CCDHR’s Reaction to President Paul Biya’s 2008 End of Year Address to the Nation

On December 31, 2008, President Paul Biya audaciously gave one of his regular annual self-acclamations, one that states progress on all fronts on his policy initiatives despite the continued worsening of the country’s situation and the plight of its people. At the outset, Mr. Biya strangely sounded like a man who just came to power with a set of fresh political agenda to realize. In reality, Paul Biya has been the President of Cameroon since 1982, and the current state of the country’s economy and infrastructure is ample proof of his failures and the despondence of the people of Cameroon.

Paul Biya stated that “the time was ripe for us to devote our efforts to the attainment of our set objectives, namely the consolidation of our democratic institutions and the revival of our economic growth.” This statement does not read any different from what he has consistently stated over 26 years as President of Cameroon. The time seems to be always ripe for Mr. Biya, but he does nothing to either advance democracy, which he talks about eloquently, or economic growth which he stifles. Over the years, Cameroonians have come to recognize that ‘consolidation of democratic institutions’ according to Mr. Biya actually means strengthening his grip over power, while ‘economic growth’ is synonymous to increased access and corruption for political cronies, and starvation of political opponents.

Paul Biya mentioned the February 2008 riots across the country but limits its causes to rising cost of living, water and electricity shortages, and unemployment. CCDHR recognizes that the cross-country public demonstrations stemmed from an accumulated and unabated latent anger among the Cameroonian people from the inability and unwillingness of the government of Paul Biya to address the most pressing issues of rising costs of living, unemployment, corruption, embezzlement of public funds, electoral irregularities, grave human rights violations, and the prospect of a constitutional amendment that was looming at that time. Public mismanagement, lack of accountability, loss of confidence in state political and economic institutions, seclusion and manipulation of the people based on political affiliations, and a repressive law enforcement machinery were also among the collection of factors that accounted for this national unrest. Rather than address these issues, Cameroonians instead witnessed Mr. Biya move selfishly and rapidly to consolidate his hold on power through a constitutional amendment that paved his crowning as President for life.

It is ironical for Mr. Biya to state that the constitutional revision in Cameroon “removed a hurdle which was looming over the political future” of the country, because in actuality, the very presence of Paul Biya at the helm of the country is the main hurdle to democracy, development, and economic rival in Cameroon. Therefore his judgment that “the majority of the Cameroonian people understood the meaning of this [constitutional] reform which, in any case, leaves all options open” is misguided or self-serving. Paul Biya who came to power in 1982 has been President for more than a quarter century and basically sees no end to his stay in power. Meanwhile, the Biya regime is responsible for sinking the nation's wealth and viability, while remaining a source of terror for Cameroonians. President Biya and his governments have repeatedly violated the rights of the people of Cameroon. Human rights activists, independent journalists, members of opposition political parties, and pressure groups are regularly harassed, detained, and tortured, while elections in Cameroon have been rife with fraud and serious misconduct. The judicial arm of government is flawed and endemic with injustice, inequity, and subject to frequent political manipulations and the whims of the President. Under this environment, Paul Biya was able to proceed with his dubious plan to amend the constitution through the unconditional support of the CPDM-dominated National Assembly.

CCDHR notes with regret that the current overwhelmingly CPDM dominated parliament became effective following the massively rigged municipal and legislative elections of July 22, 2007. In this regard, Mr. Biya’s contemplation that ELECAM will strengthen the credibility of Cameroon’s electoral system could not be further from the truth. It is hard not to conclude that Mr. Biya and his associate are committed to buying time with different forms of deceptive institutional experiments as they continue to loot the country. Besides the change in name, Cameroonians cannot understand the difference between ELECAM and NEO. Just as NEO, ELECAM is anything but independent, as everything about it is dependent on the President. ELECAM cannot be, and will never be an independent electoral body so long as its members are appointed by Presidential degree among the rank and file of the CPDM party. In addition, the fact that ELECAM members can serve indefinitely, at the pleasure of the President is alarming. It is common knowledge that appointees always pay allegiance to those who appoint them. Therefore only those who are obedient to Mr. Biya and carry out his instructions to the letter will be guaranteed the chance to continuously serve on ELECAM. An independent electoral body must be able to have truly independent members with a fixed mandate; with the power to entertain petitions of electoral malpractices; and the certification of electoral results. CCDHR notes that ELECAM is already a failed experiment even before it comes into existence.

If history is anything to learn from, Cameroonians have 26 Year End Speeches of Paul Biya to read, each loaded with lofty ideas which are either forgotten or ignored as soon as he leaves the podium from which the speeches were made. Mr. Biya lacks the track record to be believed and Cameroonians worse days may just be ahead of them. The misdeeds of President Biya and members of his governments have deprived Cameroonians of basic rights such as freedom of speech and expression and the complete absence of development initiatives and employment opportunities. The once prosperous nation of Cameroon has been transformed into a corrupt, seemingly lawless kleptocracy. After Decades of failed political, economic, educational, social, and development policies, Cameroonians have lost confidence that the current system can bring any meaningful change to their lives or the direction of the country. CCDHR recognizes that Cameroonians are tired of the mediocrity, corruption, tribalism, nepotism, and embezzlement that have characterized the almost three decades of President Paul Biya’s grip on power in Cameroon. CCDHR is therefore calling on the President Paul Biya to allow Cameroonians the possibility to reconstruct their future and that of the country.