to his reasonable foresight and sharp economic acumen, Cameroon pulled herself from the grim situation majestically. In the BEAC regional block, we have the highest standard of living. Citizens of neighboring countries flock to our shores because the country is economically buoyant.
(5)President Paul Biya took over the leadership of Cameroon with very few all the year roads. But today, even the most far off lands like Akwaya are being dis-enclaved.
(6) On the diplomatic front, President Paul Biya used his great diplomatic prowess to secure an invaluable piece of real estate for the country, the Bakassi Peninsular. This is wonderful. He has instructed his legal team which, I am a member to sue the Biafras, for the return of the Obudu Cattle Ranch as well. We go for peaceful solutions even though we are tough as the lion.
(7) Cameroonians are freer and more secure within and beyond their borders than before. This is a real achievement.
But his views were countered by Louis who had a direct reply for the President:
“Dear Mr President,
I do appreciate your effort as president of the Republic of Cameroon. But your efforts have consistently been proven not good enough. 27yrs of leadership is more than enough time for Cameroonians to be smiling instead of knocking heads. Your leadership and management skills are way below the bottom line of a development framework. Mr president, we all love our country more than you are telling us in your letter to.
All what we want is a leader who can motivate us by applying the values of leadership, management and governance. A leader who can build the “yes we can” spirit among us. Many Cameroonians living abroad including myself are very willing to come back home and do something remarkable and beneficial for the country, but lawlessness and insecurity are big hindering factors.
Sorry Mr president but leadership and governance has been proven not to be your discipline. Give up men! If you really love us, then consider this crucial moments as the perfect time to sacrifice power for the happiness of your fellow citizens.
Thanks Lou »
I do appreciate your effort as president of the Republic of Cameroon. But your efforts have consistently been proven not good enough. 27yrs of leadership is more than enough time for Cameroonians to be smiling instead of knocking heads. Your leadership and management skills are way below the bottom line of a development framework. Mr president, we all love our country more than you are telling us in your letter to.
All what we want is a leader who can motivate us by applying the values of leadership, management and governance. A leader who can build the “yes we can” spirit among us. Many Cameroonians living abroad including myself are very willing to come back home and do something remarkable and beneficial for the country, but lawlessness and insecurity are big hindering factors.
Sorry Mr president but leadership and governance has been proven not to be your discipline. Give up men! If you really love us, then consider this crucial moments as the perfect time to sacrifice power for the happiness of your fellow citizens.
Thanks Lou »
Present day Cameroon was created in 1961 by the unification of two former colonies, one British and one French. The country’s official languages are English and French but over the years many voices among the minority Anglophones have accused the Francophone majority of marginalization and this has since led some Anglophones to call for a separation of the country.
The debate over Paul Biya’s letter on Gef’s Outlook mutated into passionate, (sometimes) harsh arguments exposing the latent Anglophone versus Francophone quagmire in the country:
Reacting a comment describing Anglophones as nonentities Rene Mbuli commented thus:
Mr Alain Dipoko I have been following your interventions on this network with keen interest and I must commend your consistency in backing the FAILED REGIME of Mr Biya and his veteran team of incompetent, corrupt and uninspired officials. How i wish your intelligence and dedication could be used for a much better course like the Independence of Southern Cameroon which devoted SCNC members like us are reflecting and battling upon. As a devoted supporter of the Anglophone cause, i must tell you that Anglophones are not “nonentities” and we are not being “tolerated” by the regime. We are actually the regime's nightmare. The desire by the Biya regime to ignore the Anglophone problem is a silent tactic to limit the rippling effects of its recognition.
The above presidential address sounds like a broken CD. In order words, its a deja vu version of the 1985 in-glorious memories and a lamentable attempt to recoup the disintegrated particles. We are sorry for this dying dictator who tries to gain currency by selling dreams of what he still hopes to do, while on a dying bed. As a piece of advice. which probably could help the rest of the Francophone people who are tired of their Beti brother but who lack the bile to air their views like the Anglophones; Biya needs to start making a balance sheet of his confused years in power and try to groom a successor who will do the image cleansing instead of hoping to squander more years at the helm of La Republic du Cameroun.
The above presidential address sounds like a broken CD. In order words, its a deja vu version of the 1985 in-glorious memories and a lamentable attempt to recoup the disintegrated particles. We are sorry for this dying dictator who tries to gain currency by selling dreams of what he still hopes to do, while on a dying bed. As a piece of advice. which probably could help the rest of the Francophone people who are tired of their Beti brother but who lack the bile to air their views like the Anglophones; Biya needs to start making a balance sheet of his confused years in power and try to groom a successor who will do the image cleansing instead of hoping to squander more years at the helm of La Republic du Cameroun.
Alain Dipoko responded as follows:
Mr. Mbuli Rene, why are you people so evil? Why do you take delight in showing ingratitude? Mr. Biya has ruled Cameroon with diligence and conviction. We are a respected country every where in the world. You are able to write fine English better than an African Americans in America, the richest country in the world because, schools are free in Cameroon and they are not in the US. What else do you want?
You express yourself openly than Americans do in America because the Patriot Act forbids them to do so. What do you really want? I have written a letter to the leadership of the SCNC, that moribund, focus less, and mundane assembly of Troll Ville illusionists trying to sell the Federal System to them but I am yet to receive a feedback.
Let me warn you Mr. Mbuli, you the Anglos are stretching our patience. Did you hear what happened in Guinea? You want that to happen to your wretched lives here? It is easy to do it. We are sick and tired of these ungrateful brats. Let me make myself absolutely clear, if you the Anglophones don’t like it here then go to the Biafras. You shall spare us the inconvenience of squandering our money on ungrateful sycophants like you.
Paul Biya is Cameroon's second President. Cameroon's parliament in April 2008 passed a controversial amendment to the constitution scrapping limits to the terms in office. This means Biya can run for a third term of office in 2011. He succeeded late Ahmadou Ahidjo who resigned on 4 November 1982 after nearly 25 years in office.
Cameroon’s foremost blogger Dibussi Tande chose to take visitors of Scribbles from the Den down memory lane with video images of the peaceful handover of power that was quite uncommon in Africa at the time.
*Culled from Global Voices online
