GEF's Outlook

How Flight KQ507 Crashed near Douala in 2007- paper

The 2007 Kenya Airways crash that killed 114 people at Mbanga-Pongo near Douala (Cameroon’s commercial capital) was caused by basic cockpit errors, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported online on Sunday. 

An inquest in the United Kingdom, for families who lost their loved ones in that air disaster, has heard the full story of how flight KQ507 crashed in a mangrove swamp shortly after taking off from the Douala International Airport without clearance, late at night during a tropical thunderstorm, the paper said

The Telegraph writes:

“Two minutes into the flight the plane reached 1,000 feet, banking to the right – a characteristic of the new-generation Boeing 737-800, but easily correctable. Then, astonishingly, for a full 55 seconds, neither the pilot nor the co-pilot once operated the flight controls. They were not flying the plane and it was not on auto-pilot.

The captain thought he had instructed his first officer to engage it but, in defiance of basic procedures, there had been no verbal affirmation of the command. It had not been followed.

Just one alert from the first officer that the plane was deviating from its flight path could have saved the situation, but it never came. Not until an alarm sounded, indicating the plane was banking, or tilting, more than 40 degrees to the right, did the captain react, but he moved the wheel to the right, aggravating the problem.

Panicking, he moved the control wheel first left, then 40 degrees right, then 11 degrees to the left. With the plane banking at 50 degrees, a belated attempt was made to engage the auto-pilot. The pilot tried to bring the plane under control by using the right rudder, causing it to bank further to the right.

At this point, with the plane at 55 degrees, the captain shouted: “We are crashing, we are crashing.” His hapless co-pilot agreed: “We are crashing,” he repeated.

In fact, air accident investigator Marcus Cook told the inquest, the situation was still recoverable. Both pilot and co-pilot were spatially disorientated; ignoring their training, they did not believe the display panel in front of them.

The panicking co-pilot shouted to the captain to pull right, then corrected himself, shouting: “Left, left, left, Captain.” It was too late – the plane banked right to 70 degrees, then more than 90 degrees, before nosediving to the ground. The one mercy was that the passengers were probably unaware of the drama in the cockpit and knew nothing of their fate."

You can read the story in the Telegraph here.

Also find below, a video of the crash site as the Cameroon fire brigade worked on recovering body parts, while aviation experts sought clues to explain the accident. 

 

Ethnic Twist to Clashes between Youths and Motorbike taximen in Cameroon City?

*Article updated from the original to include quotes from the chief of Deido and Kah Walla.

There have been clashes between motor-bike taxi riders and residents of Deido neighbourhood for five days leaving at least two people dead in Douala, Cameroon's largest city, media reports said.

 This spate of violence erupted on New Year's Eve when Deido residents accused motor-bike taxi riders (known as Benskinneur) of stabbing a Deido native to death. The residents retaliated by attacking benskinneurs and setting their motorcycles on fire.

The violence escalated on Tuesday 3 January, as shown in the report below by Douala-based Equinoxe Television channel, after a woman's home was burnt down in Deido on Monday night. Some Deido residents blamed the benskinneurs for the action leading to further clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

ETHNIC ISSUES

While local media have suggested that the situation is increasingly developing into a tribal conflict between mainly ethnic Bamileke benskinneurs and largely ethnic Duala (Sawa) Deido youth groups, Sawa community leaders refuted such allegations on Equinoxe TV on Wednesday.

"Why do you want to suggest that there is a problem between Deidos (Dualas) and Bamileke or benskinneurs?" Essaka Ekwalla the paramount chief of the Deido asked on Equinoxe TV news on Wednesday night. "Are all benskinneur in Douala Bamileke?" he asked. "Do you know that there are natives of Deido who lost property because they are also benskinneurs?"

   

Government officials and politicians have not directly said the violence is turning to an ethnic issue but they have called for calm and insisted on unity.

"The head of state has repeatedly said that we have only one ethnicity which is the Cameroon nation," Issa Tchiroma, the Minister of Communication said on TV. "Douala has to remain that melting pot that it has always been where all ethnic groups be they Bakoko, Bassa, Bamileke, Duala, Hausa, live in harmony," he said.

A statement by the Provincial Bureau of the country's leading opposition party, the Social Democratic Front (SDF), touched on the issue.

"It should be noted that Douala is a cosmopolitan city. No one has the right to create a state of lawlessness in any of its neighbourhoods or areas. Douala is the common property of all who live there," said the statement signed by Gervais Nintcheu, SDF district chairman for the Littoral Region.

The Bookman - A Tribute to S.N. Tita (1929-2011)

By Franklin Sone Bayen*

Playwright, Bole Butake said at a 1994 “Conference on Anglophone Cameroon Literature” in the University of Buea that indigenous writing and publishing was rare in decades past because books in their printed form looked so perfect – they so looked like the Bible – and thus could only have been made by God, if not Whites only. 

Neither God nor White, S.N. Tita (1929-2011) who died December 1 in Limbe aged 82, may have been immune to that complex. At the time he wrote and printed books in his own printing press from the late 1950s, the art and technology were still a marvel and looked alien to even some of the most enlightened of his time. He was author, publisher and printer of the legendary series History, Geography, Rural Science for Cameroon from his Nooremac Press. He was a bookman par excellence in all senses. 

What study manuals would we have used in primary school had Tita not written and printed? In my schoolbag the only other indigenous author was E.K. Martins, rather co-author – with a foreigner – of “New Nation”, the famous Arithmetic textbook. Incidentally our neighbour during my childhood in Clerks Quarters, Limbe, Martins was a Krio, member of a community of freed (Black American) slaves from West Africa who sailed to Victoria (Limbe) with Baptist Missionary, Alfred Saker. He was therefore not so indigenous. 

Even when there was another early indigenous author, Tita had evidently pulled his hand along. S.E. Abangma’s “Civics for Cameroon” was printed by Tita’s Nooremac Press. Martin Amin’s Mathematics textbook for senior primary only came later towards the 1980s and the first indigenous English reader with a Cameroonian co-author, “Cameroon Primary English” by David Weir and Augustin Ndangam, was introduced when we did senior primary in the early 80s. And that launched the post-Tita age of indigenous publishing. A decade later, local publishing began to open to the floodgate we know today.

Biya Re-shuffles Cameroon Government, Marafa dropped, Ahidjo appointed

 

Philemon Yang has been maintained as Cameroon's Prime Minister. President Paul Biya re-shuffled the government which was announced on state radio (CRTV) late on Friday.

Biya was expected to re-shuffle his cabinet after he was declared winner of an October Presidential poll in the Central African nation. The government remains very big with more than 50 members including 37 full ministers. There are about a dozen new faces but several ministers maintain their portfolio or simply switch departments. 

The most noteworthy incoming member is the Finance Minister, Alamine Ousmane Mey, who comes from the private sector. He was head of Afriland First Bank. His predecessor Essimi Menye is now in-charge of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Biya also appointed Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh as the new Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic.  Ngoh Ngoh was permanent secretary at the Ministry of External Relations.

Biya maintained his trust in the coalition that backed him during the elections and did not give government positions to other opposition parties as was widely rumoured. As such, Bello Bouba Maigari (UNDP party), Issa Tchiroma (FSN party) and Amadou Moustapha (ANDP) are maintained in government. 

A symbolic newcomer from the allied UNDP party is Mohamadou Ahidjo who becomes a roving ambassador. Ahidjo was a mayor of the major northern city of Garoua. He is one of the children of former President Ahmadou Ahidjo.

Apart fropm the Prime Minister no Anglophone commands a top ministry. Anglophone ministers include Philip Ngolle Ngwese who is in-charge of Forests and Wildlife (he replaces Elvis Ngolle Ngolle) and Ama Tutu Muna who stays in government as Minister of Arts and Culture. 

Other Anglophones include Peter Agbor Tabi, the deputy secretary general at the Presidency; Victor Mengot and Paul Atanga Nji - both are ministers without portfolio at the Presidency; Dion Ngute is minister delegate in-charge of relations with the Commonwealth; and Fuh Calistus Gentry is Secretary of State (junior minister) in the Ministry of Mines. 

Paul Biya Declared Winner of Cameroon Poll by Supreme Court

Cameroon's Supreme Court on Friday October 21, 2011 declared incumbent President Paul Biya winner of a presidential poll organised in the country. Biya won 79.9% of votes cast on October 9. He has ruled Cameroon since 1982. 

The following video is a 2-minute edit of Justice Dipanda Mouelle announcing the winner as well as the runner up John Fru Ndi and the third Garga Haman Adji. 

Photo: Cameroonian Voters in Dakar

A picture of the mood outside the Cameroon Embassy in Dakar on Sunday 9 Oct 2011. About 500 people were registered to vote here for the presidential election. It is the first time Cameroonians based abroad are allowed to vote.

At the time this picture was taken, the atmosphere was calm, the voting process was serene though there were several Senegalese policemen in and outside the Embassy premises. A few people who had already voted said they were waiting for the vote count.

Paul Biya statement after voting on 9 Oct 2011

Paul Biya says Cameroon's election management body (ELECAM) is young and he urges Cameroonians to be considerate vis-a-vis any eventual shortcomings in the organisation of Presidential elections in the country on 9 Oct 2011.

The incumbent President was speaking after he voted on in the country's capital Yaounde. Biya and 22 others are vying for the office of President in the West-Central African nation of about 20 million inhabitants. ELECAM said 7 million were registered to vote.

Titbits on Cameroon Today and Tomorrow Based on leaked U.S. Diplomatic Cables

Cameroon should be in the news in the weeks and months to come in the run-up to, and after,Presidential elections set for 9 October. Paul Biya, the country's ruler for 29 years, will be running for another 7-year-term in office. 

Here are some tit-bits on Biya, some of his aides and opponents and concerns about democracy, governance, stability, and security in that West-Central African nation of about 19 million inhabitants.  

These are drawn from leaked U.S. diplomatic cables released via Wikileaks. 

Of Paul Biya (see photo) and his rule...

U.S. Ambassador Niels Marquardt said in a May 2006 cable: "In its 46 years of independence, Cameroon has only known two presidents, Ahmadou Ahidjo (1960-1982) and Paul Biya (1982-present)...Under Ahidjo, Cameroon's economy fared well; the country enjoyed some of the strongest economic and social indicators in Africa.  Since then, Biya has transformed Cameroon into a multi-party democracy with a growing focus on human rights and civil liberties.  His economic legacy, however, has been marred by massive indebtedness, corruption, a ten year economic downturn and falling social indicators..."

"The outstanding question is whether Biya is capable of engineering a turn-around of his negative legacy of corruption, stagnation and neglect in the five years remaining in his presidency."

U.S. Ambassador Janet Garvey said in an August 2009 cable: “President Paul Biya has been masterful at balancing interest groups and staying in power for almost 27 years.  He has survived a coup attempt (1984), a period of economic crisis (mid 1980s-early 2000s, leading to a 75% salary cut for civil servants and a painful devaluation), contested election results (1992), and nationwide riots (1992 and 2008).  Even his most ardent critics admire his political skill, including his ability to maintain an aging elite support network through patronage and a permissive attitude toward corruption.”

“Nonetheless, Cameroon has many of the ingredients of a failing state, and rising political and economic risks bear close watching.  Cameroon could be wracked again by social unrest similar to the February 2008 riots, which some analysts classified as a "wobble" in historically stable Cameroon.  Biya's failure to shore up the foundations of his regime's legitimacy - in fact eroding many sources of stability - will hinder his ability to bounce back from the next wobble.” 

of Corruption in Cameroon and the anti-graft effort known as Operation Epervier (Sparrow-hawk)

Nigeria, Cameroun to fight 'terrorism', cross-border crimes

Culled from The Guardian Nigeria

Written by Madu Onuorah, Bridget Chiedu Onochie (Abuja) and Njadvara Musa (Maiduguri)

 

The Federal Government (of Nigeria) is vigorously pursuing the security component of its new foreign policy, which focuses on integrating neighbouring countries into the nation’s crusade against terrorism and other cross-border crimes.

A few days after he assumed office, Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, had on July 11, 2011, said Nigeria would liaise with its neighbours to check the excesses of terror groups such as the Boko Haram sect, which the country’s security chiefs said enjoy the backing of international forces.

From the talks between President Goodluck Jonathan and the Camerounian Deputy Prime Minister, Alhaji Amadou Ali, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, it was instructive that the government had gone ahead with its plan to work with the country to address the current security challenges.

Jonathan told his guest that it was critical for the two countries to work together to check the activities of criminals along the borders, adding that it would be necessary to involve other countries, which share the same borders, since “criminals don’t respect borders.”

The President said Nigeria and Cameroun were one people, separated by artificial boundaries, stressing that his administration is committed to protecting the human rights of people on both sides of the border, as well as maintaining fraternal relations with Cameroun.

Jonathan said Nigeria would set up a committee to consider the draft agreement reached at the 23rd Session of the Cameroun-Nigeria Mixed Commission for ratification.

He told Ali, who brought a special message from President Paul Biya that once the panel finishes its work the document will be signed by the two leaders either in Cameroun or Nigeria.

Part of the agreement includes the exploitation of hydrocarbons along the border of the two nations.

Earlier, Ali had delivered a special message and a draft of the agreement reached by the Mixed Commission to Jonathan. He said his country was in active contact with relevant Nigerian authorities, especially on security issues, and thanked the President for receiving him.

At the maiden stakeholders’ summit on security organised by the Presidential Committee on Public Awareness on Security and Civil Responsibility in Abuja, Jonathan reiterated his administration’s commitment to job creation for Nigerians as part of efforts to curtail the country’s security challenges.

Represented at the event by the Minister of Interior, Abba Patrick Moro, the President urged Nigerians to be vigilant and to report any suspected movements to the security agents.

As one of the first major gatherings on the issue since his inauguration on May 29, Jonathan hoped the forum would emerge with strategies for tackling the lingering problem.

The panel’s Chairman, Dr. Abdulateef Adegbite, who recalled the mandate of the committee, said it had developed a roadmap and action plan to guide it in the effective discharge of its responsibilities.

He said the two-day event would serve to raise awareness on the need for national security and civic responsibilities for attaining the transformation agenda as well as creating the enabling environment to develop security education and civic duties at all school levels.

For the full story please click here

 

Biya holds Cameroon National Security Council Meeting - Why?

The men who are supposed to ensure that Cameroon is safe and secure met at the behest of President Paul Biya, in a session of the country's national security council on Thursday.

The Council had never met since it was created in January 2009. Why did Biya choose to convene the members now? 

"...Paul BIYA told members of the National Security Council to be vigilant and foresighted so that we can better face new security risks such as the taking of hostages, piracy and terrorist attacks," a statement on the website of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon said. 

There have been several "pirate attacks" on the west-coast of Cameroon in recent years. Some have led to the capture and killing of civilians, local authorities, soldiers and expatriates. Gangs have stormed the coastal towns of Limbe and Douala and raided banks. In March, assailants stormed a bank in the Bonaberi neighbourhood in the country's economic capital using explosives and heavy weapons.

Security analysts have blamed poor coordination and unprofessionalism of the West-Central African nation's several security and intelligience services for the inability to prevent such acts.

"I expect the Council to ensure a better coordination of the services (involved in national security) which have often worked separately," Biya said at the meeting.

He also insisted on collaboration between services charged with internal security and those working on external security.

Could recent events - involving the Boko Haram group - in neighbouring Nigeria have jolted the men in Yaounde out of their comfort zone? 

Celebrating Cameroonians on the Go: DULCE CAMER'S TOP 50 LIST 2011

On an internal flight in Brazil, I met a Brazilian wearing a replica Cameroon football shirt with Samuel Eto'o inscribed on it. He said I was the first Cameroonian he'd seen in flesh and blood but he loved our country because of the footballer's exploits. "Cameroon, Cameroon," he screamed in the stuffed aircraft. Hmmm, if we could have several Eto'os in other fields, I thought. Well, some are heading in that direction. A few are show-cased in Dulce Camer's Top 50 List 2011.

Dulce Camer is a weblog by U.K. based young Cameroonians who believe there is more to their country than than politics, corruption and crime. 

About a year ago, Dulce Camer bloggers decided to launch a list of what they perceived were their country's future trailblazers. It was in reaction to a list of Cameroon's Top 50 Most Influential People released by the Paris based pan-African magazine - Jeune Afrique.

The feed-back from Dulce Camer's target audience was...erm...interesting. Some loved the initiative others accused it of bias towards its promoters' Facebook pals, etc.

The bloggers took the criticism with grace and tasked themselves to improve the selection criteria and nomination process. They asked the public to nominate those they thought merited to feature on the list in 2011.

"Remember our list of 50 most promising Camers last year? Well we're doing it again. And this time, we'd like to invite you to nominate your favourite Cameroonian change agent...To nominate a candidate (this could be yourself), please write to [email protected] and explain in 100 words or less why they should be considered," said one of the messages I received. 

Dulce Camer's list is not perfect. These things rarely are...But they can be inspirational.

I remember spending my adolescence reading (my mother's) Ebony magazines - and the successful African (Black) Americans presented therein became my point of reference.

Surely, somewhere in Saker Baptist College Limbe, a girl will be inspired to become a successful poet,writer and academic like Joyce Ashutantang upon seeing the latter celebrated among this year's Top 50 Cameroonians to watch.

Certainly there is a world beyond Eto'o'...Click here and be the judge.        

Fru Ndi speaks to CRTV about Biya's Bamenda visit

John Fru Ndi, the chairman of Cameroon's opposition party (SDF), says he does not expect anything from president Paul Biya's visit to the country's North West region for the golden jubilee celebrations of the Cameroon armed forces. 

Fru Ndi, who lives in Bamenda the headquarters of the region, told State TV (CRTV) that  Biya had made so many unfulfilled promises to the people of that part of the country.

"...let him keep quiet and do something that would affect the people directly," Fru Ndi said in a conversation with CRTV English language news editor-in-chief Joe Chebonkeng on 5 Dec 2010 (watch the interview below).

 

Yves-Michel Fotso Arrested: Is the sparrow-hawk back in action?

Cameroon’s state broadcaster (CRTV) announced the arrest of Yves-Michel Fotso, one of the country’s top businessmen and former director general of the now defunct Cameroon Airlines (CAMAIR) on 1 December 2010.

Fotso was arrested in Douala, the country’s economic capital, and transported to the judicial police headquarters in Yaounde but no reasons have been given for his detention, CRTV said.

There has been speculation in the media for several years now that Fotso was under investigation within the context of the anti-graft operation known as "Epervier" (Sparrow-hawk)  for his role in the failed attempt to purchase a private jet for Cameroon’s president, Paul Biya .

Newspapers also suggested that he was being investigated for alleged mis-management which led to the collapse of CAMAIR. Is his arrest a sign that operation sparrow-hawk is back to action?

Why corruption is Cameroon's worst-kept secret

Culled from Trustlaw blog

Not a day goes by in Cameroon without a newspaper article on fraud, embezzlement or other corrupt practices, while conversations with locals are peppered with anecdotes about civil servants and private-sector workers demanding bribes.

But it's rare to find people who've taken graft complaints to court - even when they have enough proof - except for activists from groups like the Citizens Association for the Defence of Collective Interests (ACDIC).

"One of the difficulties in this country is that people make a lot of noise about corruption but they end there," one diplomat who advises the Cameroon government on anti-graft strategies told me on my recent trip to the country.

My experiences chime with this view.

Many people are willing to tell stories of how corruption has affected their families and businesses, but none are prepared to go on the record or take legal action.

A trader at a market in the capital Yaounde told me that when he bought a shop from the council, officials asked him to pay FCFA 700,000 ($1,400), yet gave him a receipt for only FCFA 150,000 ($300). He signed the contract, took possession of the store, and said nothing. But he would like this kind of corruption to end.

"They are all a clique. If I report (what happened), I would be out of business and with the way the courts and police are corrupt, you would end up in prison instead," said the trader, who did not want to be named.

A lawyer whose child died due to what he suspected was negligence on the part of a doctor and nurses who asked for a tip before treating the patient said he could provide evidence for me to write an article, but was reluctant to take the matter to court.

The lack of formal complaints and law suits in the west-central African country has led to a silence in which rampant corruption thrives, experts say.

"It doesn't suffice to know there is corruption. What is important is having the courage to stand up to it and that is the problem we have here in Cameroon. People don't know how to fight corruption," lamented the diplomat.

Continue reading Why corruption is Cameroon's worst-kept secret

Bad governance stops Africa cutting child mortality - report

Bad governance and corruption mean several African countries won't meet targets on cutting child mortality under the U.N. Millennium Development Goals, aid group Save the Children says in a new report.

The aid agency says more than 2.8 million children's lives could have been saved in Africa over the last ten years if countries had focused on the poorest and most vulnerable segments of the population.

In sub-Saharan Africa, around one in seven children dies before their fifth birthday. Child mortality rates have fallen by just 21 percent since 1990 - far short of the 67 percent target set for 2015 under the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.

 Countries like Kenya, Cameroon and Chad, which are making slow or no progress, are characterised by weak public expenditure management, says Save the Children in its report called a Fair Chance to Life.

Although some African countries have increased their healthcare budgets, a lack of transparency and absence of proper accountability mechanisms have fuelled corruption with particularly damaging consequences for poor children who depend on public health services, it says.

 "In some of these countries the systems are not there to track the expenditure and determine that it has reached those it was intended for," said Aboubacry Tall, Save the Children's regional director for West and Central Africa.

Continue reading bad governance stops Africa cutting child mortality

Corruption is a calamity for Cameroon's agriculture and food security -activist

Cameroonians could face serious problems producing and accessing enough food to feed themselves unless the government and its citizens take on corrupt agricultural officials, a prominent campaigner in the Central African country said.

Bernard Njonga, the head of a non-governmental organisation that filed a lawsuit last year against a group of agriculture ministry officials for misappropriating funds, said bad governance had stalled initiatives to boost local agricultural production.

"Corruption is a calamity which has torpedoed all efforts to improve livelihoods and food security in our country but we can't just sit and think it is too overwhelming to fight," said Njonga, of the Citizens Association for the Defence of Collective Interests (ACDIC) which counts 11,000 members.

An ACDIC investigation into the allocation of maize subsidies between 2006 and 2008 revealed that officials in the agriculture ministry had created fictitious farmers' groups, allocating 62 percent of the subsidies to these groups each year and leaving only 38 percent to reach genuine farmers of Cameroon's main staple.

Although the accused denied the allegations, Cameroon's anti-corruption commission (CONAC) confirmed ACDIC's findings after a separate probe.

Njonga cited preliminary investigations by a state prosecutor and the imminent start of the criminal trial against the agriculture ministry officials as proof that corruption can be tackled even in a country where it is considered as endemic.

Continue reading corruption is a calamity for Cameroon's agriculture and food security

Hysacam in Niamey: Exporting Savoir Faire?

Cameroon is commerating 50 years of sovereignty this year. In that time there are many individual Cameroonians who have become leading lights in their areas of work and interest in Africa and internationally but not as many businesses from the country have gained ground out of its frontiers.

It was therefore surprising to see garbage vans in Niamey the capital of Niger bearing the: HYSACAM which is the french acronym for "Hygiene et Slubrité du Cameroun" (Cameroon Hygiene and sanitation company).

The garbage disposal outfit has, however, been present in Niger since 2006, according to the company website.

To say the least, HYSACAM is not the most popular company in Cameroon.  Its services do not cover the national territory and are often decried. Could they really do a commendable job elsewhere in the world?

Lapiro Honoured at Cameroon Music Awards

Organisers of the Cameroon music and cultural awards, CANAL D'Or, have honoured jailed singer Lambo Sandjo Pierre Roger aka Lapiro de Mbanga with a a Life time Achievement Award.

The special tribute presented to his wife Louisette Lambo Sandjo on Friday is in recognition of the artiste's work, especially his engaging lyrics on the social, political and economic situation of his countrymen, often delivered in the "mboko" variant of the country's lingua franca, Pidgin-English.

"I dedicate this award to my husband and to all who are with him in cell number 18," the emotional Louisette told the audience made up of politicians, senior civil servants, top class businessmen, musicians, comedians and journalists.

Lapiro de Mbanga was arrested in April 2008 after the violent riots that rocked Cameroon in protest of high prices of basic commodities and popular discontent over a change in the country's constitution to drop the restriction of Presidential terms.

"I WON'T CRY"

He was convicted in September 2008 to three years imprisonment for looting, unlawful gathering and blocking the public highway at Mbanga, 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Douala, the economic capital and one of several towns swept by riots that claimed more than 40 lives according to the official toll.

Book Launch: Paul Biya -The People's Call

By George Esunge Fominyen

If you are interested in a genre of political literature called "motions of support" then there is a new book on the shelves in Cameroon for your reading pleasure: Paul Biya: The People's Call. It is a 336 page compilation of motions of support to Cameroon’s President Paul Biya packaged by the Cameroon Publishing Corporation (SOPECAM). 

The first of four parts of the book republishes motions of support requesting Paul Biya to stand for election in 2011 for another 7-year- term. Part 2 compiles motions of support from different parts of Cameroon "thanking" the President for appointing their sons or daughters in government or other high duties. The third part includes the messages sent to Paul Biya after reports about his "supposed ill-gotten wealth and lavish spending on holiday in Europe". The final part focuses on motions of support for the anti-graft operation dubbed sparrow hawk (Epervier).

“The book is a testimony of communication between a people and their leader,” Philemon Yang the country’s Prime Minister said at the book launch on Monday. “It is a healthy two-way flow of messages," he added.

According to Philemon Yang, the President acknowledged the motions of support in his letter to the nation that marked his 27th anniversary in power. Paul Biya said he had heard the appeals and motions of support the people have been sending to him.

"I thank you for them, very sincerely. They are the most eloquent signs of encouragement addressed to me in the discharge of my responsibilities at the helm of State," the Cameroon Head of State wrote in his 3 November 2009 letter.

The Prime Minister described the book as "a landmark in the political history of our Fatherland." He said "for many years, future generations would read it and try to understand many issues that perhaps today we take for granted.”

It's understood that everyone has a right to their thoughts and convictions. Prime Minister Yang is thus entitled to speak of two-way communication between President Biya and the people he rules.

One simply wonders why the Head of State has not responded to a young rapper called Valsero who many months ago wrote "a letter to the President" about the plight of the country's masses (particularly the youth).

President Biya writes to Cameroonians on his 27th Anniversary in Power

After 27 years as President of any Republic it is not easy to maintain attention on the day one came to power. Paul Biya of Cameroon has decided to generate a buzz by doing something unusual. At least, it is unusual for him.

He has opted to write a letter to his countrymen and of course supporters of his party - the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM).

Paul Biya generally addresses the nation by radio and TV broadcasts so, his option to use the print media is an innovation. What is more is that he sent it directly to all the daily papers in the country regardless of official(state) and private (independent) media dichotomy.  

What did Biya have to say to Cameroonians? Read the President's letter below:

LETTER OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC,

CPDM NATIONAL PRESIDENT

To all Cameroonians and CPDM Militants

My dear Compatriots, Dear CPDM Militants,

On the occasion of this 27th Anniversary of the New Deal, I am very pleased to address you, through this letter, on the future of Cameroon which depends on each and every one of us. It is our individual and collective responsibility. Each person in his own sphere and all of us together have to work actively to build that future. It will be the fruit of our collective effort. It will be what all of us want it to be.

For my part, I want to reiterate that I will never fail, as I promised, you will remember, when taking office as President of the Republic.