No Trifling Matter: Contributions of an Uncompromising Critic to the Democratic Process in Cameroon

62 Governement by Trial and Error, Bribery, Corruptionand Manipulation

175 crooks. Few of them are philanthropists of the Mother Teresa of Calcutta type. We need always to be on our guard when bargaining with them. The Minister admits that he did import rice but that he did so on the orders of the President to help Cameroonians. This is, so far, the most difficult part of the Minister’s story to digest. How come Ghudam Gharam was coincidentally involved in the transportation of this rice? And how has it helped Cameroonians? How does dutyfree rice imported by Camtraco help Cameroonians? Is Camtraco a philanthropic company? Should a Minister of State also double as a rice importer? Does the President of the Republic really concern himself with such minutiae as who should import rice and flour? Those who are really sympathetic to the story of “La Nouvelle Expression’ would not fail at this juncture to conclude that the mention of the Head of State only indicates that he has his fingers in every messy pie. Let’s avoid both press and state terrorism and get down to the truth of this matter. It is so important for the future of this nation. 6 62 Governement by Trial and Error, Bribery, Corruption and Manipulation (Published August 28-September 4, 1992) The tax-defaulting and tax-evading « business » men who were selected to intone the Government-composed and Governmentsponsored chorus that BIYA should call anticipated Presidential elections and stand as candidate actually anticipated me. I had been having it in mind to call on Biya to call early Presidential elections, so that Cameroonians could rid this Nation of the greatest plague, the greatest catastrophe that has ever afflicted it, seeing that, in spite of the anticipated legislative elections of last March, we are today firmly back into an autocratic dictatorship. No need to have added that he should stand « as CPDM candidate. .” How could it be otherwise? 176 The CPDM constitution is even quite clear on the point: its Chairman is, by its constitution, its presidential candidate. Except perhaps that that constitution, just like the constitution of the country at large, means nothing to Paul Biya. But, in any case, the clause under consideration is not one that he could possibly want to violate. It is really an amazing historical irony that Dr. Paul Biya would most like to be remembered as the person who brought democracy, among other good things, to Cameroon. As I pointed out long ago in this column, (see CAMEROON POST, July 30-august 6, 1992), his concept of « la democratie » even when further qualified as « avancée » is antithetical and nearly polar-opposite to democracy in its ordinary meaning and acceptation. Just look at the CPDM itself. As a party, it has never ventured to try democracy the way the SDF, for example, did recently during its Convention in Bamenda. The CPDM has never risked any democratic procedure such as spontaneous open debate or balloting. Nearly all those within the party who have been anxious to see the instauration of democratic practices within the party have been frustrated out. When recently there were vacancies in the central committee of the party, an election was not held to fill them. The people were appointed and their names, as usual, read over the radio. Someone well-known to me was appointed in this way and people were rushing to him to congratulate him for having achieved what? When the Meme section executive of the party had some problems, a brand new executive was appointed right from Yaounde and imposed on the people of Kumba. Est-ce que cela c’est la democratie ? It is astounding that these are the people Cameroonians are banking on to conduct free and fair democratic elections. This country is now like a boat drifting aimlessly and directionlessly on a turbulent sea. Government has become a matter of trial and error. The Government is hanging on precariously and hoping to continue and consolidate its grip on power though bribery, corruption and careful manipulation. These days, if the Government owes you any money it will only pay it as a bribe in exchange for sycophantic support, and this now includes normal salaries and wages for all categories of workers. Why should farmers whose money the 177 Government has been keeping since 1988, nearly five years ago, be paid now with propagandistic fanfare as if they were being done a very special favour? If these...