Biya should go now ⁰

A wise man wrote some years ago that leadership is not about the next election, it’s about the next generation. The blindness of President Paul Biya and his CPDM crime syndicate in Yaoundé to grasp this simple fact about good governance and the essence of power is worrying. After thirty-six years in office, any rightful thinking politician would know he has overstayed his time. The poor performance of his tenure is there for all to see. The economy is on its knees, manufacturing is non-existent and food shortage is a fact of life. One of our desk editors jokingly opined that unemployment is over 60%- a shocking and unacceptable statistic. Public finances are depleted and non-existent.

When Thomas Jefferson said the will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, he certainly knew what he was talking about. On Sunday the 7th of October 2018, the people of Cameroon went to the polls to elect a new leader and Prof Maurice Kamto won.  Biya and his gang with the support of the Beti Ewondo soldiers are working hard to extend his deplorable mandate. At 85 years of age, Biya represents the most awful of the African dictators. He is old and incontinent.  Somehow, his selfishness and idiocy have brought the once prosperous nation he inherited in 1982 to one of the poorest on the planet. His determination to carry on at the top has become an obsession. All that matters to him and his cohorts is that they stay in power draining the meagre public finances and running the country to the ground. By his actions and in actions over the years, Biya has forfeited the confidence of Cameroonians, hence the contempt upon which his people hold him.

There is corruption in every nation on earth including the Vatican. However, the role of any responsible government is to keep these to a minimum as they can never be completely eradicated. The crime syndicates in Yaoundé seem to think and believe that corruption and fraud is the chief role of government. With scandalous energy and determination, tribalism has been and is being promoted shamelessly.  The country has no healthcare system, no road networks, no workable schooling system and no plan for the future. The justice system is making a mockery of both the civil and common law. It is hard to say if it is the civil judges or the military tribunal in Yaoundé that is in charge of the legal system and the courts.

After the people voted crushingly to kick Biya out, all instruments are being employed to keep him and his clique in power.  His so-called Constitutional Council made up of his associates and fellow criminals have set their thieving machine in motion and over the next few days will proclaim victory. The international community is watching without any eloquent and strong condemnation. This silence of the lamb from the UN, AU and the EU is worrying Cameroonians who have the best interest of their country and future generations at heart. The shameful role that France and the world media are playing in their silence will be judged by future historians as one of the biggest failures of our times.

It is impossible to preach a message of hope, audacity and coolness these days in Cameroon. These great human qualities have vanished from the public. The streets are filled with poverty, misery and anxiety. But people must draw inspiration from Thucydides who wrote that the secret to happiness is freedom and the secret to freedom is courage. They must have the courage that to attain freedom and happiness, they will have to stand up to the antics of these criminals in Yaoundé. The people of Ambazonia have stood up to these paper tigers effectively for over a year now and the rest of the nation has to realize that they must do the same or this reign of terror and corruption would continue forever. The cost of freedom is high but many nations have paid this price. As a nation, we must decide if this is the time for us to pay ours.

As the people await the inevitable declaration of victory, one has to ask what drives a man to seek to extend a reign that has been a colossal and abject disaster. One has to ask if Biya and his supporters have the next generation in mind.

By Staff lady Asu Vera Eyere