President Biya Addresses Naton to Mark Beginning of Election Campaigns

Fellow Cameroonians,

My dear countrymen,

In a fortnight, you will be voting your members of the National Assembly and your municipal councillors.

These twin elections are important on more than one score.

First, they afford you the opportunity to exercise your voting right which is a fundamental right in democracy. As it were, voting is also a civic right which enables each citizen to participate in public affairs.

I hope you will turn out in your numbers to vote on 22 July.

A massive participation will be evidence of the vitality of our democratic system. Moreover, measures have been taken to guarantee free and fair polls in order to avoid any challenge of the outcome of the said elections.

It is also important that the upcoming elections determine clear majorities at the National Assembly and in municipal councils. It is on this condition that we will be able to continue to refine our democratic system and stimulate our economy.

Indeed, we have resolutely engaged our drive to achieve our set objectives, that is, to emerge from underdevelopment and to modernize our country. It would be unthinkable to jeopardize this move at a time when there are many encouraging signals and greater opportunities for our country.

In recent years, we have made remarkable progress in the entrenchment of the rule of law and improvement of governance. We are restoring rules where they were flouted; we have introduced transparency where opaqueness reigned; and we have tracked down cases of reprehensible conduct and meted out punishment. This drive to restore order, especially the fight against corruption, will be continued.

We have also made significant efforts to get our economy back on the rails. Our public finance has been streamlined. Following the attainment of the completion point of the HIPC Initiative, our debt burden has been alleviated, giving room for public investment, internal debt settlement, recruitment in some sectors of the public service, etc. If renewed growth is achieved – what we can reasonably hope for – employment would be stimulated. In this connection, I also have in mind major energy, industrial and mining projects which are under negotiation. I am fully aware that unemployment remains your prime concern, and that is why we will leave no stone unturned to roll it back.

At the social level, major actions have been taken in favour of education and health. In addition, roads, bridges and various infrastructure have been constructed or are under construction. It goes without saying that the purpose of these facilities is to afford the people equal opportunities and better living conditions. On this score, although appropriate measures have been taken, admittedly, efforts still have to be made to increase purchasing power and access to water and electricity. Let me assure you that this will be done.

However, my intention today is not to draw up an exhaustive balance sheet of government action. I just want to tell you that we have gathered momentum to move swiftly and as far as possible. It would therefore be unbelievable to slow down the pace.

The peace and stability which our country fortunately enjoys – and which is the envy of many – are most conducive for the achievement of our ambitions. For their part, our partners have clearly demonstrated their readiness to back our efforts. If others trust us, shouldn’t we trust ourselves?

So, let us set aside our differences. Let us together focus on the essential. Let us give our country majorities for progress which will enable us to pursue our fight against poverty and to achieve modernity.

In so doing, our future is guaranteed.

Long live Cameroon!

Comments

[Shalom]

What is the purpose of this speech? Is it a campaign speech for the CPDM of which you are president or it is a state of the nation address intended for all Cameroonians of whom you are president? In one case or the other, it is a total failure. We are all tired of futuristic speeches. Please state concrete achievements for which you want us to applaud you.
In any case no one believes in you any longer, or at least as far as the right thinking Cameroonians are concerned. If you so believe in the democratic process as you pretend to be, why don't you implement the electoral laws and regulations plainly and transparently. Why don't you allow the CPDM to fail where they should? Why is the process still in the hands of your appointees at every level? Is it not because you want to have a firm grip on it and distribute the seats in a way that fits your intentions and colors a flawed process to look democratic? Whom do you think you are fooling? It must be the will of the people that will decide the new majorities, not the stroke of the pens of your appointees.
I know you don't care but Cameroonians have lost great opportunities of investments and supportive projects from democracies from around the world due to your dictatorial grip on power. Where is the USAID and the big projects that stood tall in the country before the '90s?
If you believe in us choosing the majorities that rule, you must first put your own seat on a transparent platform for grabs and see if you will retain it. Alternating power is a catalyst of development. If you don't believe it, I challenge you to a debate on this.

[Fon]

"We have also made significant efforts to get our economy back on the rails."

Who first took our economy off the rails? Certainly Biya and cohorts.

"The peace and stability which our country fortunately enjoys"

The absence of war does not necessarily mean peace.Thousands of Cameroonians are dying of poverty and misery brought upon them by this evil regime. By the way, can this regime claim any credit for the absence of war in the country? They have done everything to provoke a war and have failed-they hijacked election results and ordered the slaying of university students; all these intended to provoke a war. Hence what can they boast of as their efforts to avoid war?

Why Cameroon is poor!
Cameroon is poor because the ruling party, the CPDM is unpopular. An unpopular regime is too expensive to sustain. All the country resource go to sustain an unhealthy regime.

For Biya to maintain his grip on power, our generals have to be in the most comfortable postion which is to expensive for the nation-Our generals do not go on retirement and they do not earn a salary but control a budget, thefore can allocate to themselves what pleases them as a salary.

The ruling party, being too unpopular, Biya can´t take vital decisions that can move the nation forward. Any such decisions will lead to the collapse of a regime whose foundation is corruption.

Any Cameroonian joinng the CPDM, does so not because of the policies of the party but simply because they see it as the only way to get their own share of the country´s resorces.

This is the time for Cameroonians to tell this regime that enough is a enough come July 22

[Neba Funiba]

Wonders shall never end. Paul Biya's speech has statements that are contradicted by what his does (with impunity)

1. "......voting is also a civic right which enables each citizen to participate in public affairs."

Rebuttal: Biya rules through decrees and has created a tyrannical state in which the police is instructed to shoot to kill such as was the case at UniBuea. When people elect mayors, Biya undercuts the mayors by appointing government delegates. Actually, city budgets are not approved by mayors but by DOs appointed by and directly answerable only to Biya. Biya's statement is a political farce.

2. "Indeed, we have resolutely engaged our drive to achieve our set objectives, that is, to emerge from underdevelopment and to modernize our country. It would be unthinkable to jeopardize this move at a time when there are many encouraging signals and greater opportunities for our country."

Rebuttal: Has Cameroon really emerged from underdevelopment? Development has three phases: (i) human development (education and health); economic development (business, jobs and higher earnings); and community development (infrastructure--roads, buildings, public facilities, public services such as water supply, sewage treatment, electricity, etc). Electricity is rationed in Cameroon, roads in the West side of the Mungo are in the worst shape ever; one has to leave Akwaya and go to Nigeria before coming back to greater Cameroon; the airport in Bafut is now resting haven for stray goats, and so on and so on.

3. "The peace and stability which our country fortunately enjoys – and which is the envy of many – are most conducive for the achievement of our ambitions. For their part, our partners have clearly demonstrated their readiness to back our efforts. If others trust us, shouldn’t we trust ourselves?"

Rebuttal: As it is often stated, the absence of war does not necessarily mean the presence of peace. Cameroon is a police state where basic rights are constantly trampled upon; people live under fear. The polity has been coerced into an uncanny level of docility. It is this docility that has enabled the neopatrimonial regime (the prebendal Gaullist Beti cabal) to simply go amok, living rambunctiously extravagant lifestyles whereas the masses languish in socioeconomic squalor. God has forsaken Cameroon.

[rexon]

These old stale rhetorics are difficult this time to incomprehendible. Because, Southern Cameroonians cannot be fooled again. We are not hoping to have anything good from participating in La Republiques fake elections. But those who are still blind should go and vote and expect to complain after the results. This man and his gang of bandits should really be grateful to all those who have been helping them to colour their inexistant democracy in return for campaign monies and seats in their mundane parliaments, councils, etc. The only thing Southern Cameroonians have achieved in participating in La Republiques elections is by helping them colour their inexistant democracy, thereby destroying the aspirations of those who want genuine change in La Republique and the Southern Cameroons.

Hear them:

"measures have been taken to guarantee free and fair polls in order to avoid any challenge of the outcome of the said elections"

Who is challenging who? Your friends under your payroll that are masquerading as opposition parties whose job otherwise is to colour your inexistant democracy?

We all know how that corrupt junta is surviving. What have those handclappers in your parliament achieved in the last decade or so that they have been clapping hands there while bowing to you: their cult hero? At the end of the day, it is the poor and helpless people at the plantations of delmonte, CDC, the Buyam sellams, etc that your government has subjected under conditions of slavery that suffers. The occultist, freemasons, rosicrucians in both the CPDM and the mundane opposition parties will always sit and plan evil together. They have no human feeling for the common man on the streets who has been suffering and dying of poverty, sickness, diseases, etc. They will make decisions to crumble companies, dissapear with aid monies, without considering the effects on the entire population. These bandits should repent or fade quickly and naturally go on their graves to avoid ruining our ears with their old stale rhetorics.

[rexon]

Sorry: First line should read: Comprehend not incomprehendible.

[Spako]

For those who listened to the speech; did he speak in both French and English.

[Ernest]

Fellow Cameroonians, aren't we tired of this one and the same story everyday. I wonder what this man has taken us to be."if others trust us, shouldn't we trust ourselves" that is the worst statement mr Biya has ever made. Infact he is confused. So we have to wait for others to trust us before we can trust ourselves. He does not even trust himself neither his so called government. what a disgrace. I'm fate up with mr biya repeated speeches which to me like any other rightful, thinkable cameroonians means absolute nonsence. I'm appealing to fellow cameroonians not to give even a single vote to mr biya because he has let our beautiful country dowm. My fellow friends in this forum have written my mind above. have a nice time and i will be back. God bless