President Biya's Admission Of Failure

By Gerald Chenwi

Cameroonians have become used to bloated speeches and high-sounding words from President Paul Biya year in, year out. President Biya's New Year's speech was, however, a clear admission of failure by his regime. 

He spent time elaborating on his numerous failures and wondering why he continues to be a failure.  As much as he can blame what happened in Bakassi on others, the why and wherefore of what happened points at a failed regime; one which continues to encourage and promote corruption. 

Rumours abound that it was either an arms deal gone wrong or that this was staged for some sinister reason.  If we are to accept the President's line, then we can again link this to the issue of our porous borders, which the President talked about. 

It is the responsibility of the leader of every country to secure its borders to ensure its citizens are safe.  Yet, the President talks of porous borders as if the defence of Cameroon and the protection of its borders is not part of his brief. 

Those praise singers who want to go on gloating about how prudent we have been in managing our finances are missing the point.  We all know the same Government has been unable to manage its finances and that the IMF and World Bank had to step in with stringent conditions for any future financial aid (sadly in the form of loans) at a time when the economy was virtually in a free fall. 

On the issue of infrastructure and urban sanitation, it is clear that for his 25 years in office, he has nothing tangible to show for.  He cannot go on blaming reckless drivers on our roads, who are his products after all.  What we call highways in Cameroon are nothing short of dead traps. 

Without dismissing the point that there are reckless drivers on the road, let us rather address this issue.  It is no secret that people have been able to purchase drivers' licences with little or no knowledge of the Highway Code. 

When you run a system where corrupt officials are rewarded rather than punished, you reap chaos.  When there is little or no investment in road infrastructure, where law enforcement officers spend their time on the roads collecting bribes rather than ensuring road safety, then insecurity on the roads will go on. 

It has taken the President 25 years to work out that he needs to set objectives and targets for himself and his ministers and strive to achieve these. He admits that he and his cronies have spent their time moving from workshops to seminars, then to committees and having nothing to show for. 

Good leaders ensure that their objectives and vision are turned into tangibles. Ambitions not marched with deeds are mere dreams.  It is needless to be underscoring a point when all you want to talk about is 25 years of unrealised dreams.

For the leader of a nation to go on national television and tell his subjects that he does not understand why they suffer from electricity shortages smacks of disbelief at best. It is an open admission of failure; that the President does not know what he is supposed to be doing for his people.  No wonder the man has been in slumber for 25 years. 

If one inherits a power supply whose capacity can only supply say 7 million people, he should sit up the moment he realises his population has more than doubled.  You can only reap what you sow.   

The reason why Cameroonians are suffering from acute power shortages is simple; there has been little or no investment in this sector.  While demand has more than doubled during the time President Biya has been in power, there has been little or no investment to march this increasing demand.

The regime has run down all the assets it inherited without investing in its own.  We have huge hydroelectric potential as the president rightly said, but without the necessary investment to convert this to an end product, it will remain untapped potential.  The lecture on renewable energies should be saved for Biya's stooges and hand clappers. 

What the populace want to see are end results. We have had lectures for 25 years and nothing to show for. In any other democracy, a President who makes such a blatant admission of failure resigns, but in an "advanced democracy" as ours, he will probably get an extension to his mandate.  What a democracy we have, what a wasteful leader and what a docile people!

Comments

[Dinga paul owona]

The era for deals is over.Biya must quit whether he likes it or not.The Cameroonian people must get up to see that an effective change is brought into the political scene for a better future of our children and development of the nation.its time Biya knowa that mysticism has no more power over the people of Cameroon and the next election must see him out of office.There are lots of educated Cameroonians with enough experience to take this nation to the next level.Cameroon is not an exclusive property of an individual or group of individuals.We must denounce every attempt to change any clause in the constitution to his favour.we must see into it that an independent electoral commission is set up outside the ministry of territorial administration.
God is no more on his side and even the cosmic forces will not act to his favour.The Churches got to share in this responsibility that our country move forward.Not the kind of cosmetic changes claimed to be effected by traitors that have succeeded plunging the country into total uselessness,changes vices to virtues.A cameroonian child is unable to distinguish good from bad.
This is the time for change

[Glenn Wilson]

Not that there is anything funny about having Popaul hanging around. (click below)

Comedy “Biya admits Failure“

[Brain]

Paul Biya, you have to accept that you were given a long rope to draw and you have reached its edge. You seem failing to see that you do not have any more time left. You have to go, whether you want it or not. The moment has come when change must be effected unconditionally. It would be great if you can realise this before it becomes too late. Do not waste more government coffers because you will be merely adding more hell on your head. Remember that justice awaits you. I know that you are smart, so use your brains properly this time and do not commit more awful errors.