Democratic Reform: The Only Solution To Corruption

By Julius Awafong Teneng*

As President Paul Biya scrambles to figure out how to curb corruption and embezzlement of state funds, the disenfranchised poor, working and middle class Cameroonians, who are the immediate and most affected by corruption, consider themselves mere spectators of this choreographed fight.

Cameroonians are sick of the overwhelming government corruption that plagues every facet of their lives. Almost all officials in positions of responsibility have the embezzling gene. Replacing a Minister or Director General who has embezzled by another corrupt Cameroonian will produce the same effect and we will find ourselves operating in a vicious circle.

Following the history of embezzlement in our country, no one will need a degree to understand that in spite of the so many radical approaches put in place by government, we have on the contrary been experiencing an inhuman growth.

Corruption is not easy to dismantle and it is foolishness to plan a fight against it when we cannot get its real cause or meaning. Corruption touches all sectors of life, be it religious, economic, political, social and traditional circles. Corruption begins with the mixture of fundamental value systems, that is, when wealth and power overlap.

So, if we really want to render corruption and embezzlement meaningless, we will need to overhaul the system and put aside the influence of economic power over political power and vice versa.

Our votes in all levels is all we have to make things change, a failing election, be it mayoral, parliamentary, presidential and even board chair elections in companies and associations pushes the system to a collapse.

In order to fight corruption, we will have to overhaul our democratic mechanic from the outdated and corrupt 1-person 1-vote, to what we call Vote Sizing, which is, increasing the size of votes of those who suffer most from corruption, that is, poorer class.

Let's stop fooling ourselves by revolving over the same unfruitful approaches over and over, we need to start thinking to apply vote sizing in everything we do, that is adjusting people's vote inversely to their income, that is, the more you earn, the less your vote counts and vice versa.

Outreach Coordinator- Vote Sizing Obili, Yaounde.