Cameroon:How To Fight Corruption.

By A. S. Ngwana, Chairman, Cardinal Democratic Party.

After the shameful and disgraceful unconstitutional and illegal amendment of the Constitution in April this year, Cameroon is now going through a dangerous period of uncertainty and apprehension which calls for prayers to avoid catastrophe, calamity and complete chaos.
However we must tackle some urgent matters which affect our standards of living, growth and economic development. The economy is terribly affected, our standards of living are falling, and Cameroon is regressing instead of progressing

Corruption and Embezzlement Of Funds.
In 1987, the President of the Cameroon Democratic Party, (now Cardinal Democratic Party) CDP, in his address to the Cameroon community in London sounded the alarm that the economy was getting into serious trouble. In that address, he highlighted the following reasons for the economic malaise:
“Institutionalized corruption and embezzlement of public funds,
gross mismanagement of the economy and global fall in prices of raw material”. (Note that crude oil was then $14 per barrel, now it is more than $200 per barrel)
In 1999, The Prime Minister, Mr. Peter Mafany Musonge on National Television said “the government is corrupt from top to bottom”
Again on March 12, 2000 The Herald News paper reported that the Chief Justice of the North West Province, Justice Tengen Pius admitted that some magistrates in the region are so corrupt that their professional malpractice not only marred the image of the judiciary but was also responsible for the increasing loss of confidence in the courts. “We are aware of the situation where some magistrates have transformed their chambers into business premises where justice is sold for money instead of applying the law as it should be” he said

We are appalled that for more than 20 years today since the alarm was raised in London, President Biya has made no concrete move to stop corruption. The excuse he gave was that there was NO EVIDENCE.
Thank God, today America and other foreign countries have provided EVIDENCE of the accounts of some Cameroonians with huge balances of laundry money.
According to reliable information, there are nearly 50 Cameroonians, civil servants and Directors of public corporations who have the equivalent of more than 3 billion francs in their accounts and assets.
These figures are staggering and frightening, because none of these people could have this money if they did not steal it.

Since last year only a few people have been arrested and only a few of the arrested ones have been tried and convicted and none of the embezzled money or properties have been recovered.

The pace at which the investigations are taking place, is too slow. Most of these criminals will cover up their loot before they are caught.

1. We suggest that a special Task Force should be set up immediately to investigate all suspected cases of corruption, bribery, embezzlement and stealing of government, corporations and parastatals, funds.

2. This Task Force should be made up of security personal, government auditors, and accountants and external auditors from reputable private firms or companies.

3. It shall be the duty and responsibility of every Cameroonian to report to this Task Force in writing or by word of mouth any suspected cases of bribery and corruption, fraud, stealing or embezzlement. All cases so reported must be investigated immediately by the Task Force and suspected culprits brought to court. Any persons reporting to the Task Force shall be protected by immunity from liability of defamation or libel.

4.
Special Tribunals headed by Judges of the Supreme Court or Court of Appeal are to be set up to try with dispatch all cases forwarded to them by the Task Force.

5. Only in very special cases should appeals be granted and bail only granted if twice the amount involved has been deposited in cash to the Court. We are fighting a war against hardened and merciless criminals.
6. If found guilty, the accused is to be given a maximum penalty ranging from 30 years to life imprisonment, all the monies recovered, and all properties acquired before and after the crime most be confiscated and forfeited to the State.

7. In this exercise, there shall be no “regional balancing” because the criminals never thought of “regional balancing” when they where stealing.

8. The President, Prime Minister, Parliamentarians, Judges, Heads of Government Departments, Army and Police Chiefs, Directors and Chief executives of corporations and parastatals, must declare their assets on joining and leaving the service. Any unaccounted assets or money must be forfeited to the State.

9. Cameroon is going through the worst period of its history.
We must declare war on corruption and prosecute it seriously.
The thieves are occupying very high positions in Cameroon, but our collective effort will bring all of them down.

If these monies were not stolen, we would have moved from the World Bank’s ranking of “middle income” category of developing countries, in 1987, to the “rich” category of developed countries today. In 1987 our GDP per capita was $1,262 but by 2000 it had dropped to $580 per capita. We have fallen to be among the poorest countries of the world and are happy to have our loans and debts written off. We should bury our heads in shame. We most stop this downward slide into chaos. Every year billions of francs CFA, are voted for roads, schools, hospitals etc, but the situation gets worse. Our standards of living keep falling, our country keeps growing poorer every year. The government is selling all government corporations and parastalals, liquidating some and creating unprecedented joblessness in the country. These thieves are killing us and they should be treated as “ armed robbers”.
Cameroon is now a high risk investment country and is not attracting any more foreign investors.
If we do not fight corruption seriously we shall remain poor for ever.
The window-dressing exercise going on now to impress the International Community that we are fighting corruption is not enough, we have to show that we mean business to fight corruption. If we don’t, the International Community should bring pressure to bear on the government as it did to force the CPDM government in 1990 to allow multi-party politics in Cameroon. We again appeal to lovers of democracy, to the International Community, and friends of Cameroon, to come to our assistance. Economic and diplomatic pressure should be brought to bear on President Paul Biya and his government to relent in their negative ways, to practice democratic principles and good governance. As in 1990, all aid, grants and loans to the Biya Government should be linked or tied to the observance of human rights, democratic principles and accountability, to ensure that the monies do not end up in foreign private bank accounts.

The Common Wealth should be ashamed that it is now a “toothless bull dog”, unable to enforce even minimum standards of good governance, among its members, impotent to intervene in the gross violation of its principles, and blind to the cronyism that have robbed it of any political or moral weight. The Common Wealth has become a caricature of its own powerlessness; hence the Cameroon Government can treat it with scorn and contempt, ignoring all its pleas.