In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

31 1 10 Is Mr. Paul Out Of Touch Or What? (Published April 18-25, 1991) It is now established tradition that for serious policy statements of stupendous import, we have to wait until our Head of State a takes trip to France and then listen to his answers to questions posed to him by French journalists. Of course, back home here, no journalists will dare pose questions to His Excellency. Be that as it may, Mr Biya’s recent declarations to French journalists regarding the issue of a “National Conference,” inter alia give cause for very grave concern. Before his recent trip to France, Paul Biya had, during the anniversary celebrations of his party, declared that a National Conference was not necessary. This could not but be taken as the point of view of a party leader vis-à-vis other party leaders. The same declaration made in France is an ex cathedra pronouncement in his capacity as Head of State. At the very moment that Mr Biya was making his declaration in France, thousands of Cameroonians were defying police tear gas bombs, water cannon and truncheons in Douala and Yaounde to demonstrate in favour of a National Conference. Mr Biya’s pronouncement is extremely dilemmic, in that it cannot easily be withdrawn without considerable loss of face, and yet it is evident that it cannot obtain, given the realities and circumstances of the present moment. There are now 14 political parties in Cameroon. What system of logic would approve one of these parties imposing its wishes on the other thirteen? Cameroon intellectuals, collectively and individually, have repeatedly emphasized the importance of a National Conference; students, traders, workers and the jobless have demonstrated in favour of it. So why would a government which is responsive to the wishes of the governed (which is what is meant by “Democracy”) not heed these demands? Is all the talk about democracy and liberalization really so much gimmick for the attention of international donors and money lenders? 32 Mr Biya seems to be thinking of democracy as something that he is giving to Cameroonians out of the magnanimity of his political wisdom. It is he who decides what amounts to give and at what times. He sees himself as a permanent factor in the whole process, no matter what else may change. That is why he could declare that he hopes to meet with all the leaders of the opposition parties “after the elections.” You couldn’t help laughing through you tears at that, could you? In other words, he is not only hoping to win but is quite certain to win! As for the time of elections, it is, no doubt, his personal secret. However, certainty, cock-sureness and overweening confidence are all subjective categories which may not necessarily be related to the reality, to the stubborn facts. Why does is not occur to Mr Biya that the most fundamental issue for every Cameroonian at the present moment is whether or not he and his regime should continue in power? There are, of course, other issues such as the economic crisis, the politico-administrative system, etc. But all these, in my view, are subordinate to the question of who rules. Cameroonians will have to decide this fundamental question through the ballot box. Such decision confers a mandate to govern which, in turn, assures the cooperation of the governed. Within this scheme of things, a National Conference is a desideratum, to re-examine and reformulate the foundation charter of our society. Equally important will be a credible electoral commission. One gets the impression that Mr Biya is not fully aware of the situation on the ground and would be shocked if he knew, just as one is sure he will be shocked if he took a trip by car from Mokolo via Elig-Effa to Biyem-assi, to realize that this is, in fact, part of the capital city in which he resides. The spontaneous reaction of nearly all human beings before any source of power is flattery. All the lackeys on the corridors of power who have access to the presidential ears must be inundating them with assurances of how everything is under perfect control. No one will dare tell him about his descent from grace to grass in most parts of this country. In fact, it is with considerable wonderment that, I myself noticed this mutation in consciousness, first in Garoua and Maroua last December, and quite recently in Bui and Donga...

Share