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| Paul Biya: 82 years old, 32 years in power - Bad leadership for Africa |
On the occasion of the ongoing US African
leaders’ summit, we at CamerNation (movement for thought and action for
democracy in Cameroon) are taking this opportunity, to tell the world about one
of the most notorious guest at this historical event.
We want to talk about Paul Biya, one of the
longest reigning dictators in the world. Paul Biya has been ruling Cameroon
with absolute power now for 32 years. The Cameroon people have been hostage of
his gang like regime for a very long time. They have been deeply marked in
their flesh, for generations to come and they want the world to hear their cry.
1- Coming to power
Paul Biya came to power on November 6 1982. He
benefited from a constitutional transfer of power from Ahmadou Ahidjo, first
president of Cameroon, who handpicked him to rule the country, as Ahidjo
himself resigned physically exhausted, from 22 years of brutal rule. By all
accounts Ahidjo chose Biya, the most unqualified member of his cabinet, so he
could use him as a puppet to continue ruling the country from retirement. Under
the advisory pressure of tribe members of his cabinet, Paul Biya quickly
changed the plan and started consolidating all the powers for himself.
To ensure absolute power for himself, Biya set
out to arrest or eliminate all political threats. Elites from the northern
region, birth place of the departing president, were the principal target. He
set out vast campaign to rid the army and all administrative offices of
northerners.
The high point of this human clean up came after
the botched coup of April 6 1984, allegedly attempted by disgruntled army officers
from the north. The coup failed and all presumes parties were arrested, quickly
trial and executed. Many more spent horrendous long years of torture and
starvation in state prisons. The 1984 coup was from all accounts a turning
point in the coming to power of Paul Biya, the climax of his dictatorship in
Cameroon. This was a major opportunity Paul Biya took, to populate the army,
state run companies and all administrative offices with people from his tribe
and loyal circle.
2- Doing all he can to stay
in power
Since the coup of 1984, Biya has ruled the
country with a gang of friends and tribesmen, who have been so far the sole
beneficiaries of the meager wealth the country has produced. Paul Biya have
institutionalized
favoritism, corruption and tribalism, at all levels of the country Army, State
run companies or public offices. This system has ensured him unwavering support
among the army officers and the elite, ensuring his long stay in power for all
these years.
The only glimmer of hope for the people of
Cameroon came during the 1990’s. Encouraged by the wave of change and democracy
that moved across Africa at that time, the people overcame their fears and took
to the streets to demand democracy. The repression was terrible; many lost
their lives to the bullets of Paul Biya loyal army. Despite all the suffering
the pressure was kept on the dictatorship. Paul Biya was forced to allow the
creation of opposition parties and the gestation of democracy in Cameroon, for
the first time since its independence from France in 1960.
In 1992 the first democratic elections was held
in Cameroon, by all account Paul Biya and his party conducted massive fraud to
balance the result in their favor. The Supreme Court, laden with judges loyal
to him, declared Paul Biya the winner. Ever since, Paul Biya and his cronies
have been working hard to dismantle democracy in Cameroon.
In 1996, after having filled the national
assembly, the local congress, with members of his ruling party through
nationwide fraudulent elections, Paul Biya changed the constitution, granting
himself full power and immunity. Changes were also made to switch his
constitutional replacement, from the prime minister to the president of the
non-existent senate. This move guaranteed that Paul Biya no more had any
possible aspirant to his power; it also left the country in a dangerous
constitutional emptiness. So from 1996 until recently in 2012, Cameroon had no
Senate and thus no one to replace the president in case of death or incapacity.
In 2008, with the presidential election getting
close, Paul Biya was term limited by the constitution, he changed it again.
This time lifting any limit and ensuring him the ability to be de facto
president of Cameroon for life. Exceeded citizens took the street to express
their outrage, scores were killed and imprisoned.
Despite all proven benefits to the economy,
education and the country as a whole, Paul Biya still refuse dual citizenship
for the vast majority of Cameroonians, solely for political reasons. His regime
chose not to enforce the law for some of his political allies, and athletes for
the national teams. We should say Paul Biya have use victories of national team
in soccer to his political advantage.
3- Justice as political
weapon
In Cameroon no one is safe from the wrath of the
regime and its beneficiaries. People are snatched from their homes and thrown
in jail for years with no trial. Many people will die in jail before reaching
their trial date. Dissent is not tolerated by the Biya regime, they use the police
and the justice system to punish political opponents and get revenge on
personal dealings.
Most
progressives’ members of his own entourage and political party are in jail on
various corruptions charges. It is subject of national joke in the press and
people gathering, that an entire government is in prison. The Nkondengui prison
in Yaoundé, the capital, is now home to former prime minister and dozens of
previous senior cabinet members. It is no secret that most felt victim to their
political disagreement with the regime.
A special tribunal was created with the powers to
bypass due process; timeframe was cut for arrests and trial period. This
tribunal can now arrest, trial and jailed anyone in matter of weeks. The
presidency general secretary office, now serves as the paramount prosecutorial
body in the country. They pick who to arrest, give order to the police, custom
and the army; they direct judges and state prosecutors and even overturn
judges’ decisions.
By all independent accounts, the sole purpose of
the special Tribunal was to extent once more, Biya power over citizens’ life
and trump on whatever is left of the rule of law.
Most prominent business men are forced to join
the ruling party and show support to Paul Biya and his regime, in order to
protect their businesses from persecution and harassment.
4- Hands off government
Cameroon is a country that basically governs
itself with no one effectively in charge. Paul Biya spends most of his time in
long trips in Europe. He goes away for months at the time. It is said he have
booked entire floors at the Hotel Intercontinental in Geneva Switzerland, where
he settles for months at the time with large group of friends and family,
spending lavishly the meager resources of our country.
Paul Biya never holds any cabinet meetings; he
has never met most of his cabinet members. Nomination to a leadership role in a
government ministry in Cameroon has nothing to do with a person education,
skills or experience. It’s all about political compensation, tribal connections
or personal transactions. In Cameroon public servants have no accountability to
the people.
Corrupted bureaucracy makes it almost impossible
to create a business, get a legal document like a passport or a birth
certificate. It is usual for citizens to be force to pay a bribe to collect
their salary at state run banks.
Cameroon has been nominated many times by
transparency international as the most corrupt country in the world.
5- An Economy in shambles
Since 1997, the country of Cameroon has been
struggling through an unprecedented economic crisis. With wages plunging and
one of the highest unemployment rates in the world, Cameroonians have been
living a hopeless life.
Most Cameroonians don't have a job, they don't
have a salary. For the last 25 years the large majority of young Cameroonians
who graduated from local universities and colleges, ended up as street vendors,
motorbike taxi drivers or prostitutes. Paul Biya personally encourage young
people to take on motorbike taxi driving, a reputed dangerous profession.
Scores of young Cameroonians have died in motorbike taxi accidents, trying to
earn a living. Paul Biya regime is completely unresponsive to the youth need.
No serious program to address chronic unemployment has been setup by the government.
When you look at the landscape of the country of
Cameroon, pretty much no landmark investment have been made since Paul Biya
came to power in 1982. For now 32 years, public infrastructure has been
crumbling to pieces. No new road have been built, old ones are simply rotting
away. Entire regions of the country are becoming inaccessible. The education
system is breaking apart. Paul Biya has never presented to a country an
education policy of any kind.
Corruption has corroded all aspects of life in
Cameroon.
There is mounting evidence that Paul Biya don't
care about Cameroon or its people. He, his family and friends have been using
the country as a giant wallet, looting the country to the bone.
As the US receives African
leader we want the world to know …
According to various public records, the US
provided to Cameroon more than 50 million dollars in foreign assistance for
various purposes in 2012. A good part of that aid money was directed to the
purpose of military related activities. We don’t think this is a proper way for
the United States to help the people of Cameroun, who have been enduring the
regime of Paul Biya now for too long. Any military aid to Cameroon, is money
dedicated to maintain one man in power, it is money to be used to crush dissent
and kill any hope for democracy in the impoverished central Africa country.
We at CamerNation don’t think the American people
want to finance dictatorship in Cameroon. We ask President Obama to pass
executive order suspending Military assistance to Cameroon. We ask President
Obama to choose the side of the Cameroon people, in our long struggle for
justice and Democracy.
We believe
that, after 32 year of destructive rule, at 82, Paul Biya must step aside and
let the Cameroon people take control of their own life, and freely choose their
leader, to set them on a path to build the country and live a better life. Paul
Biya represents a dying breed, people who have refused to share the prosperity
of an entire country with the people, instead selfishly kept all for themselves
with force. Paul Biya is bad leadership for Africa and the world.
