Cameroon:Kribi Beach- Beautiful But Also Dangerous

By Mofor Samuel
As one walks along the coastline, one is tempted to go swimming or even bathing in the ocean. The very beautiful sandy beaches and their closeness to main highway leading to town prevent many a visitor from imagining the risk and danger that are concealed behind the waves as they drift towards the shore. But then every cautious human being will prefer to merely sit or walk along the coastline to enjoy the fresh breeze that the waves in their never ending journey to the shore bring along with them. These waves which are often very violent hit the shore producing very powerful noise than can only be compared to several tons of water falling from above to the earth in one go.
Ever since this contributor got into town, he is caught between believing or not the notion of high and low tides, he learnt in his Geography classes. The force with which the waves come to the shore with, tells one that: “hey man look before you leap.” This warning often falls on deaf ears as many still dare to conquer these waves only for the lucky ones to be rescued and the unfortunate ones to be swallowed up by the waves and sent to the bosom of the ocean. They are often fished out several hours or days later by which time life must have be pluck out of them or being washed ashore by the very waves.
Such was the case of some students from the Bilingual High School Kribi. The college which is overlooking the ocean makes it possible for the students to always go swimming or bathing in it. That is how some three students and some visitors coming from Douala met their premature end on that fateful Friday afternoon.
Just coming into town, this contributor always strolls along the coastline in the evenings on his way to the centre of the town. As he approached the junction leading to the Framotel Hotel for those who know Kribi, he spotted the flashlight of a police van stationed by the roadside near one of the several bridges found along the road. As he was trying to imagine that even if the khaki boys were on their normal control of papers, why would they prefer a blind bend to park their vehicle? But as he came closer to the scene, he noticed that several vehicles and motor cycles were also parked, with people standing in small groups, whispering and all eyes looking at the ocean. Further into the coastline, he noticed the ambulance of the District Hospital Kribi waiting. That was about 7:15pm. He immediately knew that there must be an accident along the coastline, little did he even imagine of someone drowning. In reality the ambulance was waiting for the remaining two corpses to come ashore, while the police was there to confirm that the deaths were fished out of the ocean.
This contributor not having anyone to inquire from as to what had actually happened hesitantly strolled off. Some 50 metres away from the scene, both the police van and the ambulance overtook him with their flash lights on. They were followed by a convoy of vehicles.
It was not until the following morning that this contributor learnt from his colleague that some seven ladies and students were hit by violent waves as they were swimming. The ladies were rescued by fishermen while the students were declared missing. There was this frantic search that proved fruitless. Later on, two of them (girls) were found already dead. Then towards 7:30pm, one of the boys was seen; earlier on at about 5:30pm fishermen fished out one of the boys and finally the last one was washed ashore around 5 am the next day.
My colleague Ngala form Donga and Mantung division of the North West province reacting to the tragedy said, ever since he came to Kribi, he has never allowed the waters of the ocean to go beyond his ankles not to talk of bathing in the ocean. He went further to say that there are several points along the coastline that belong to “the inhabitants of the ocean” and if anyone or group violates this territory, the unlucky ones often pay with their lives.
Still another, this time a female colleague, said when the feast of the Batangas which usually comes around May 8th, is around the corner, human sacrifice is often made before the feast takes place.
To corroborate what they said, a Batanga lady in the bus that was taking us to Douala while reacting to the concern raised by a fellow passenger said, they of Kribi do not have anything to do with the ocean between April and September as far as swimming and bathing is concerned. That they have between October and February each year to go swimming and bathing in the ocean. She ended by saying that the ocean is often very violent between April and August and people die because of their foolhardiness.
Earlier on, CRTV Ebolowa cabled in a report over the national network news concerning the death of two fishermen when their canoe was hit by violent storm as they went fishing. They were five in number, three managed to swim to safety while the two others never made it alive.
Generally when mention of Kribi and the ocean are made, the first thing that comes to mind, is mermaid or “mami wata.” Some even believe that most of the young ladies found along the coastline looking for “customers” mostly whites or some well-to-do young men just coming into town, belong to the water world or are fairies coming the ocean. Some are harmless but most of them can be very dangerous; woe betides anyone who falls in the trap of a dangerous water spirit, you know the rest.
Coming back to the issue of the students, there is every reason for one to ask if the school authorities have put in place any mechanisms to keep off students from swimming or bathing in the ocean during school hours or have reported to their houses for their parents to see them first. By so doing they will wash their hands off some of these very painful and premature deaths of students.
On the other hand, the municipal and local authorities must come to an understanding so that rescue teams are implanted along the coastline. They will be the ones to warn people of the dangers involved as they go swimming or bathing in the ocean. No one goes to the ocean without passing through them.
When a beautiful beach like the one in Kribi is responsible for senseless and preventable deaths like the one just mentioned above, there is every reason to borrow from the famous Nigerian writer that: Beauty carries sorrow with it.”
The powers that be in Kribi should do everything in their powers to make the beach safe and enjoyable to all and sundry.

Kribi:What A Touristic Cameroonian Town?

By Mofor Samuel
Going by its beautiful sandy beaches from Londji to Kribi itself, one realizes that the Germans had every reason to try to dispossess the native Batanga people from their fatherland. The wicked war and harassment carried out on the people send them fleeing to seek refuge in Victoria, Bolifamba, (Mile 16), and far off Ndian division. Today there is Ngolo Batanga. These people have historical links with the Batangas of Kribi.
As one makes one’s entry to town, one is greeted by a number of lodging houses- call them hotels, motels, inns etc. they are either constructed across the main road overlooking the ocean or beside the shore. The sandy beaches with their golden colour are only interrupted by the several streams making their way into the ocean and islands of rock masses.
Along the coastline, but for coconut trees, fishermen and their canoes, buyam-sellam selling fresh and dry fish, there is this proliferation of the famous boukarous where roasted fish and drinks are sold to visitors and tourists. Make sure your pocket is heavy with bank notes before daring to go for a bite or a drink in the boukarous. The reason being that most of those who frequent these boukarous are considered as tourists or those who have come to have a nice time, who pay without complaining.
As one leaves the seaside for the town, one is welcomed by another set of recreation and restauration facilities – beer palours and bars. They take the cue from the boukarous, given that when it becomes dark, most people no longer find it secure by the coast. Just like in the boukarous, one has to be loaded with bank notes to be able to withstand the demands of these bars. Most of the customers are mostly whites- expatriates, tourists, and other well-to- do men in town. The main difference with the boukarous is that they are more secured, organized and customers have facilities like Cable TV images, beautiful decorations, light music and other cultural attractions, not leaving out servants at their disposal. Almost all the recreation or relaxation houses are along the major road heading towards the coastline. Roasting activity is accompanied by cooked food mostly Cameroonian dishes and a few foreign ones.
Further into the heart of the town, that is, heading towards Carrefour Kingue, there is a proliferation of business houses, -cyber cafes, hardware shops, bookshops, documentation centres, provision stores, the Nkolbiteng market and other petty businesses.
Carrefour Kingue is very lively and busy at night as far as the common man is concerned. Kribi by night takes a different dimension in this particular area as from 10 pm. It is a “come and see.” The effective presence of drinking houses , women roasting fish (local and foreign), men roasting meat, hawkers selling kola nuts, bitter kola, cigarettes; call boxes at the disposal of those who want to get into contact with friends and “customers” , motor taxi men dropping and picking up passengers, free women advertising themselves to potential customers, couples sipping beer, eating roasted fish or meat, other negotiating for the cost per night before accompanying their potential catches to where they have to pass the night, and some idling around with the intention of having a fast one from anyone who is distracted for their cell phones or wallets to be snatched. In fact the whole area at night is as busy as a bee hive.
That does not mean that life is cheap and affordable, on the contrary, Kribi is very expensive. The situation is even worst now that there is this wahala of reduction of the prices of basic commodities.
Don’t be fooled to fall in that trap. Make sure for those who can afford to always take some provision along with you if you intend to make more than a week in town or you might yourself wanting.
This commentator realized that a fruit seller will rather allow fruits meant to be sold to get rotten and thrown away than sell it at a reduced price. Worst still, if one wants to buy fruits like pears, one has to be very careful, for there is the possibility of the pears being cooked as used to be the case with Douala or harvested before they get ready. Do not be surprised to buy pears looking from without only to discover that they are rotten within. That too, is another side of Kribi not only expensive but sellers can be very dubious and crafty.
Another very interesting thing about the town concerns the very few taxi cabs that ply the streets. Do not look at their number plates or else you will have the feeling they are not of the town not to talk of the province. The simple fact is that the number plates range form (SW) South West, (LT) Littoral, (CE) Centre, and of course (SU) Sud, representing the South province. At the time of writing this paper it was not clear whether the door numbers were being issued irrespective of the province indicated on the number plates. That too is Cameroon, a land of disorder and near anarchy where every Tom and Dick tries to impose themselves to others.
The climate is highly tropical with very hot dry season and very wet rainy season. Kribi is found in the heart of the equatorial forest but most of the land along the road to Kribi is deprived of trees, with the very few ones being threatened by man’s activities in the city itself, a few patchwork of forest is still surviving but this does not prevent loggers from continuing to fell the very young timber for export. Without necessarily being an expert in lumbering, the sizes of the logs being transported through Kribi tells one that the loggers will stop at nothing to cart away anything timber from the Cameroonian equatorial forest. Oh! my God where did we go wrong?

Can Biya and Co. be compassionate with the suffering masses?

By Mofor Samuel

Anyone traveling to and from Yaoundé and Douala after the February 2008 uprising that shook the foundation of the nation, will think that Cameroon is in a state of war. The numerous check points manned by the different elements of the country’s security forces- police, gendarmerie and army; with passengers having to pass through the control posts on foot and on presentation of their papers. In fact passengers cover several hundred metres on foot to join their buses since almost all the travelling agencies but for Guarantee Express and Centrale Voyage buses that go scout free.
President Paul Biya is one of the several African leaders who promised his people the basic freedoms denied them several hundred years ago by the White man. The promises of restoring basic freedoms to his fellow men have been ruthlessly suppressed. The principles of democracy and the edifice of democratic practices, which has been solemnly enshrined and neatly erected in the various independent constitutions, are promptly demolished. Besides, as soon as an African leader accedes to power with the support of the people, he develops a superior but false estimation of himself. He views himself as Godsent, and as the wisest man in the land (of recent Biya called fellow Cameroonians “apprentis sorciers”) who must as long as he lives, remain in power in order to ensure that heaven and hell do not collapse over the heads of the people of his country, by allowing any other of his countrymen, who are now considered by him as lesser than and inferior to himself, to succeed him.
One realizes that even the elementary freedom of dissent, which was employed by African leaders against colonialists with devastating effect during the agitation for independence, is stifled. By means of all these acts of self-delusion and repression, substance is exchanged for glittering shadow and the morale, the will and the enthusiasm of the people for great national endeavours are seriously eroded.
Cameroonian masses are victims of many diseases, some of which are endemic. Because their health is poor, they suffer from physical and mental inertia, and the loss of enthusiasm for life. Economic exploitation of the under-privileged by foreign and national exploiters continues apace in various guises. In International trade and finance, and in the supply of expert management and technical know-how, the terms are consistently loaded heavily against Cameroon which is terribly short of expertise in many vital areas of development.
With secondary and tertiary industries still in their infant stages, few social amenities which are inefficient and limited mainly to urban areas and communications are exceedingly inadequate and inefficient.
The masses who have all this while been impatient and yearning for better standard of living had to vent their anger last February by letting the magma in them flow during the last social eruption that threatened, shook and rendered Biya’s government helpless and impotent for five days.
In fact young Cameroonians went back to the campaigns for independence and employed the weapons of articulated dissent of boycott, socio-political pressure, of strikes and other industrial actions and of occasional outburst of violence against properties. They now seek to employ the same weapons to win economic, social and political advantages for themselves.
Organized labour movements (syndicates) are now uncompromising in their demands for a better deal from the government. The Press is not left behind in espousing the fundamental rights of the people. All of these are complicated and aggravated by other factors such as internally and externally generated inflation; unemployment and under- employment; malutilisation and misdirection of resources; and the inter- play of conflicts. In order to satisfy the crying but legitimate needs of the people, measures are hurriedly adopted which are ill-considered and, therefore to the chagrin and frustration of the people, ill-fated.
The million dollar question is, can Mr. Biya as a ruler single handedly: solve the economic woes, guaranteeing abundant food and excellent housing to all Cameroonians; prevent or minimize the risks of natural and man made disasters- floods, landslides, tornado, wild fire; accidents- road, air and water, thereby sparing Cameroonians of devastation caused by these disasters; combat and eradicate major prevalent and preventable diseases thereby reducing the high morbidity and mortality rates among young Cameroonians- leaders of tomorrow-thus making it possible for them quit the scene of action at a ripe age; put an end to all forms of violence – inter tribal wars, criminal killings, summary killings, witch hunting and victimization; insecurity etc thereby enabling Cameroonians to live in peace and security; and protect and restore Cameroon’s ecological system to perfect balance, transforming the country to a semi paradise on earth.
Never before have so many Cameroonians been in such dire need of compassionate help as they face hardship, famine, sickness, poverty, crime, civil strife and natural and man made disasters. Media reports tend to emphasize atrocities and acts of brutality. Daily acts of compassion and kindness are often eclipsed by these accounts. This does not change the fact that Cameroonians are desperate for love, affection and sympathy. In fact they hunger for compassion.
Showing compassion may not be easy in a society that seems predominantly cold and inhospitable. The prevalent attitude is that ruthlessness and insensitivity pave the way for success and triumph. Many appear to live by the creed that it is more prudent to be cruel than compassionate. Greed and egotism easily cut off the flow of compassion. As a result, many put themselves first, even at the cost of other people’s feelings or interests. Some political leaders behave similarly.
It is up to President Paul Biya whom Cameroonians all know to be a devout Catholic Christian to distant himself from the above mentioned attitude and show a lot of compassion to the Cameroonian suffering masses.
Compassion denotes a sympathetic awareness of another’s suffering or adversity combined with a desire to alleviate it. Like the warm rays of the bright sun, lessen pain and lift the spirit of an afflicted person.
President Biya and Co. can show compassion by their actions and their words- caring for others and being there when they need them. It is also good not to limit compassion to family members, friends and acquaintances. They have to widen out to include people whom they do not even know.
We all have as obligation to help those who, for whatever reason cannot help themselves. Displaying compassion, however, does not always come naturally.
For example for those of us who are used to the teachings of the Bible-President Biya inclusive- the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians of Colossae, “strip off the old personality, with its practices and clothe yourselves with the new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made according to the image of the One who created it… As God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, clothe yourselves with tender affections of compassion.” Colossians 3:9, 10, 12.
Thus cultivating a compassionate attitude takes effort. The attitude is a part of “the new personality” that we Cameroonians as children of God from the top to the bottom of the political ladder- president, ministers, directors, governors, high ranking security officers, managers, decision makers, parliamentarians, the clergy, employers , civil servants, men , women the young and the old, the common man etc, are expected to put on. As we live in this brutal world of today, we as human beings are called upon to make drastic changes in our personality in order for us to become more sympathetic, more compassionate.
Pessimists view those who show compassion as weak and vulnerable. This perception is not correct. The real force behind genuine compassion is deep love which originates from the Almighty God.
Compassion has the power to relieve affliction. It reflects a spirit of sympathy towards those in distress and causes us to suffer with those who suffer. Compassion involves tender regard for people in misery and positive action to help such ones.
And so there is every reason for Paul Biya and Co. to be tenderly compassionate with the Cameroonian suffering masses.

Tribute To Professor Ngwasiri: Go Well!

By Tazoacha Asonganyi in Yaounde.

Professor Clement Nforsi Ngwasiri(pictured) who passed away on April 12, 2008, was a man of profound beliefs. What is sure about him is that when he held a conviction, it was always difficult to move him from it!

We became good friends since October 1975 when we travelled in the same plane to London (UK) on Cameroon government scholarship for our postgraduate studies.
He had just graduated from the then University of Yaounde with a "Licence" in Law; I with one in Biochemistry. As it turned out, I did not have a clear address where I would stay on reaching London; he had the address of Mr (now Professor) Carlson Anyangwe who was living at Tabley Road in North London. That is the address at which we both stayed for the next month or two, until we moved to our own addresses in London!

We left Cameroon without having registered in any University. At that time, October was too late for a foreign student to be admitted in a University.
However, since we were Cameroon government scholarship students with a very sure source of fees, our case turned out not to be too difficult. Having arrived London on a weekend, we had to start the search for admission on Monday. Since Carlson was a student in the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), we left for SOAS on Monday morning but they dropped me off at University College (University of London) which was only a few dozen metres from SOAS to look for admission at the Department of Biochemistry. As God would have it, we all returned to Tabley Road that evening happy lads: Clement had got admitted in SOAS and I in University College!

After that, we spent a wonderful four years in London with friends like Carlson Anyangwe, Njianjek Azefor (RIP) and many others. We later formed a discussion group – Forum XX – where we discussed issues related to Cameroon and Africa. We also visited Pa Ntumazah regularly to be fed with the history of Cameroon from his perspective. When we both returned to Cameroon early 1980, I got employment with IMPM and he with the Faculty of Law of the University of Yaounde. We met irregularly with other friends like Dr Azefor, Dr Ayangwe, Mr. Albert Mukong, Dr Asanga, etc. to talk politics, until 1987 when we decided to meet more regularly.

Clement moved into centre stage by late 1989/early 1990 when the decision to launch the SDF had been taken. Since he was the Head of the Legal Department of DGRST (now the Ministry of Research and Innovation) he used the facilities at his disposal to mail hundreds of letters to all the 10 provinces to announce the imminent launching of a political party. I used to work with him in his office until late at night. We gave the impression to his Secretary that those were invitations to fans of PWD Bamenda, so she worked without any suspicion.

Then the Party was launched on 26 May 1990 with him as one of the Founding Fathers. To ensure accountable governance in the party, a structure called the "National Advisory Council" was created as a structure to which all the founding fathers would belong to act as an institution for checking and balancing the powers of the National Executive Committee. The first chairperson of the council was Retired Justice Nyo’Wakai. He was replaced by Prof. Ngwasiri following the Yaounde Convention of 1999.

In that position, he never realised early enough that the "leader" he associated with in the party was a master of political infighting and intrigue who preferred a flock of quarrelling, timid sheep to be led by an enlightened shepherd. So when he was set up to provoke what became known as the Ngwasiri/Asonganyi crisis in NEC, he never knew that he was playing the surrogate. When he came to realise it in by 2005, he apologised profusely for having lived in a spell for many years!

When he was criticised in NEC some time in 2003, he decided to resign as the Chairman of the Advisory Council and actually tendered a letter of resignation to Mr. Fru Ndi, the National Chairman. Because they reached an agreement that he should not resign, he continued in his functions as President of the Advisory Council until when he entertained a memorandum from some members of the party in 2005 requesting the council to look into some problems in the party. Then the rest of us officials of the party started hearing that he had resigned as chairman of the council in 2003! I believed him when he told me that he withdrew the resignation letter when Mr. Fru Ndi refused to allow him to resign. In his capacity as the President of the Advisory Council, he supervised my handing over at the Secretariat of the SDF on 29 December 2005, to the chagrin of those who wanted me to leave unceremoniously.

He confided in me that he would die without forgetting that the person in whom he had a lot of trust in the past turned around and told him with a straight face that he actually resigned as the President of the Advisory Council! It is now history that the problems that arose in 2005 resulted in the taking over of the management of the party by the Advisory Council, led by Prof. Ngwasiri. He organised a Convention in Yaounde on 26 May 2006; the night before the convention, Nzall Diboule Grégoire was murdered by those who did not want the convention to hold.Bitterness ensued that led to court cases, an attempt on his life, peddling of rumours about his death and much more …Again, history will remember that the main cause of the bitterness in the SDF at that time, has become the cause of the bitterness in Cameroon today – changing the constitution for one man!

The wretched consequences of laxity are all around us and cause people to long for moral prohibitions. This leads them to join "churches" that are stern and uncompromising in their demands and offer strenuous codes and dissuasive condemnation if they are broken.
It is in this context that Prof. Ngwasiri made an effort to "reconcile" with even those who hurt him the most and even wished his death.

Born in Medankwe village of the North West Province,he joined the university teaching corps in 1980. With the advent of the University of Buea, he was transferred there as one of the pioneer dons, but he later resigned because of the intolerance of divergent political views in that university. He was later elected Member of Parliament for Mezam Constituency during the twin elections of 2002. It is when he was serving that parliamentary mandate that he fell sick until his recent demise.

He was a strong believer in life after death, so there is no doubt that he is presently living a better life than the one he lived here on earth. I am proud to have had him as a friend. I have no doubt that his family has lost a wonderful son, husband, father and much more! Clement, go well!

Cameroon :UB Vice-Chancellor, managers receive The Nation’s Transparency Awards

Picture 1:Christopher Ambe Shu(right) hands award to Prof. Titanji
Picture 2: Prof Titanji (middle displaying award),Harry McYemti(right) and Christopher Ambe in family photo

Professor Vincent P.K .Titanji, Vice-Chancellor(VC) of University of Buea(UB), Cameroon’s lone Anglo-Saxon varsity, has been honored for his stringent and transparent management of the institution by The Nation, a Yaoundé Based News magazine, whose publisher is veteran journalist Asong Ndifor.

Professor Titanji, who has been Vice-chancellor of University of Buea for less than two years, is one of few managers of public and private institutions in Cameroon identified by The Nation as laureates of The Nation 2007 Transparency Award.

According to the award- giver Publisher Asong Ndifor, the award is a yearly event and intended to encourage stringent management and transparency in Cameroon, a country which has been ranked at least twice as the most corrupt nation in the world by Transparency International, a Berlin-based good governance watchdog. He said the winners were selected from many nominations by a committee of people of integrity, based on objective criteria.

Other winners of the award include: Henry Njalla Quan, general manger of Cameroon Development Corporation; Sama Ignatius, general manager of Cameroon Civil Aviation; Obi Optun Wanobi Osang, general manager of PAMOL Plantations Plc;Richard Tita Fombon,Mayor of Tiko ; Daniel Matute,Mayor of Limbe 1 and Barrister Ntumfor Nico Halle,Northwest Representative at the National Elections Observatory(NEO)

A public ceremony was last April 4 organized in the conference hall of Fakoship Plaza in Buea, chaired Barrister Dang Aleh Elias, during which the laureates received their awards amid thunderous applause. Barrister Dang congratulated the laureates and urged them to continue to be management models, so that others could emulate them.

But conspicuously absent that day was laureate Professor Vincent P K.Titanji who was reportedly on mission in Yaoundé

On Wednesday,April 16, Christopher Ambe Shu, publisher of The Recorder Newspaper and special envoy of the award organizers led a two-man delegation that included Harry McYemti Ndienla(journalist of The Guardian Post) to the University of Buea to hand the Transparency Award to the Vice-chancellor.

Warmly received by the vice-chancellor, Christopher Ambe Shu then briefed Professor Titanji on the relevance of the award, handed it and urged him to keep up the spirit.

In response, the Vice –Chancellor said, “I feel greatly honored and I accept this award with all humility, knowing that the work of human beings can always be improved on. I will do my best to live up to the ideals of this award”
The Vice-Chancellor appealed to other holders of public offices to be patriotic and put the common interest first in discharging their various duties. “I think it is very easy to work in the public sector because the rules and regulations are very clearly written down. All we need to do is, follow them intelligently and you have little or no problem”

During the presentation of the awards to laureates last April 4 in Buea, Ntumfor Barrister Nico had given a talk on transparency.
He remarked, “Transparency is instituted as a means of holding people in public offices or institutions accountable and it is also a big tool to fight corruption
“An activity is therefore transparent if all information is open and easily available…Transparency ought to be the affair of every Cameroonian as this helps to promote good governance. Good governance is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end.”
Nico Halle recommended that, in every circumstance, public interest should be prime over private interest.
He also used the occasion to laud the Cameroonian press for its continued “fight against corruption and embezzlement on the one hand and the struggle for the strengthening of our budding democracy on the other hand”

Cameroon Parliament Scraps Presidential Term Limits Against Popular Wish

By Christopher Ambe Shu

Already in power for 26 years, Cameroonian President Paul Biya,75, stubbornly and against the popular wish of Cameroonians got his ruling party’s majority in Parliament yesterday, April 10, to scrap presidential term limits, paving the way for him to run for the presidency again in 2011 when his second seven -year mandate ends.

To check any street demonstration and protests against the amendment of the constitution, the Biya regime has deployed armed troops in towns with opposition sympathies.

Biya ‘s ambition to run again was made public when in his end of 2007 state address he claimed that there were popular calls for him to stay in power whereas the calls came from his party elite. In that speech he had noted that limiting presidential terms was a mockery of democracy and even unconstitutional, a clear indication that he would seek another term.

The ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement(CPDM) whose national chairman is Paul Biya has 153 seats out of 180 in parliament while Cameroon’s main opposition party, the Social Democratic Front, SDF, has only 15 seats. The SDF had cried loudly against the amendment of the constitution and even boycotted the debate in parliament on it but the CPDM MP’s who were reportedly bribed voted the for the scraping of the presidential tern limits.

Joseph Banadzem, SDF's parliamentary group leader said they boycotted the session because the SDF did not want to take part in legitimizing the fraud by the ruling CPDM “The whole issue is a complete fraud. We do not want to legitimize it by taking part.”
In February, the thousands of opposition militants had demonstrated against the amendment of the constitution to prolong Biya’s stay in power but were confronted by armed troops who shot many people to death.

Only one CPDM MP, Hon Abine Paul Ayah of Akwaya, an outspoken career magistrate of the highest grade, is on records to have turned down the bribe reportedly given by the Government to endorse the amendment so to please Paul Biya whose 26 year rule has left Cameroonians in poverty and misery. The other CPDM MPs were bought with money so easily and so cheap.

Cameroon:Amending The Constitution For One Man!

By Tazoacha Asonganyi in Yaoundé.

Following the recent upheavals in Cameroon, the regime got the people’s message very clearly: that the people do not want the constitution to be amended to give Paul Biya the chance to continue to hang on come 2011,The regime having got the message turned its repressive apparatus full gear.First, hundreds of those arrested during the upheavals were summarily tried and thrown in jail. Second, the armed forces were poured into the towns and highways to harass and humiliate citizens on a daily basis to frighten them off any further prospect of open resistance. Third, having locked up the media houses that usually allowed contrary views to be expressed, the government-controlled media were used to play the broken record of the regime that the point of view of barons of the CPDM on constitutional amendment is the point of view of all Cameroonians. Fourth, the “ambitious” G11 was silenced through the so-called “operation epervier”. Fifth, on the same day that the government bill for the amendment of the constitution was sent to the assembly, the minister of justice held a press conference to drum up the dissuasive news that hundreds of those who were arrested during the upheavals have since received heavy jail terms!Following this intimidation of the population, the regime has hurried what it has been longing for to the national assembly, so it is now sure that article 6.2 of the constitution will be amended to remove term limits! The amendment is for the sake of one man: Paul Biya. Since the will of the people has not been respected, the regime should know that threat has always instilled obedience only temporarily. Lasting authority only comes from respect: of the people’s will, of the people’s point of view, of the people’saspirations. They have made it known that the way Paul
Biya is going is not the way they want to go!National and international opinion expected that the voices and counter voices we have heard about amending the constitution of Cameroon were calls for Paul Biya to step forward and provide a solid, firm and unshakeable foundation for our country and thus heal the rift over constitutionalism. He has failed to rise to the challenge. He has failed to put the interest of the country before his personal interest. He has failed to realize that it is the collective interest that is the national interest, not his personal interest… The people have recorded these failures as open provocation!It is clear that Cameroonians are divided over the issue of the constitution. History will remember that during nearly three decades at the helm of state, Paul Biya refused to seek compromise – common ground on which monuments to progress in our country could be built.In all of what is going on, he seems to give the impression that what happened to the first all -powerful President Ahmadou Ahidjo is haunting him. Having realized from the fate of Ahidjo that men are never anything but men, be they large or small, street sweepers or Presidents, he is fully aware that he himself is only "powerful" because he is Head of State, Executive President and Commander of the armed forces, not because of some supernatural force that he has. He seems to be frightened with what he was capable of doing to Ahidjo, "father of the nation" whom he served so loyally. He knows that in our African jungle of power struggle, "loyalty" is a meaningless word! Anything can happen when the sources of power evaporate with quitting the presidency, so better to hang on!In wishing to hang on, he has included a constitutional amendment that states that "acts
committed by the president of the republic in pursuance of articles 5, 8, 9 and 10 (of the constitution) shall be covered by immunity and he shall not be accountable for them after the exercise of his functions"! With what is going on with "operation epervier", this type of provision is frivolous to say the least. Having taught us that the constitution of the country is a piece of paper thatpower mongers can toy around with at will, he knows that putting such a provision in the constitution can be a nullity. With the fate of articles like 6(2) and others, we now know that merely enumeratingconstitutional provisions on paper is not to guarantee them; they are not worth the parchment they are written on if they are easily abrogated and unenforceable...This other amendment to meet self interest further undermines the power of the constitution in Cameroon, and so weakens the foundation on which the country is built. The constitution is supposed to be a binding force, a spring that provides life to the nation. The main challenge today is to ensure a stable future for Cameroon by completely changing the whole governance system that makes the constitution vulnerable to abuses by governments and self-seekers. We need a constitution, a supreme law of the land that cannot be modified by factions according to their whims and caprices. Following the departure of Paul Biya from the stage in 2011, we need to build a totally new foundation for Cameroon. Changing the political system and the institutional set-up he created to preserve his power will set the stage for a constitution based on the will of the people; this will release their talents and energies for the building of a strong and prosperous country.

Cameroon: Camair and the New Deal

By Tazoacha Asonganyi in Yaoundé

The fate of Cameroon Airlines (Camair) today reinforces the idea that ownership by the state is ownership by an impersonal entity which amounts to control by politicians and civil servants. The aim of the privatization process started a long time ago was to sell off public enterprises in order to shift the balance from the inefficient, unaccountable state to the more efficient private business. It was supposed to introduce popular capitalism by ensuring the widest ownership of shares by members of the public, to reduce the power of the state and enhance the power of the people. In state -owned structures like Camair, targets are set, new management appointed, performance monitored, warnings given; but these never work like in private business because it is the state that accounts for weaknesses to the state, not management to shareholders.Crony-run public corporations like Camair have since discredited the public sector that dominated left wing and third world economies, because they allowed too much borrowing and expansion without due regard for adequate returns. The corporations were bossed by inexperienced civil servants and shielded from the discipline of the market, so they were run on unprofitable bases, and created no wealth.This failure of state-run services contributed to the convergence of certain economic views between the socialists and capitalists and led to the resurrection of the market in all modern democracies – whether they were run by the left or the right.This is why with the collapse of Soviet communism and the re-emergence of Russia, the Russian republic launched a grand privatization programme. By the end of 1993, some 6.5 million state-owned apartments (about 20% of total) had been privatized. By 1994, more than 139 million Russians had invested their government-issued privatization vouchers, a participation rate of 94%; 70% of Russian industry (20.000 of the 28.000 large or medium sized industrial enterprises and 90.000 small firms) had been sold off.Indeed, by July 1994, cash in-flow into Russia was around $500 million a month due to the explosive growth in stock prices!Within this backdrop, how did Camair get to where it is today? Following the collapse of Air Afrique,Camair was established on 26 July 1971 as the national airline of Cameroon, a company owned by the Cameroon Government (96.43%) and Air France (3.57%). In June 2000, probably to catch-up with new economic exigencies, Yves Fotso took up duties as"Administrateur Directeur Général". He was later replaced by Dakayi Kamga, and then by Paul Ngamo Hamani who was appointed provisional administrator in February 2005 to prepare for"privatization/liquidation". In 2006, the Cameroon government reached an agreement with SN Airholding, the mother company of SN Brussels Airlines to revive the airline, without much effect. Then a presidential decree created a new company known as Cameroon Airlines Corporation, CAMAIR Co, to replace Camair. On 14 March 2008, government sacked Paul Ngamo Hamani and the Minister of Finance extended the mandate of the Liquidator of Camair by 12 months, with aco-liquidator, who would handle judicial matters about the privatization...To understand the present fate of Camair, it would be appropriate to examine the situation of other airlines related to it in one way or the other. Kenya Airways is said to have expressed interest in theprivatization of Camair. Kenya Airways was established in February 1977, after the demise of East African Airways and was wholly owned by the Kenyan government until April 1996. As far back as 1986, the Kenyan government expressed the need to privatize the airline, "in line with the country's need for economic development and growth". The government named a BoardChairman in 1991 with specific orders to privatize the airline. In 1992, government set the privatization of the airline as top priority.In 1994 the International Financial Corporation (IFC) was appointed to provide assistance in theprivatization process which ended in KLM buying 26% of the shares in 1997 and becoming the largest single shareholder. The shares were floated to the public, and the airline started trading on the Nairobi Stock Exchange. Presently, it is owned by individual Kenyan shareholders (30.94%), KLM (now Air France-KLM) (26%),Kenyan government (23%), Kenyan institutional investors (14.2%), foreign institutional investors(4.47%) and individual foreign investors (1.39%). Kenya airways has won the 'African Airline of theYear' Award five times in seven years. In 2007, SkyTeam, the second-largest airline alliance in the world, welcomed Kenya Airways as one of the first official SkyTeam Associate Airlines.What of Air France, a partner of Camair at birth? In September 2003, Air France and KLM Royal DutchAirlines merged to form Air France-KLM. With the merger, Air France shareholders owned 81% of the new firm (44% owned by the French state, 37% by private shareholders), former KLM shareholders the rest. By reducing the French government shares from 54.4% to 44% of the newly created Air France-KLM Group, the airline was effectively privatized. In December 2004 the state sold 18.4% of its equity in Air France-KLM to own less than 20% of the shares. Air France-KLM is the largest airline in the world in terms of operating revenue and third-largest (largest in Europe) inpassenger kilometers.These are examples of success while Camair moved from failure to failure. So why have others worked these "miracles" of success while our own national airline continued to move from crisis to crisis? Why the “transformative intelligence” is other people use to bring prosperity to their countries absent in Cameroon? Why are others busy putting into practice the knowledge they got from the schools we all attended together while we in Cameroon are busy celebrating the certificates, and bathing in cronyism, tribalism, corruption and other unpatriotic ills? Why is the government stock with the privatisation of Camair?Central to using "transformative intelligence" to conquer underdevelopment and mass poverty and generate economic development is the ability of the individual citizen not only to form and hold conceptions of excellence but to realize them. This is only possible with "free", happy individuals! Such individuals are a product of the rule of law, checks and balances, strong social contracts and the attendant universal rights of the human being. These concepts we parrot everyday were conquered through serious struggles in history to put the individual citizen as the centerpiece of the modern political and legal systems.The individual citizen is protected and glorified by the universal declaration of human rights and freedoms and the African charter on human and peoples' rights, and highly valued and respected in their countries because all "transformative intelligence" is the product of the human mind. Indeed, the material culture that defines much of what we call "development" flows from the minds of individualcitizens. This is why it is usually said that the individual citizen represents the hen that lays the"golden egg" of development for a country, and so must be provided the environment to mature the eggs! The individual citizen has a lively, fertile mind full of ingenuity, imagination and creativity, but it all depends on nurture. When the appropriate environment exists, the individual citizen meets the challenge of laying the golden eggs everyday; when it is absent the eggs dry up!The chaos, injustice, corruption, favoritism, tribalism, immorality and deprivation in our societyare the causes of the sickness that is weighing down Camair. Camair is a mirror that reflects the nakedness of the New Deal regime!

Cameroon: More Ex-Ministers Arrested And Detained For Graft

By Christopher Ambe Shu

Two former ministers of Cameroon believed to be billionaires after allegedly embezzling public funds with impunity when they were in office have been languishing in detention since Monday March 31 when they were arrested by judicial police in Yaoundé
Polycarpe Abah Abah, former economy and finance minister and Urbain Olanguena Awono, former public health minister were arrested on allegations of corruption and embezzlement of public funds

Abah Abah, 58, became Cameroon’s minister of economy and finance in December 2004 and was sacked in September 2007 while Olanguena Awono, 53, became minister of public health in April 2001 and was only relieved of his functions in September 2007.
Abah Abah is being interrogated to justify how as director of taxes, before becoming minister, he got over FCFA 1.5 billion in his private account and other huge sums of money elsewhere.
Former minister Olanguena Awono is being asked to properly account for the use of some FCFA 70 billion being foreign aid given to fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis in Cameroon

But before they were arrested last Monday rumors of their possible arrests had been circulating in Yaounde for long, making the suspects to live in fear and anxiety. Last week, some Members of Parliament (MP’s) joined many other citizens to express disappointment at the rather slow pace the war against corruption was taking. The MPs thought the government’s foot-dragging in the corruption fight was giving suspects enough time to hide evidence of ill-gotten wealth.
But Cameroon’s Vice Prime Minister in charge of Justice, Ahmadou Ali, argued in the National Assembly that the government was simply being methodical and careful in the treatment of cases which are sensitive to ensure that legal procedures are followed. He disclosed that, over 100 persons suspected of corruption including ex-ministers, managers of public corporations had already been prosecuted, with many receiving jail terms ranging from 10 to 50 years.

The two most recently arrested ex-ministers are since Monday in detention alongside other top civil servants suspected of complicity in defrauding the state. They included Etogo Mbezele, former treasurer-general for the Centre Province and Maurice Fezeu, former director of the National AIDS Control Committee.Also, Dr Mrs. Rose Chia Forchingong, Southwest Provincial Coordinator of the ProvincialTechincal Group (PTG) for the Fight Against AIDS was Monday arrested in Buea for alleged complicity in the embezzlement of funds

It is not the first time ex-ministers have been arrested, tried and jailed in Cameroon for embezzlement of public funds.

Disturbed by Cameroon’s rating, at least twice (in 1998 and 1999) as the most corrupt nation in the world by Transparency International, a Berlin-based good governance NGO and the stigmatization of the name of Cameroon as synonymous to corruption, President Paul Biya in 2006 launched a stronger corruption clamp down after the previous one was not very effective.
The clampdown this time saw the arrest, trial and imprisonment of some former ministers charged for embezzlement of public funds such as Alphonse Siyam Siwe (he was last December jailed for 30 years) and general- managers of state-owned corporations such as Emmanuel Gerard Ondo Ndong of FEICOM and former Port Authority of Douala chair, Etonde Ekoto

But some critical minds have said the arrest of the two ex-ministers on Monday has political overtones especially as reports hold that the two are members of Generation 2011(G11),a group of Biya’s former cronies opposing the president’s plan to amend the constitution and run again for office when his current mandate ends in 2011.





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