From November 6, 1982-November 6, 2014 President Biya of Cameroon
has stood the taste of time as distinguished statesman. For 32 years, the
country has moved, stood stable and at the same time met stiff challenges. The attempted
coup plot of 1984, economic crisis, the wing of change, (multiparty politics)
civil strike (Ghost town) and now the Boko Haram insurgents in the North part
of Cameroon are some of the difficult moments recorded in 32 years.
The fight against economic gangsters
(especially influential members of the CPDM) has also being a great moment of
hard decision taking given that a former Prime Minister, former Secretary
Generals at the Presidency, Ministers of state, Ministers and Director of state
corporations are among the top VIPs arrested and detained.
The man who became Head of State on
November 6, 9182 is today one of the longest serving Head of States in the World
and the third in the African Continent.
Cameroonians who are 32 years old have never known any other President
except Paul Biya. But how did he consolidate power to the point that his
critics call him King. To Many of Biya’s critics, having clocked 32 years in
power, President Biya is a king but he has ruled nothing when judged from the
tempting moments during these years. The lesson from the 32 years of Biyatism
has demonstrated one thing vividly, that it does not matter how many times a leader
stumbles on obstacles, what matters is that he/she gets up and keep it going
smoothly. In other words, the tempting moments of President Biya within 32 years,
taught Cameroonians that great people are not those who have never fallen but
those who get up after each fall. And, also that trials and tribulations are
moments of great reflection because after each tempting moment in President
Biya’s 32 years reign comes a brighter idea for improvement. (The New Deal,
Greater Ambitions, Great Achievements, Vision 2035) The result is the
astronomical improvement in infrastructure, economic, social and political life
of Cameroon. Much has been achieved in 32 years, but not without sacrifices by
the population and steadfastness by President Paul Biya. Yet much has not been
done when compared to the rich resources which call for a more intensified
fight against corruption and inertia.
Here below are those difficult moments?
CNU To CPDM
President
Biya took over when Cameroon had the unique part system. And the ruling party
was the CNU, with President Ahmadou Ahidjo as the party leader and Head of
State. Logic would have had it that when President Biya became Head of State he
was supposed to take the helm of the party. It was not so because late Ahmadou
Ahidjo remained head of the CNU. President Biya was the vice president and on
December 11, 1982 the central committee and political bureau of the CNU placed
him in charge of party affairs in Ahidjo’s absence. Despite Biya’s loyalty to
Ahidjo, a rift occurred in 1983 and Ahidjo went into exile. He accused
President Biya of plots against him and even resigned as Head of the CNU.
President Paul Biya became CNU President during an extraordinary session held
on September 14, 1983. He held that portfolio for two years but another sad
incidence forced him to transform the CNU into the Cameroon People’s Democratic
Movement, CPDM, in Bamenda in 1985.
Attempted Coup Plot
The
rift between President Biya and his predecessor Ahidjo, widened as the latter
fled into exile. He constantly accused President Biya of undermining his
authority and legacy left behind. When President Biya took the helm of the CNU,
he announced Presidential elections for January 14, 1984. He precipitated the
elections for they were earlier scheduled for 1985. As the only candidate to
this election, President Biya scored a walloping 99.98%. President Ahidjo who
had fled into exile was put to trial in absentia for his involvement in a coup
plot perpetrated in 1983 by him and two others. The court slammed them death
sentences, but President Biya used his presidential clemency and commuted the
sentences to life imprisonment. Biya was now in a fix. He decided to disband
the Republican guards who were loyal to Ahidjo. He did this on April 5, 1984
and on April 6, 1984 another coup attempt on President Biya was foiled. The northerners were blamed for the coup
and the hand of Ahidjo was suspected to have instigated the coup.
Wind Of Change
The
wind of change that started in Europe and blew through Africa did not leave
Cameroon indifferent. People manifested for multiparty politics. The nation was
on a red alert. President Biya granted the wishes of Cameroonians with the
liberty laws of 1990. Many political parties cropped up like mushrooms and were
duly registered. Presidential elections were organized in 1992 and President
Biya met his first ever real challenge. He won the elections with a score of 40
%. Ni John Fru Ndi of the opposition, Social Democratic Front, SDF followed
closely with 36%. The opposition candidate contested the results claiming
victory. This set the entire nation into a polarized state leading to strikes
and marches for the stolen victory. And President Biya had to form a coalition
in order to escape an imminent dominance of the opposition in parliament as
they won a majority of seats.
Ghost Towns
If
anything has ever shaken the very foundation of Cameroon and put President Paul
Biya in difficulties it is the ghost towns in the 90s. During the ghost towns
declared by the opposition that transformed itself into coalitions, the economy
slummed as economic activities were halted. The government machinery could not
grind smoothly. Investors were no longer coming and the tax evasion became the
order of the day. The nation was paralyzed and the government confused.
President Biya had to employ his wits to call for dialogue with the opposition
that were the main brains behind the ghost towns. But the opposition was
clamouring for sovereign national conference while the government wanted
something else. However, the tripartite talks organized by the government
diffuse the tension and economic activities resumed. But the opposition SDF
boycotted the 1997 elections. In this election, President Paul Biya secured a
92.6% win over the other opposition candidates.
Economic Crises And Devaluation
The
economic crises had rocked Africa since 1974. Cameroon did not feel the pinch
until 1985 when the economic crises hit Cameroon like a bomb shell. President
Paul Biya tasked Cameroonians to embark on agriculture as a means of solving
the crises. Cameroonians who were already use to white-collar jobs found
agriculture a bitter pill to swallow. Many did not even attempt to swallow the
pill. But while President Biya was still looking for ways to take Cameroon out
of the economic crises, a natural disaster hit Lake Nyos on August 21, 1986.
People and their cattle were killed by the poisonous gas that came from the
lake. International humanitarian efforts were mobilized and Cameroon benefited
enormously from gifts donated by international organizations. But this cap in
hand attitude was not going to help all Cameroonians or last for long.
Another
devastating blow was dealt Cameroonians by the devaluation of the CFA currency.
Civil servants had to see their salaries slashed. Ends were no longer meeting
and tension was gradually boiling in the nation.
Corruption and Inertia Sets In
While
President Biya was struggling to manage these very difficult moments, his closest
collaborators were busy swindling state funds. They took more than their mouths
could chew. But not only were the President’s collaborators involved in
corruption, they were involved in inertia. The state machinery was bogus and
ineffective. People were spending four hours at work and not even four hours of
work. Despite President Biya’s policy of rigour and moralization, nothing was
moving, as these slogans felt on deaf ears. And the consequent result was that
Transparency International ranked Cameroon as the most corrupt country on three
runs consecutively. President Biya set to work to reverse the situation. And he
had to make hard choices as most of the embezzlers were his closest
collaborators. He made the hard choices and threw most of them into prison.
This reversed the trend and Cameroon had to honourably lost the trophy of
corruption.
The Bakassi palaver
The
Bakassi peninsula is today part of Cameron. It has for time in memorial been a
headache to Cameroon leaders. Cameroon has lost valiant soldiers at Bakassi and
even administrators. President Biya had to employ diplomacy at international
level for Bakassi to revert to Cameroon as Nigeria had claimed ownership over
that oil rich peninsula of the SW region of Cameroon. Although Cameroon had legitimacy
over Bakassi, the area still remained a headache to President Paul Biya as
soldiers were killed there regularly. Pirates had made Bakassi their safe haven
and had taken hostages there, requiring the joint efforts of Cameroon and
France before their release. And it was still from this area that pirates had
been operating and raided banks in Limbe and Douala. Thus the Bakassi palaver
up to its peaceful settlement had been one of the tempting moments of President
Biya within the past 30 years.
Revision of Constitution
The
Cameroon constitution was revised in 1996. Before the revision of the
constitution, there were heated debates on the necessity of its revision.
President Biya created the enabling environment and the constitution was
revised given new dispensation in the functioning of the state machinery. There
was going to be a constitutional council. There was to be the creation of
Regions to replace provinces with decentralization, the creation of the senate
and regional councils. But this very constitution placed a two term bar on
presidential elections. This therefore meant that President Biya’s mandate
acquired in 2004 was the last, because his first seven term mandate was
acquired in 1997.
But
President Paul Biya said the constitution limited the choice of Cameroonians.
He asked for its revision. This met with stiff resistance from the opposition
who saw it as a ploy to allow President Paul Biya another opportunity to
contest the 2011 presidential elections. Marches were organized by some civil
society organizations to denounce the revision of the constitution. The long
and short of it is that the bill passed through parliament and the majority
CPDM MPs voted for it while the opposition boycotted. Although the bill passed,
it was one of those incidences that gave President Paul Biya night mares.
Stolen Wallet, G11 Syndrome and
Misinformation
Lieutenant
Luc Emane, one of President Biya’s closest collaborators stole his suitcase while
they were on mission abroad. This act was so treacherous that President Biya
ordered for his immediate arrest and repatriation home to face the music of
justice. This came just at a time when the G11 syndrome (G11 are those who want
to replace President Biya in 2011) had gained some prominence. Some of
President Biya’s collaborators who had embezzled state funds were allegedly
said to be using the funds to sponsor a smear campaign on the personality of
the president. And that these detractors were trying to undermine the peace
reigning in Cameroon through their nefarious plans of seizing by power what
they can never achieve through the ballot box. For this reason, many fabricated
reports were being circulated by agents of these detractors that President Biya
and family have ill-gotten wealth starched in bank accounts abroad.
The February Strikes
In
February 2008 there was an uprising that paralyzed four of the ten regions of Cameroon.
People went on the streets because of rising food prices. The strike that was
purported started by tanker and taxi drivers escalated, resulting to losses in
human lives and property. The gravity of the strike could be measured in the
down turn in economic activities. Looting became the order of the day. It was
actually a challenging moment for President Biya. But as a serene leader, who
knows how to absorb the shocks, he called the shots and the strike action
ended. What is important today is that a soft cushion has been provided by
government to absorb all the negative shocks of the rising food prices. The
prices of basic commodities were reduced with an increase in the salaries of
civil servants. Also subsidies and custom duties waved on so many imported
basic commodities.
Boko Haram Insurgents
The fight against Boko Haram insurgents in the
Northern Region of Cameroon has been another challenging task. The military has
shown its bravery in the fight as President stood his ground that the
insurgents must be crushed. The method of abducting Cameroonians and foreign
nationals have been tempting yet Biya has always emerged victorious. When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
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