Why did Paul Biya wait until the publication by French-based NGO on his family, collaborators and personal fortunes to announce a new government?

By Tazoacha Asonganyi,

Cameroon has been in suspense for over a year, waiting for a new government. The arguments for a new government were many: the PM seemed to be bugged down by rumours about his involvement in the Presidential plane scandal – the so-called albatross affair – and actually had sessions with the judicial police; rumours about deals in Bakassi that led to the death of many Cameroonian soldiers,  including the DO of Kumbo Abedimo; the helplessness of  government as Limbe was taken control of and ransacked by an armed band that went scot-free; the February 2008 uprisings fuelled by a mixture of anger against constitutional amendments and generalised price hikes...

There was also the Pope’s visit and the subsequent fall-out of the millions that ended up in the private bank account of a government Minister; the glamorous visit of Chantal Biya abroad and the resultant tactless press outing of the Minister of Communication that led to the press turning him into a Lilliputian of the communication world! As it is with the nature of governments, these forces of error, doubt, clumsiness, rumours and despair turned the government into a sort of lame-duck government – waiting to exit. And no true leader can afford to keep such a government for too long!

 And yet Paul Biya waited... until the straw that broke the camel’s back came: the publication by French-based NGO "Comite Catholique Contre la Faim et le Development" (CCFD) on the fortunes of Paul Biya's family and his close collaborators. Then, like on 22 September 2007, a "new" government emerged on June 30, 2009. Some would describe it differently, but June 30 can be considered as an initial starting point for new ministers, and a "new" starting point for the old ones. And in any case, all of them are starting afresh, under a new "Prime Minister, Head of government"!

 Looked at broadly, the government seems to be just an effort to wind time; to hang on and wait for the unknown... Indeed, one can ask what the recycled old faces that sowed the seeds of the demise of our society will do of significance this time around that they could not do in the past.

 Borrowing from Shakespeare’s measure for measure: our doubts are traitors; and make us lose the good we oft might win; by fearing to attempt! This seems to fit the "Biya Code" that has recently been in the news! Nursing doubts, he prefers people whose attitudes are dictated by opportunism rather than by real determination to serve; people whose natural instincts seem to be to shake any fruit tree within reach to get some fruits off it! He remains faithful to his failed policy of creating vacuums, inefficiency and ineffectiveness by dashing out ministerial posts as political rewards to several of such opportunists. By opting for another change that will lead to no progress, he loses the good he might have won by stepping out of his over-beaten cul-de-sac.

 We are in need of a new set of people from civil society and other forces, clean enough, and with imagination and principles, capable of envisioning and devising an enduring
 system of government to replace the present one marred by corruption, inefficiency, generalised lack of transparency and accountability. Such would have provided the launching pad for the transition which is no longer too many years away. This flag-end type of government whose lifespan we know to be just around two years would have been the ideal, if he did not fear to attempt!

 Changing governments in the wake of impending political battles is usually a risky issue. In this case, the risk is removed because of the prospect of recycling; or the possibility of landing in jail on cooked-up or real charge of corruption; and by the certainty that ELECAM can do nothing to change the nature of elections in Cameroon! So  the "disgraced" ministers can continue to wait in respectful expectation of recycling, and become even more zealous than they were in government.

 It is the sovereign individuals - the sovereign people - that live in society that institute the state and consent to its authority. State power is managed by government. In Cameroon, it is constitutionally the President of the Republic that defines the framework of government. This  being the beginning of another cycle, Paul Biya will issue the usual redundant rules of engagement for the government, before he leaves the new "Prime Minister, Head of government" to ensure their implementation. But since every  member of government is thanking only Paul Biya for his/her appointment, they are fully aware that the redundant phrase "in consultation with the Prime Minister" is just as hollow as the force of the Rule of Law in Cameroon.

 As the "new" government gets ready to engage in the characteristic new deal "Rule of Ministers" in place of the Rule of Law, they should remember the natural law
 that, all that goes up must come down. As they get ready to violate the spirit and letter of article 66 of the Constitution on the declaration of their assets and property, like their predecessors did, they should keep in mind that change must one day come to Cameroon.

Comments

[Oyez]

Why did Biya wait? Biya has no plans, no vision except to hang on to power for as long as he can. One of these days he will sleep the long sleep and what will happen? Some investors in our discontent are having nightmares. Cameroon is the powder keg that could blow up the entire Central African exploitation region.

[Bob Bristol]

After reading such wonderful analysis, I usually ask myself "SO WHAT NEXT"?. Cameroonians are just so tired and they've resigned to their faith. When a people with a repressive gov't are too scared or rather too conscious of the outcome of a civil confrontation, they may resort to general uprising. If the general uprising is brutally crushed, they adopt strategic attacks aimed at eliminating diehard supporters of the big boss. When the big boss starts counting the numbers of his fervent supporter who've joined their ancestors, then he knows his time is up.

Anyone expecting something positive from the OLD/NEW cabinet is still dreaming. They are a bunch of assholes.

[lumumba]

What is going on in Cameroon is a far cry from all the concerned people of goodwill.I won't jump and say Mr Biya doesn't know what he is doing. Its a well calculated plan and i know for sure that he is doing this with the assistance from the WEST. No my people, "man no lie you", its just a play for time so that people will feel he can chnage things are. He is a big failure to me and its so sad that these so call developed,industralised,civilised leaders of the WESt support him big time. but as we all know his time is up, what goes up must come down.
For me the whole system in Cameroonis waste and the corruption has eaten to the core of all the people holding public offices in cameroon. They're not there to serve the people but their Boss Biya. The PM is and will always be a toothless bulldog.The erosion is fast approaching, be on the look out people. A word to a wise is sufficient.

[Rees, Flames]

why all the bickering and complain about the new government change?

It still amazes me that Cameroon has transformed Biya as an accusation bag - to be cursed or referenced when things go wrong. Some think that only by changing him, shall the current situation be reversed - well keep on dreaming.

The problem in Cameroon as time goes by lies squarely on our shoulders. Yes, the West has a role to play but after much thought it appears the West succeeds because the people of Cameroon are complicit. From the very nature of power, it can only be gained if people surrender to an institution, person or group of persons. We have forfeited our rights since the slave trade era and we are still complaining today when the purchasers use them against us. Worse still, we sheepishly go to their institutions (like asking the American Ambassador) to ask for help. That is similar to asking a wolf not to attacking your herd of sheep, while leaving the pen defenceless.

So what am I talking about? We Cameroonians refuse to learn and find it easier to give excuses or point blame to our public enemy number 1. Instead of trying to understand the political systems deeply with long-term plans and passing the knowledge to our next generations, we love in public to criticize the government and in private propagate the same ills we attack.

When election time comes, we dance and receive some bags of rice, meat soap, beer, empty promises and other supplementary goods in order to cast the ballot for the same regime we shall later on accuse. No long-term thinking, soaring personal greed and ambitions all add to the ingredients. Then we turn around and attack Biya for failing us..folks we are joking - are'nt we?

Our mentality is still based on "belly politics" where food and material needs are still our major preoccupations. As long as we stick to the current state of mind, then expect the same cabinet-reshuffle as long as Biya or anyone else is president of Cameroon. Ironically, it seems Biya understands the true sense of the term than everybody else. He reshuffles the government with same old players; he does not replace them (why should he if this option is the best for his interests and these interests are not checked against in the constitution?)

A short analysis: Examine our electoral process from the grassroots where money, food, and thugs are used to influence the results, such that our so-called chosen parliamentarians debate to maintain their comfortable salaries than the needs of their constituencies. As such, they create constitutional laws that give the president immense powers in exchange for their private wealth and we all know in the background the West twists these powers to their favor.

So who is to blame? Biya, the West or us?

[Ras Tuge]

It will be interesting to witness what happens in Cameroon after Biya. Håll tummarna!

[T.LIVINUS ACHA (TLA)]

WISDOM IS NOT MEANT FOR THE DULL.
Biya claims to be so wise and thinks he knows everything. But I wish he realises that he knows nothing. Not only should he realise that alone but all Cameroonians should see the need of building their countries. I know many of our fathers who sit out there criticising the government but have kept refusing appoints. Why not accept an appointment and when you are there, you implement your own policies. Rather, stay behind and say the government is corrupt and that they cannot work with such a bad government. If you don’t work to bring about the change you need then who will for you? Nevertheless, he will one day leave that sit. Where is Mbongo? I have realised that what he wants to do is to die as president in order not to be caught for his crimes. But how will he? when he has changed the constitution in his favour. Many are still wondering of what will happen to the “just left government”. You just need to keep your eyes open and your ears on the ground.

[Asafor valentine]

What is the way forward gentlemen much has been said.

[Reex, Flames]

The way forward? I may suggest some simple proposals. They may sound as Utopian a result cannot be known if a test has not yet been carried out. Of course some proposals are very difficult to be implemented because we know the story in Cameroon is more about a daily struggle of putting food on the table. Therefore, the majority are worried about eating to see the next day and not enough time is left to do long-term planning. However no matter how difficult is it to implement some of my proposals, it is not impossible!

We may need much time to accomplish these, perhaps ion centuries but a journey of a 1000 steps begins with a step...

=====Proposals=====
Education of the masses on the realities of our political situation in relation to the rest of the world.

1)Educate them to get past the colonial mentality:

- Avoid or reform the rules governing our monetary system. The CFA Franc zone is a monetary trap.

-Educate them to stop thinking withing the boundaries of either assigning English or French cultures as "heritages". Thus, both the anglophones and francophones should engage in a common strategy that benefits both, instead of despising/attacking each other(another very difficult task!)

-Stop engaging in White-worship and usage of expressions like L'homme blanc est fort (The White man is powerful). This instills a psyche of inferiority into our mentality. Also petitioning Western organizations or governments for our problems should be avoided.In short, the masses should not search for solutions from foreign countries.

2)Educate the masses not to view politics as purely a black-white affair,rather they should also consider shades of gray may also exist. For example a political party should not be automatically characterized as good or bad

3)Shun/minimize cult figure/hero-worship, favoritism, tribalism. This is quite persistent in the Cameroonian society and tends to lead to dictatorial structures and discrimination such as favored selections into primary school football teams to flawed appointments into positions of influence and responsibility. At least, public interest should also be included as the cornerstone if corruption can't be stamped out because rewards from the public are also reciprocal. From the records, corruption is everywhere; even in the developed world but the difference with the undeveloped world is because a stake of the "corruption benefits" is re-invested in the former's societies.

4)Educate the masses that patience (when used wisely) could lead to great results. That is, planning and analysis should be patiently carried out before implementing the ideas. Most Cameroonians love quick results and their rush actions lead to inconsistent, disappointing results. Let the people try initiatives at the simplest level possible , while leaving room for refinement. Complexity is often just layers or an aggregation of simple things.

5)Inform them to avoid living their lives as if it has been pre-scripted or ordained for them. This is easily demonstrated by the fields of disciplines in our educational system. Children have been scripted as follows:
kindergarten -> primary school->secondary school->university -->work in the public/private sector
Amazingly the kids grow up in the educational process and don't have a clue of what to do because the script did not inform them on the needs of the society nor made them aware of the skills acquired during learning that are used to solve the problems.

6)Recognizing their independence from the old generation, although not sacrificing respect for them too.

7)Educating them neither to choose leaders(council,parliamentary) on short-term promises(a very difficult task) or unrealistic projections nor on "son-of-the-soil" principles. The latter causes divisions in the political tree and alienates groups of people - actually, we need cooperation and bonding, otherwise external parties(the rest of the world) shall always exploit our differences to our disadvantage.

.....the list goes on and I am sure most readers of this forum have more elaborate solutions. My simplest wish: let each of us inform each other, especially those who may not be aware or unconscious of events around them (I am also part of those wishing to learn).

Knowledge is power

[Asafor valentine]

Reex, you have successfully touched some sensitive factors that can lead us to success. as earlier mention these are long term measures to restablished a democracy in cameroon.I suggest we immediately engage into serious work create a citizen review group that will start to exploit the above crisies,in order to lay a solid foundation for a strong and a firm government to manage the affairs of our Country, in the near future.

[epemola]

The united nation and the world bank have been friends with paul biya for more than twenty-seven years. Yet they lie to the people of Cameroon about making frieds only with countries that uphold clean and transparent democracy. My fellow Cameroonians, by-pass biya and his corrupt government to carry out decisions that would help your people. Start a movement to support true democracy in Cameroon without fear. Expose Cameroon government officials recieving bribs in mediums like youtube and enternet blogs. Remember, "Little drops of water makes a mighty oceon".