Biya's Umpteenth Cabinet Reshuffle:New Team, Old Faces

By Francis Wache

Soon after the CPDM Congress last July and following Biya's virile speech, the media had been agog with speculations about a cabinet shake-up.

In his policy speech at the Congress, Mr. Biya dissected the state of the nation and came out with a blistering observation: things were globally dismal.

Biya drew roof-splitting applause when he admitted with unusual candour that, in spite of his 2004 campaign slogan of "greater ambitions", Cameroon was stagnant - the economy was slack, corruption was ubiquitous, the administration was characterised by inertia, lethargy and apathy.

And, so, on Friday, September 22, when Mr. Biya announced a new government, Cameroonians expected a bombshell. Instead, what they received was a cosmetic retouching of the team.

Bloated Cabinet

The first disappointment was that, against converging expectations, instead of trimming the bloated cabinet, the President maintained the more than 60 ministerial positions. Although it is

New Team, Old Faces

widely believed that financial donors had advised the President to cut down the cabinet in order to reduce the exorbitant perks and privileges attached to ministerial portfolios, Mr. Biya obdurately ignored the advice.

Common sense would have dictated, too, that, after reaching the completion point as a heavily indebted poor country, Cameroon should have taken necessary measures to curb ostentatious lifestyles - beginning, of course, with the number of ministerial posts. Biya, again, ignored that.

It had also been widely expected that, this time around, the President would merge those ministries which, ostensibly, were created to compensate political allies but, which, in reality, were sheer duplications.

For instance, rather than have one Ministry of National Education, Biya splintered it into Primary (Basic), Secondary and Higher Education. The latter should have been departments.

There seems to be no rational explanation why we have the Ministry of Forests and Fauna and the Ministry of the Environment and Nature Protection. Or, why the President had to split the Ministry of Youth and Sports into the Ministry of Youth and the Ministry of Sports and Physical Education. There are many more examples.

Back To The Future

When a leader considers ministerial posts, for example, as lollipops to be doled out to mollify overzealous supporters or lackeys, then, rulership has certainly gone awry. 
Another stunning observation is that Biya went "back to the future" by dusting old cronies from cupboards and bringing them back, notably, Jean Kuete, Ebenezer Njoh Mouelle and Jean Baptiste Bokam.

As in the former cabinet, Anglophones have been served a raw deal. There are only two full-fledged ministers. There is the specious argument, which points out that Chief Ephraim Inoni is Prime Minister and that Philemon Yang is Assistant Secretary General in the Presidency. To dump this skewed reasoning, one needs to revisit cabinets under Peter Mafany Musonge and Simon Achidi Achu.

In Anglophone circles it is being argued that Anglophones can only play second fiddle. Could it have been possible, they ask, for Yang to have replaced Jean Marie Atangana Mebara?

Be that as it may, viewed globally, Biya has, once again, shown his contempt for public opinion. Judging from the manner of readjusting his cabinet, it would appear that Biya is obsessed with nothing but his personal political survival. Those who had thought that the time had come for Biya to start thinking of his legacy after reigning over Cameroon for 24 weary years still have a long wait.

Presidential Majority

Strategically, though, Mr. Biya maintained all members of the so-called 'Presidential Majority', namely, Bello Bouba Maigari (UNDP), Daikolle Daisalla (MDR), Hamadou Moustapha (ANDP) and Augustin Frederic Kodock (UPC).

With the parliamentary and municipal elections expected next year, booting them out of the government at this time would have given them adequate time to put their political houses in order.

By keeping them in the cabinet, it would be virtually impossible for these political leaders to return to their constituencies and drum support from an electorate that finds it increasingly difficult to distinguish these leaders from the ruling party. Tactfully, then, Biya is waiting to wallop them at the polls before sending them to wander in their self-made political wilderness.

Biya, in this cabinet, as in the past, confirmed his incurable proclivity as a gerontocrat. Just before his September 22 cabinet reshuffle, Biya had shown his predilection for ageing rulers by ferreting Barrister Duala Moutome and appointing him the Vice Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. Remember Enoch Kwayeb? Remember Rene Ze Nguele? Remember Joseph Charles Doumba…

On this score, that is, bringing old faces to reshuffle new cabinets, Biya has, at least, demonstrated his determination not to part company with his political pals of yesteryears so that, together, as one critic sneered, "they can share their national booty to their graves!"

Motions Of Support

A key characteristic of the Biya reign is that he has a penchant for a peripatetic presidency. The President, most often, is involved in "brief private/official visits."  Thus, with the President gone most of the time, where is the exuberant young stag to prepare files for the President to peruse on return?

Get 10 Free International Minutes - PINLESS

Indeed,  the senescent Laurent Esso (in spite of his innate other qualities), now serving as Secretary General at the Presidency, we cannot see how, with the best intentions in the world, who of Biya or Esso is going to wake early hours or work late nights in order to take care of state affairs.

With Biya, himself, no longer showing signs of youthful vigour and vim and zest, one would have expected that the Presidency should be run on a day to day basis by a young, dynamic and energetic administrator.

It is evident that, in spite of harping on the role of the youth in national life, Mr. Biya has amply indicated that he intends to continue ruling Cameroon predominantly with his contemporaries until the curtain of their tenure falls - if ever.

For now, after the installations of the new ministers, we will witness the nauseating motions of support which will start pouring into Unity Palace, then the ministers will organise home-coming trips with eating and drinking orgies.

Then the new wait for a new cabinet reshuffle will begin and, then, there will be another disappointment. And the comedy continues… The cabinet that emerged on September 22 was the handiwork of  vintage Paul Biya: an inscrutable political juggler.

Comments

[Eric Ngonji Njungwe]

I must sincerely say that at times I wonderful whether Biya ever went to school. He seems obdurately unreasonable and shows no will to move Cameroon forward. This man probably has in his bedroom, a well-preserved exercise book containing the names of his PRIMARY SCHOOL MATES. I believe that he consults this book each time he reshuffles the cabinet, otherwise, I wonder how proverbial the names of these RETIREES are to him. Should we expect this man’s cabinet to work, sleep, or STEAL? They will one day be held accountable for the decades of destruction caused to the country, and frustration caused to the people, whether on earth or beyond.

[Anne]

I think Biya would be better off if he worked in one of those local beer manufactoring houses in the North West Province...

He puts stale corn beer (sha) into imported empty wine bottles from France!!

This is what innocent Cameroonians get to consume at the end of the day, but some of us who have very sensitive stomachs end up with "bele bite" after one sip!

Salome,
Sweden.

[Langai]

Most world leaders worth their salt are out in New York trying to sell their ideas to the rest of the UN members. What is our own leader doing back in CMR, which he is visiting after a brief/long stay abroad? He is there to attract attention by moving a few (old) friends around the dining table. That is what is called a cabinet reshuffle in our own part of the world where public opinion does not matter; where people are brought back nearly from their graves to dinner; where the youth (derogatorily known as the leaders of tomorrow) are sidelined, and the fruits of the entire commonwealth are kept for a handful of friends and classmates, etc. A remarkable entry in this circle is Njoh Mouelle. Although this guy could be said to be the ideologue of the ruling house, he has been kept in the cooler for far too long. The guy is good. In 1990 when people were clamouring for multiparties, this fellow went on the air, Radio CRTV of course, with a long lecture about the way forward for the C-team. He said the government should encourage the formation of many political parties because once this was done, the so-called opposition parties would spend time fighting one another like crabs in a basket and leave the C-team alone to govern. He was put away almost immediately as the hawks, the likes of Emah Basile, said multipaties would come over their dead bodies. Even our own man sang Dimabolla in the streets to say "No" to multiparties. But when the ruling house saw what was happening in Zaïre at that time, they welcomed Njoh Mouelle's ideas with both hands. Unfortunately, he had been sidelined. The rush to legalise political parties began, and today we have 200 or so parties. Most of these wait for elections so that they can come out of their shells and try to strike a bargain for some financial fuel for their families and friends. That is Cameroon.
Who will bring us to the marketplace? Is it only going to be football whenever possible? Leaders of pariah states still go to NY and have their say on the way they see things. Who will speak for us? Any hard working leader who stays in power for more than 10 years is an idler. If he/she had been that busy, they would be totally exhausted after 10 years and ought to take a well deserved rest. All this stuff about old brooms sweeping better is a hoax. All these corpses resurrected and brought back to the government team have spent their last energies. I weep for CMR. I am in tears, please help.
Langai

[rexon]

This is a bandit (Paul Biya) that have no concience. The earlier we all struggle to root him out, the better. He is really an evil man that does not listen to the needs of people.

I hope his supporters and advisers like Dr Agbormbai will be able to give this regime a far better advise in the future.

[MillaIsGod]

Cameroonians, Cameronians,Cameronians we are not couragious enough to take on this bandit masquerading as a so call lionman. How can the youth of today watch their beloveth country draged to the gutters by the so call ruling elites? We need to stand up to this nonsense cos if we don't the consequencies not only for us but those after us would be grave. People lets take up arms and fight this lunatic thinking that he can get away with murder. Just like emperor NERO said " I kill poeple and nothing happens... I make bad policies and nothing happens...I killed my wife and nothing happens... Therefore, I must be God!!!!" Are you guys thinking what I am thinking? maybe Biya thinks he is immortal and maybe even God. Cos all what Nero was thinking i guess biya has also had the same thought. He has killed, made bad policies, stolen money from cameroonian, that is, practically rape the country of its soul but yet, without any consequencies.He is going to pay not only in heaven but here on earth. We will not give him the luxury to confess his sins cos no amount of confession can rid him of his unrelenting strangling and destruction of our beloveth land.
I THINK IT IS TIME WE PUT AN END TO THIS NONSENSE. IF PEOPLE ARE COURAGIOUS ENOUGH THEN WE CAN DO SOMETHING THAT CAN WRESTLE THE SOUL OF OUR COUNTRY FROM THIS RAPIST AND RESTORE SOME DIGNITY FOR OUR CHILDREN AND OUR CHILDREN'S CHILDREN.
We are the future of this country but the bandit has decided to sideline us from the process of building our future. we are not going to take this lying down. Therefore, it is now down to us to bring back some sanity to our country by whatever means we see fit.
They did it in Thailand and I am sure we can too.
MillaIsGod

[rexon]

MillaisGOD,

The almighty God will welcome you in heaven for standing corageously to these evil leaders of La Republique. You have spoken the truth in this posting. Unfortunately, people here like Dr AA will tell you the government is moving in the right direction.

[Big Joe]

OBJET : Création ce jour du " FRONT DE LIBERATION DU CAMEROUN" (FLC)

Messieurs les journalistes,

Le Cameroun est sérieusement malade :
3/4 des diplômés de l'enseignement supérieur sont en chômage.
Les étudiants, fer de lance de nation, sont assassinés chaque jour par des homosexuels appartenant au gouvernement de M.BIYA.
Les bourses d'études à l'international sont détournées dans des ministères camerounais au profit des enfants des intouchables de la république.
Les concours de la fonction publique sont devenus un tripatouillage de la part du gouvernement. (Cas de l'ENAM, etc.)
l'Argent en provenance des institutions financières internationales pour aider le peuple camerounais est détourné par des fonctionnaires véreux pour la construction des chateaux en Europe.
La qualité de l'enseignement supérieur, gage de croissance économique est quasi-inexistente.
La justice est devenu un champ de marchandage.
La corruption au plus haut niveau de l'Etat est catastrophique.
Etc.
Au vu de ce diagnostic alarmant, les diplômés de l'enseignement supérieur, toutes tendances confondues ont décidé de créer ce jour le "FRONT DE LIBERATION DU CAMEROUN"

ACTIONS IMMEDIATES A ENTREPRENDRE.

Nos actions de libération du Cameroun débuteront en 2007 par des mécanismes contraires à l'état de droit:
Tout homosexuel présumé et rescencé par nos services d'espionnage vivant au cameroun sera assassiné sans aucun forme de procès.
Les détourneurs de fonds publics, leurs familles et biens seront détruits par une puissante bombe que nous sommes entrain de mettre en place.(TNT à large spectre d'action).
Des sociétés publiques, privées et étrangères qui recrutent les homosexuels en milieu universitaire et des chandelles comme capital humain au profit des intellectuels responsables seront bombardées par notre "Groupe d'action directe"
Etc.
Si à l'horizon 2008, la situation n'a pas changé, le FLC prendra les armes afin d'instaurer la bonne gouvernance au cameroun.
Nous invitons les hommes en tenue de se joindre au FLC pour sauver le Cameroun.
Pendant nos actions en territoire camerounais (Bakassi compris), Aucun étranger de bonne foi ne sera inquiété par nos services secrètes ainsi que les intérêts des pays amis.
Nous ne voulons pas l'immigration clandestine de nos vaillants diplômés, mais nous voulons assainir le cameroun afin qu'il soit un eldorado pour d'autres populations européennes.
Nous sommes prêts à verser notre sang pour libérer le cameroun.

Par la grâce de Dieu , nous vaincrons.

Pour le FLC,

- Le président.
M. HASSANE LOMBO Claude / Biochimiste.
- Le sécrétaire Géneral.
M. ATANGANA Gervais/Juriste.
- Le Directeur de production des produits chimiques.
M. TALLA MONKAM André/Chimiste.
Le représentant du FLC du moyen et proche-orient.
Capitaine SANDA OUSSEINI.

[Aviche]

Vintage Paul Biya indeed. Down the drain we continue to go. What an impeccable write-up, an x-ray Biya's useless gymnastics and ... I am lost for words.

[Agbor Gerald]

Big Joe,

How can these people be contacted. I think some members of this forum will like to get in touch with them.

[Squinty]

Fellow Southern Cameroonians,

The time has come for us to change the course of history. The time has come for us to go beyond the rhetorics and take congrete actions. The time has come for us to start the revolution.

Since October 1 1961 we lost our sense of identity. Predators set on our land and have since sapped us dry and they have continued their attempts to deprive us of our dignity and patriotism. The time has come for us to say NO!!!

Today we declare that violence begets violence. As we are poised to celebrate our INDEPENDENCE on OCTOBER 1st, I would like to take this opportunity and inform you the youths of Southern Cameroons that the SOUTHERN CAMEROONS LIBERATION ARMY has been formed. Our motto is "we can make the difference". The force of argument has failed. Diplomacy has failed. Democracy has failed. War is not a break down of communication or negotiation but just another way for a people to voice their frustration and determination. Our course is just, our cry is honest. Let history be our judge.

Contact:
s_quinty@yahoo.ca
tel:+46 (0)762 89 20 89

[Tekum Mbeng]

The Wall Street Journal on Corruption - Case of Paul Biya,
Monday September 25, 2006

REVIEW & OUTLOOK
PRINT EDITION Page A14

Corruption? Ho-Hum

You might think the biggest objections to a World Bank anticorruption push would

come from, say, corrupt poor countries in danger of losing international aid. In fact it's such donor nations as Britain, France and Germany - and bureaucrats at international aid agencies-that seem to be complaining loudest.

Welcome to the upside-down world of development aid, where a country's actual use(or misuse) of money is much less important than how much it receives. Paul Wolfowitz, who took over as head of the World Bank last year, wants to change this paradigm, which won't be easy. At an annual meeting of bank officials in Singapore last week, European elites let it be known that they much prefer a lending system that gives lip service to ending graft but in fact turns a blind eye to corruption and gov't officials on the receiving end of billions of dollars in foreign aid.

British Development Secretary Hilary Benn threatened to withhold $94million in funding next year to protest the transparency and accountability conditions that Mr. Wolfowitz is implementing. Mr. Benn, along with his French and German conterparts who serve on the bank's board of directors finally relented after assurances from Mr. Wolfowitz that the board would play an oversight role. So the same countries that say Americans need to throw more taxpayer money at the developing world don't seem to care how much of it is siphoned off by corrupt gov'ts. The only word for this is bizarre.

M. Wolfowitz has said that this anticorruption dirve "is about making certain that money goes to schools and textbooks for children, medicines for mothers and creating job opportunities for the poor - not to line the pockets of the rich and powerful". These days as so often in the past, the latte is the norm.

Throw a dart at a map of Africa, and chances are high that you'll hit a place like Cameroon, where autocrat Paul Biya has been in power since 1982. According to the Wall Street Journal-Heritage Foundation 2006 Index of Economic Freedom, "the ruling party's long domination has encouraged corruption and croynism" and "corruption is widespread in the government and the judiciary". Our guess is that the more than 40% of government revenue that Mr. Biya receives each year via foreign aid isn't doing much to the average Cameroonian but it is helping Mr. Biya maintain power.

The World Bank says it has uncovered more than 2000 instances of fraud, corruption and other misconduct related to its projects since 2001, a situation that led Mr. Wolfowitz to suspend more than $1 billion in loans to countries including Kenya, India, Bangladesh and yes - Cameroon.

Through its lending arm the International Development Association, the Bank issues on average between $7 billion and $9 billion each year in credits and grants to the poorest nations. And overall, Banks loans totalled nearly $23 billion in 2005. Mr. Wolfowitz recognizes that he has a fiduciary obligation to make sure money isn't being wasted or misused. He also understands that anticorruption is an integral part of reducing poverty and promoting growth.

That's a lesson many multilateral agency planners have yet to learn. And it's no surprise since success at places like the World Bank is measured not by results but by how much money is pushed out the door. Hence, extreme poverty in Africa is growing, even as taxpayers in the West are impotuned to throw more and more foreign aid at the continent.

Mr. Wolfowitz's detractors characterize his anticorruption efforts as "obsessive".

The Financial Times went so far as to imply that he doesn't grasp the "complexity" of the problem, as if theft and bribery are difficult concepts.

Mr. Wolfowitz is being attacked precisely because he understands the situation all too well. As he put it last week, "better governance ....is the key to reduction of poverty." We'd go further and add that corruption tends to accompany too-powerful governments that give politicicans and bureaucracies control over investment and other economic decisions. The World Bank's own annual "Doing Business" survey documents this problem, even if some on the bank's board apparently don't read its own work. The last thing the world's poor need is international organizations that indulge their oppressive governments.

[Tekum Mbeng]

Now Mr. Wolfowitz and his fellow Americans can start to understand the yoke placed by Europe on developing countries.

European states play a simple card - aid to Africa returns to European banks and the balance goes to subsidize exports from Europe, thus safeguarding jobs in Europe.

Europeans do not bother about corruption because African dictators bank the hard cash in European banks. The balance goes to a European firm exporting finished goods to the African country.

That is neocolonialism in the worst form and explains the destitution in Africa today. This powerful system can only be broken when political power in Africa is transferred to the educated post-independence generation. The aging pre-independence African is fatally subservient to a white master.

[DaDiceman]

Mr. Mbeng, do not despair about Biya the tinpot dictator! Below is a reassuring statement earlier this year from our most learned contributor on this forum, Dr. Agbormbai, reassuring us things are improving under Biya. Keep the faith, the future, at least according to Dr. Agbormbai, is bright!

Dr. Agbormbai wrote:

"...The crucial issue here is change, and the willingness to listen to and take good advice in order to bring about positive change.

It is true that Biya has been autocratic in the past and has been responsible for bringing Cameroon to its knees. But over the last 12 months Biya has shown an amazing capacity to take and execute good advice.

He has become much more tolerant and democratic, and as a result much of the news coming out of Cameroon has been much more positive (even though we, of course, still have many daunting problems to overcome)......."

Posted by: Dr. A. A. Agbormbai | Saturday, 29 April 2006 at 10:42 AM

[Francis Nche]

Biya uses the list of the Delagates in the 1985 Bamnenda Congress to appoint his ministers. The Unfortnate thing for him is that only 20%of those individuals are still alive today and the rate of demise is 2 per week. If Biya believe in change to have changeed 22 governments in 24 years, then he know that the poblem is himself. Nevertheless, he will attain his wish to die in power since he has only 3 years left for God to call him.

[tayong]

Francis Nche
Remember we are expecting a feedback from you on issues we discussed .Please ,we'll like to hear from you within the confines of the group.Cheers.

Mr Tekum
Good hearing from you. What's going on Tekum? We have been expecting to hear from you so far to no avail. Alot's happening right now so you need hooked in order to catch up. You may get me at eetayong@yahoo.co.uk or mukimate@yahoo.com or langaisins@yahoo.com

Cheers countryman
Tayong

[Roki of Shanghai]

It is amazing how Biya's brain works.His choice of people that make up his cabinet amazes me.Old crooks.You cannot teach an old dog new tricks.

[Fritzane Kiki HK]

I don't wanna go to the nooks and crannies of the failure of the Biya's regime.Cameroonians as peaceful and patient as they are,are now impatiently awaiting with the profoundest anxiety the end of Biya's era.We know he has his classmates and henchmen at heart so he will always protect their interests by appointing them.However,with their dwindling ages they have just one option;to give an account to the financial mishaps and misappropriation in the reign.

History has proved that rulers who resort to dictorship,corruption and exploitation were either killed through assassination or coup d'etat,they were sometimes imprisoned, we had cases of exile and finally natural death.I don't see Biya escaping any of these predicaments in the near future.He has turned Cameroon ministeries and other top Government positions to an 'all Ewondo' committee house,irrespective of their age,qualification nor competence.We wish them good luck but they will pay the price later.

Fritzane Kiki
Hong Kong

[Watesih]

Big Joe,
We are a little bit surprised by the tone of the new Front de Liberation du Cameroon,that was presented under your posting.They start off by telling us that a Front has been put in place `this day',which day? They go on to make a mockery of their actions by telling us that their plan in 2007 will be to assassinate all the accused homosexuals.Under what circumstances are they going to determine their would-be victims? People cannot be so fanciful to tell Cameroonians that a bomb is being put in place that will be used to destroy swindlers,their families ,and their ill-gotten wealth.Theirs will be a selective bomb that will spare those who are not corrupt,and only kill swindlers.After having bombed the public,private,and foreign enterprises that recrute homosexuals ,they will wait for 2008 to see whether the situation will ameliorate before taking up arms.They expect a rotten society that has gone on like this for 40 years to change between 2006 and 2008.They have presented us with a list of names that go from high sounding ground to ground ballistic missile specialist,to Uranium enriching guru,thinking it will blow off the wig Paul Biya is wearing on his head.From all indications,this should be a group of donkey head froggies,who are trying to nib in the bud what a group of able Cameroonians have been planning to do on this forum for the past weeks,by creating confusion in the minds of Cameroonians.Since when has an Atangana successfully taken part in a group of shock like a front.Does the Front specialise in brewing `33' Export?

[Ghost Man 4 Chine]

What can I say??? I`m lost and lack the words to describe this kind of regime.
You need to be "Most Wanted" ; a seasoned criminal; an outright thief and killer to be part of the regime.
Biya`s reasoning is far beyond human; he lacks the wit to work in "sha" brewery;because sometimes not all the "old sha " fits squarely with the "new".The bottle cracks; that is what we expect from the regime; "a crack".
I wish his doctors could re - examine his mind; surely suffering from acute and chronic encyphalopathy " - he is water brain; leading an intellectual people.
What a curse !!!!!!!!!!!!