By Clovis Atatah
Only 5.1 percent of Ministers are Anglophones; No Anglophone Minister of State; Grand South Grabs 44.7 percent of Cabinet positions; no full Northwest Minister
An analysis of President Paul Biya’s December 8 cabinet reshuffle has revealed that ministerial positions were disproportionately and unfairly distributed to various provinces and regions of the country. President Paul Biya’s tribes-people got the lions’ share of all cabinet positions.
The Centre and South Provinces alone, the home of the President’s Beti kin, got 25 of all 65 cabinet positions representing 39.5 percent. In terms of full Ministers and Ministers Delegate, the Centre and South Provinces grabbed 39.3 percent.
In general, the Grand South (Centre, East and South Provinces) got 44.7 percent of all cabinet positions.
The Far North Province also fared relatively well in the distribution of cabinet positions. It got 12.3 percent of all cabinet positions.
The North Province was given 9.2 percent of all cabinet positions. In the Grand North (Adamawa, Far North and North Provinces) the Adamawa Province did not fare so well, grabbing only 4.6 percent of all cabinet positions.
The Grand North obtained 26.1 percent of all cabinet positions behind the Grand West (Littoral, Northwest, Southwest and West Provinces) that grabbed 29.1 percent.
In the Grand West, the West Province fared best with 10.8 percent of all cabinet positions. The Littoral followed with 7.5 percent.
The two Anglophone Provinces of the Northwest and Southwest Provinces got 4.6 percent and 6.2 percent respectively of all cabinet positions.
In terms of full-fledged Ministers and Ministers Delegate, Anglophones got 7.8 percent of all portfolios while the Francophone section of the country grabbed 92.2 %.
The Northwest Province fared worst in the allocation of cabinet positions. That Province had no full-fledged Minister or Minister Delegate.
The Northwest was allotted two Secretaries of State and the Assistant Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic.
In both qualitative and quantitative terms, the Centre and South Provinces got the best deal.
They were allotted the following very influential and lucrative cabinet positions: Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, Minister of State, Minister of Planning and Territorial Development, Minister of Economy and Finance, Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Minister of Public Health, Minister of Public Works,
Minister of Commerce, Minister Delegate at the Presidency in charge of Defence, Delegate General for National Security, amongst others. It should be noted that virtually all the economic and financial as well as the defence and security portfolios went to the Centre and South Provinces.
Anglophones have always complained of being excluded from the influential and lucrative cabinet positions. The December 8 cabinet did not change matters. Although they maintained the Premier’s job, they fared far worse than in any other cabinet since the return to multipartyism in 1990.
There is no Anglophone Minister of State out of the six in the current cabinet of 65 members. The Northwest Province had only two Secretaries of State, one of which is the prosaic job of Secretary of State for Penitentiary Administration.
Another aspect of the cabinet reshuffle is gender representation. Although the number of women in the cabinet has increased, there are still only six of them out of 65 total cabinet positions. Four of them are full Ministers while two are Secretaries of State. Two of them hold the traditional female Ministries of Women’s and Social Affairs.
If you are not pleased, " go and creat your own Cameroon" says Mr. Paul 'Beer' or better still, 'allez dire'. What do we want? who voted him in the first place? ghost voters isn't it? a corpse'll win any election against the CPDM in that country. We want freedom and democracy, but we want to have it served on a platter of gold and silver, thats why Mr. Mbia and his 65 thieves would rob and molest us with impunity.
Almighty God, where are You? release that country from the grib of those enemies of our fatherland, whose prime objective is to milk it to dead, Amen.
Posted by: M. Mbangha Christian, tennessee, USA | Monday, 13 December 2004 at 08:12 PM
Yes .The Only full anglophone Minister is a respectful man of the bench.Gentleman, at least the incumbent can see that.
On a playful note
But Minister of "Forest Guard"? eeee heeeh
No
That mins say if araman catch chukwu chukwu bip or tif timber i don get minister for put yi hand.
Da man betta pass tha nwan Pa Biya
Posted by: Jam Nabi | Tuesday, 14 December 2004 at 11:03 AM
This stupid joke is going to last a total of 30 years!!
Three generations!! A quarter century plus!
Gorilla wey comout for bush,
enter lagos,
enter bus,
e miss road.
Sorry for ma people
Them know say for play njangi with this kind people
Nothing no go waka
chop broke pot
chop no wash pan
chop no wipe mop
sep.
The big palava na sey
No man or woman dey wey
i get ntong for challenge
the system
Send this people back for go climb tree
instead of government pajero.
Another jobajo put the problem fro under belly.
~w~
Posted by: Wanaku | Tuesday, 14 December 2004 at 02:55 PM
Who said the nomination of ministers has to reflect the population proportionately? The executive branch of government in every country is a team the president (or prime minister where applicable) is comfortable with. The legislative branch of government is representative of the population.
If anyone wants to question the integrity or competence of any member of the executive, it is fine with me, otherwise, I would suggest you all read the constitution before making fools of yourselves.
Posted by: George | Wednesday, 15 December 2004 at 01:12 PM
Spot on George.
In a society where representative democracy is practiced, no one will give a hoot if all the Presidents Men/Women come from the same womb, if they perform, he gets re-elected, if not, he's out. These cries of primitive tribal and "regional" represenatations from Camerounese, wanna-be Camerounese, or the sill mentally colonized Southern Cameroonians is an indication of the fact that there is no representative democracy in this French-owned bordello called La Republiquedu Cameroun. Their rule of brute law lies in the hands of elevated individuals and not institutions, so everyone wants the "kontri man" to be elevated. This is a sign of ongoing decay! This is good news for me who anxiously waits the collapse of this house of cards called La Republique du Cameroun (the Cameroon Republic) - born on January 1, 1960, without the SOUTHERN CAMEROONS.
Posted by: Mount Fako | Wednesday, 15 December 2004 at 03:02 PM
Nomination of ministers must not reflect per province population proportion, but it should however reflect some level of judiciousness.
I really pity my “bafechou” brothers. I think this is just the right moment for you to reflection deeply. Courage to the rest of my Northwest brothers. Biya has shown it again that we are not part of Cameroon. And who says that will prevail for ever? Keep the faith alive people.
Posted by: NTONiFOR | Thursday, 16 December 2004 at 07:59 AM
No need to gry about the new gov't not being representative.Go and have a look at the SDF Executive and NEC.Is it by coincidence that ninety percent of then come from the North West Province?
Even for SDF na chop a chop and choke.
Posted by: Mbanfe | Thursday, 16 December 2004 at 12:56 PM
It is not a matter of Northwest or Beti ,or North or whatever. It is just the fact that the stupid Biya keeps on nominating thesame people who have put Cameroon on it´s knees and who have worked very hard to rank us as the most corrupt country on this planet.Oh lord save us!!!! In the brink of the SOuthern Cameroon´s problem, biya could still dare to appoint that bundle of fou fou corn eaters!!. This shows that that wild animal does´t care about this country and he is not for a change.
Posted by: Francis Kegbuma | Friday, 17 December 2004 at 05:54 AM
Every country gets the government that it deserves.The people of Ukraine thought they deserved better and did something about it.We did not.Let us all keep suffering and smiling.Let the man appoint his cabinet as he so desires.We are a 'cold water' people.
Posted by: courtney eko | Saturday, 18 December 2004 at 03:37 PM
Cameroon's current cabinet is certainly suffering from problems linked to overcrowding.There is surely some hustling for sleeping space up there. Blessed are those that were not appointed ministers for they shall have sound sleep.
Posted by: Njei Moses Timah | Sunday, 19 December 2004 at 07:57 AM
It is sad if after 48 years, Kamerunians, worst of all those of the post-independence generations still fail to understand what the problem of Kamerun is; which is basically the nature of what can best be termed the Kamerunian malady. It is the system, and like other anachronistic systems (Fascism, Nazism, Apartheid, US, segregation, Stalinism or Radical communism, totalitarianism, dictatorship, absolute monarchism, dictatorship of all sorts, kleptocracy, and oligarchism - especially one based on banditry against the state ), the French-imposed system in Kamerun is based on ethnic division, Francophilism and absolute loyalty to France. It is not a system based on the interest of Kamerunians, whether Anglophone or Francophone, but rather a system based on maintaining French irrational control and the interest of its collaborators in the system, Collaborators who benefit from the spoils of the system. Yesterday Ahidjo was the custodian of the system and today it is Paul Biya. Ahidjo relied mostly on Fulanis, but not on the majority of the Fulani people. Today, Biya is relying on Betis, but not on the majority of the Beti people. Both Ahidjo and Biya relied on other collaborators outside of their ethnic groups. Looking back on records, the French-imposed system can rely most on those of collaborators of Fulani and Beti origins. That is the nature of the system, which is our collective responsibilities to get rid of, irrespective of our ethnic groups or whether we are Anglophones or Francophones.
Posted by: Janvier Tchouteu | Tuesday, 28 December 2004 at 04:34 PM
Thanks a lot Janvier for your thoughtful comment. Ndzana Seme has similar comment posted on his web site. Recent promotions within the gerdarmarie and the so-called Cameroon Airforce say it all, tribalism is very evident as Betis dorminate the higher ranks--but one can only wonder what these paper soldiers did to merit promotions. The only thing I can think of is that they blockade the highways, take bribes from commercial drivers, and harass innocent citizens in the name of 'controle'. I hope and pray that the struggle to rid the country of this dangerous neopatrimonial and gross kleptocratic regime goes into high gear. I end by saying shame to pseudo-opposition parties in Cameroon--they should take a look at what happened in Ukraine after a rigged election.
Posted by: neba funiba | Tuesday, 28 December 2004 at 11:30 PM