Cameroon Gets New Apostolic Nuncio

 VATICAN CITY, January 26, 2010 ( CISA) -Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Msgr. Piero Pioppo, nunciature counsellor and prelate of the Institute for the Works of Religion (IOR), as apostolic nuncio to Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. At the same time, he elevated him to the dignity of archbishop according to the Holy See Press Office.
Archbishop Pioppo, 49, is a native of Savona, Italy. He was ordained a priest in 1985.
With a licentiate in dogmatic theology, he entered the Holy See's diplomatic service in 1993 and has worked in the papal representation in Korea and Chile, as well as in the General Affairs Section of the State Secretariat.
He was appointed prelate of the Institute for the Works of Religion in 2006.

Cameroon -Ndeh Ntumazah: The Passing of a Great Man!

By Prof.Asonganyi Tazoacha In Yaounde
The death has been announced of Ndeh Ntumazah, President of the Union of the Populations of Cameroon (UPC), in St. Thomas’s Hospital in London on January 21, 2010 at the age of 83.

Below,Ndeh Ntumazah is pictured seated while Prof. Asongangyi is standing as they exchange views

Pa Ntumazah was a political activist for nearly 60 years. He joined the UPC around 1950 and remained a militant of the party until his demise. When the UPC was banned in French Cameroon in 1955, he was advised by his comrades to create another party in the Southern Cameroons, which would be the UPC in disguise.

The party was called "One Kamerun Movement - OK", with Ndeh Ntumsazah as its President. Following its banning, the UPC started a war of liberation in French Cameoon, so Ntumazah from the safety of Southern Cameroons, liaised with his comrades in French Cameroon to carry out their underground operations. Following the unification of the Republic of Cameroon and Southern Cameroons on 1st October 1961, the relative freedom and safety Ntumazah and his comrades enjoyed in Southern Cameroons evaporated. Since the regime in place sought to eliminate all the leaders of the movement, some, like Pa Ntumazah eventually went on exile while others like Um

Nyobe and Earnest Ouandié remained in the bush to continue the liberation war on the spot.

Pa Ndeh Ntumazah left Cameroon to seek political asylum abroad in 1962. While abroad on exile, he adopted another name, Mbarack Ben Ibrahim which he went around with in the foreign passports he used. He stayed in Ghana, Guinea, Algeria and finally in Britain where he spent most of his time sensitising the world about the plight of Cameroon using various avenues like writing, conferences and deputations.

Before I left Cameroon in 1975 to the UK for postgraduate studies, the public trial of Bishop Ndongmo, Ernest Ouandié, Wambo le Courrant and some 160 others had taken place in Yaounde in December 1970, so I had been sensitised about the conflicts between the Ahidjo regime and the UPC. Thus, in spite of the efforts of the Ahidjo regime to sell the UPC to the population as "maquizards" whose only mission was to wage war on a peaceful population, I already knew by 1975 that the UPC was a very serious nationalist organisation with emblematic figures like Ndeh Ntumazah, Mongo Beti and others still alive.

When I got to London and heard that he lived there, I decided to visit him. My first successful visit brought me face to face with a very warm, caring, fatherly person, who seemed to be very excited to meet a young Cameroonian! None of the images of him that I had from fairy tales fitted the real man! He gave me tons of documents about Cameroon and I devoured them! Since he was a good raconteur, he missed no opportunity to feed me with the hows and whys of the liberation struggle they launched in Cameroon before he escaped to safety.

Although Pa Ntumazah was not a communist, he was certainly much influenced by communism because many of his speeches and writings were filled with communist rhetoric. In his conversational autobiography published in 1991 by Patron Publishing House, Bamenda, he stated that "Ouandié advised Mandela and he changed tactics". Indeed, Mandela changed tactics by starting a guerrilla war against the apartheid regime, like the one the UPC had started in Cameroon against the neo-colonial regime. Beyond merely changing tactics to engage in a liberation war, the ANC combined war, militant mass action and seduction to win power and is still governing South Africa today.

Although the UPC was at the origin of the creation of the OK of Ntumazah, it never went further – when it was banned - to create other surrogate organisations in Cameroon to channel the anger and frustrations of the people into militant mass action, like the ANC did when it was banned in South Africa. Further, the UPC never engaged in any seduction of the regime. The seduction effort started single-handedly by Bishop Albert Ndongmo did not seem to enjoy the blessings of the UPC because, when it went wrong, he was accused of "having betrayed Ouandié". Thus, in dying, Pa Ntumazah leaves behind in his biography, the impression that Ernest Ouadié was captured by the Ahidjo regime because Bishop Ndongmo betrayed him.

After reading Mongo Beti’s "Main basse sur le Cameroun" (Maspero, Paris, 1972), Bishop Ndongmo’s extensive interview in Jeune Afrique Economie (N° 148, 1991, pp 117 – 134), and what can best be described as a spin-doctoring effort by Frédéric Fenkam in his book "Les revelations de Jean Fochivé" (Ed. Mansi, 2003), it seems to me that Pa Ntumazah was misled by the partisan reports on the Ndongmo trial written in western newspapers by so-called international observers.

As a revolutionary, Pa Ntumazah knew very well that under certain circumstances, certain options like going on exile or making false confessions to remain alive become the best option. This is why, when N.N. Mbile in his biography blamed Pa Ntumazah for escaping into exile instead of staying in Cameroon to help in nation building, Pa retorted that Mbile did not understand what it meant to be wanted dead or alive. Which is why Pa would have understood why following the arrest of the Bishop, his physical and psychological torture by Ahidjo’s regime pushed him into despair, especially because the highest ecclesiastical authorities had delivered him to Ahidjo’s mercy; and the Cameroonian bishops had distanced themselves from him, nudged to that option by Bishop Jean Zoa who was thirsty for vengeance!

And so the defeated Ndongmo is said to have broken down in tears, weeping, obviously not in confession - because more than anybody else, he was aware of his innocence - but in fury and impotence. Pierre Biarnès in Le Monde Newspaper of 22 – 23 November 1970 claimed that the Bishop confessed that "I deceived everybody, the government, the Church and the UPC". Since he was completely cut-off by distance from the reality on the ground in Cameroon, Pa probably used such "declarations" to reach his conclusions on the Bishop!

It is probably in full understanding of this sorry state in which Bishop Ndongmo found himself that Cardinal Tumi in his recent book reports that he told Governor Ousman Mey who wanted to frighten him with the Ndongmo case the following: "I am not Mgr Ndongmo. I don’t know what his crime was. By the way, it would seem the Cameroon government has never proven his guilt. Perhaps he had the courage to say what he thought and that might have scared you, Mr. Governor". When Bishop Ndongmo’s efforts at reconciliation are viewed within the perspective of the power of seduction and charm in revolutionary politics, judgement of him would be more lenient than suggested by Pa Ntumazah.

Pa Ntumazah was UPC "army chief of staff" who lived in exile from 1962 to 1991; 30 years! He was born in Mankon, Bamenda in 1926. He spent the better part of his life suffering and sacrificing for the freedom of Cameroon. When I visited him in St. Thomas’s Hospital in London on June 2, 2005, he was lying blind on his hospital bed. He was no longer the talkative man I knew. He kept staring blankly at me, and I knew that he was in deep reflection with so many things rushing through his mind. No doubt one of them was the regret that upon returning to Cameroon in 1991, he still jumped into local UPC politics with people like Dika Akwa, Kodock, Mayi Matip, Hogbe Nlend, Wougly Massaga and others whose anti-revolutionary activities he repeatedly decried. A second regret would probably have been that his wish to have Moumié’s corpse given a dignified burial in Cameroon had not yet been fulfilled. And yet another would have been that he was lying helpless

while "mercenaries" – his own word – were still ruling Cameroon.

Overall, one satisfaction would have overcrowded these regrets in his mind: the fact that he is one of the architects of the independence and reunification of Cameroon. Whatever has become of the reunification they fought for, he dies satisfied that whatever they did, they did in the best interest of Cameroon. Happily, even the "mercenaries" that are still ruling Cameroon now recognise that "the independence of our country was hard won by many worthy children of the land...through desperate struggles by the contending forces who used all means and strategies they could imagine. Their common denominator was the Cameroonian nationality..."

Pa Ntumazah is dead, but he lives on because his life stands out as a point of focus. Throughout his life, he strove for more than individual goals; he will continue to be emulated as a role model by our children and future generations. After all, Cameroonian youths desperately need role models to guide them towards discovering and fulfilling their mission for Cameroon.

There is no doubt that Pa Ntumazah is a truly great man. Long live Ndeh Ntumazah!

Two former government ministers arrested in Cameroon

YAOUNDE — Cameroon police on Friday arrested two former members of the government and about 10 of their ex-colleagues during a crackdown on corruption, a judicial source told AFP.
The two were named as former budget minister Henri Engolou (2004-2006) and the former junior minister for secondary education, Catherine Abena (2004-2009), said the source, who asked not to be named.

Arrested for embezzlement, the two former ministers and their aides were placed in custody at police headquarters in Yaounde, the source said.

The reported arrests followed inquiries that the police have already completed in Operation Epervier (Sparrowhawk), a major crackdown on corruption in the central African country ordered by President Paul Biya.

On Wednesday, police arrested Haman Adama, ex-minister of primary education, and nine other people, including the former director general of the Cameroon airports authority, Roger Ntongo Onguene.

These 10 people were on Thursday night placed in "preventive detention at the central prison" in Yaounde, another judicial source told AFP, without saying whether they had been charged.

Operation Sparrowhawk, launched at the end of 2004 under pressure from international donors, has led to the arrests and stiff prison sentences for several people, including former ministers.

However, many local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and diplomats consider that the level of corruption remains very high in Cameroon and that there is little political will to stamp it out.

"We will go through to the end, whatever some people say," Biya said in an address to the nation at the end of December.
Courtesy: AFP

Cameroon: Isn’t It Time To Stop The Use Of Condom?

By Christopher Ambe shu

If there are people who doubt how precious or priceless life is, let them read the Bible to clear such doubt. For example, the Bible in Psalms 127:3 says,” Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord”.

 Of course if we are men and women today, it is because we were children yesterday

All human beings are children of God. Because God, our Creator, values human life so much, He instructs: “You must not murder” (Deuteronomy 5:17).And there are many ways to kill someone. One could Kill directly or indirectly. God wants us to value not only our own lives but also others’ lives.

 Promoting the use of condom is not only morally wrong but also an example of indirect killing; for, the use of condom promotes the spread of HIV/Aids, which has no cure!

“I would say that this problem of AIDS cannot be overcome with advertising slogans. If the soul is lacking, if Africans do not help one another, the scourge cannot be resolved by distributing condoms; quite the contrary, we risk worsening the problem," said Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to Cameroon.

 But the rate at which condoms are being advertised on TV, on Radio and other media targeting especially the youth and school children is a serious cause for concern. Although condom manufacturers in the West claim that condoms have an 85 to 90% guarantee to protect one against the HIV virus if properly used, the assertion is still debatable.

 If the Pope’s critics think that he is not scientifically fit to doubt the effectiveness of condom as a supposed weapon against the HIV/AIDS, what would they say when renowned medical scientists agree with the Pope’s assertion? In an article in Korea Times, Clemente Ferrer , president of the European Institute of Marketing, Communications and Publicity, cited Dr. Edward C. Green, director of the AIDS Prevention Research Project at Harvard University, who had told the Catholic News Agency that condoms are actually “exacerbating the problem" in Africa.

“The Harvard scientist”, Ferrer added, “noted that when the AIDS epidemic hit the African continent, the condom ``industry" began to use the spread of the disease to unfurl its marketing strategy while seeking subsidies for the production and delivery of condoms. Business had come for the death of potential human beings”.

Another scientist who reportedly defended the pope’s assertion about condom is Dr. Norman Hearst, an epidemiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, who was chosen by the U.N. Program on HIV/AIDS to undertake a scientific review to confirm if condoms had stemmed the advance of the virus. Dr.Hearst is reportedly to have found, to the contrary, that it was those regions with the greatest number of condoms per person which have the greatest number of cases of this cruel scourge.

Chief Albert Samba Ngwana is one of many Cameroonians who are worried about the advertising and use of condom. Chief Ngwana, who himself is an author and researcher, has recently organized public lectures in Douala, Buea and Limbe on “The Evils of Condoms and Abortion”, during which exposed the “hidden truth” about condom.

Hear him: “The latex rubber condom was first manufactured about 170 years ago.

The latex condom was manufactured as a contraceptive for the prevention of pregnancy, by preventing the human sperm passing through to fertilize the egg.

The condom was not manufactured against the HIV/AIDS virus which only appeared in 1981.

Electron micrographs reveal voids (holes) in latex condoms 5 microns in size, (50 times the size of the HIV/AIDS virus)

 “The AIDS virus is 50 times smaller than these tiny holes which make it easy for virus to pass through them, about as easy as a dime through a basket ball loop.

Condoms create a false sense of security (they are not foolproof and have shown a failure rate of 10 to 20%) And, may cause an increase in sexual activity or less careful choice of partners.”

Chief Ngwana argues that condoms promote the spread of AIDS for the following reasons:

Condoms promote promiscuity, which by its very nature promotes the spread of sexually transmitted diseases and infections: once a sexually transmitted pathogen enters a promiscuous population, infection spreads like wildfire because the saying goes thus: if you sleep with someone who slept with someone who has slept with someone, you have slept with all.

With the above facts about condom, isn’t it time the Cameroon Government stopped the importation, advertising, distribution and use of condoms?

  (NB:Article First Published as editorial in The RECORDER newspaper,Cameroon ,of January 6 ,2010)

Cameroon:New PCC Moderator To Be Inducted In February

By Christopher Ambe Shu

The new Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Cameroon (PCC), Rev.Dr.Festus Ambe Asana and the new Synod Clerk, Rev.Abwemsoh Williams will be inducted during a crowd-pulling ceremony next February 28,in Buea, officials said

To that effect, Preparations are already going on to make the event a historic and memorable one.

The induction comes after a technical handing over between the outgoing and incoming leaders and a public presentation of the new officials to the news media.

The Moderator is the Chief Shepherd of the 52 year-old PCC, a Christian organization with a membership of over one million people. He is closely assisted by the Synod Clerk, who is the second in command.

Rev.Dr.Festus Ambe Asana was elected unchallenged, and overwhelmingly by the “Synod of Change” on November 24, 2009 in Kumba, to replace the Rt. Rev.Dr. Nyansako –ni-Nku, who served in that capacity for ten years, and retired last December.

Professor Rev .Emmanuel Anyabod who had put up his candidature to also race with Rev.Dr.Festus Asana, considered the favorite, for office of Moderator, withdrew at the last minute, in favor of his challenger

Rev.Abwemsoh Williams was also elected as Synod Clerk, to replace Rev. Dr. Festus Ambe Asana, who served two five-year terms in that office. Rev Abwemsoh beat his challenger, Rev. Besong Johnson by 47 to 45 votes.

Interview: "Cameroon Government Should Ban Condoms or Impose a 500% Duty on Them

-Chief AS Ngwana, Moralist and National Chairman, CDP

Question:
Chief Ngwana, you are chairman of the Cardinal Democratic Party (CDP); of late, you have been giving anti-condom and abortion public lectures here and there. You started in Douala, moved to Buea and then Limbe.What do you gain doing this?

Answer:
I would be happy to know that the general public is fully conscious of certain sensitive and important issues affecting their lives.

I want the public to know that the anti-condom and abortion campaign is a national issue, not of a political party. I want all Cameroonians to understand that condoms and abortions are against our economic interest, our national interst, against our spiritual interest.

Let me tell you, condoms were manufactured to prevent pregnancy. People tell lies that condoms stop HIV spread. The HIV virus is such a tiny thing compared to human sperm. And they-promoters of condoms- tell lies that, the virus can’t go through the condom. Condoms spread AIDS. This has been proven. This should be made known to everybody. Knowledge is power.

So what have condoms done? They have stopped our population from growing and they are transmitting The HIV virus. That is why young people are dying in their thousands. It is a pity that the government is doing nothing about it. Instead the government allows for the advertising of condom on TV and radio.

 I strongly call on parents to educate their children on the deadly effects of condoms and of their spiritual disaster.

The surest way to control the spread of HIV/AIDS is ABSTINANCE before marriage and FIDELITY after marriage. The Cameroon government and other African governments should ban or strictly control its distribution.  Should they find it difficult to ban them, then they should impose a 500% duty on condoms. The more condoms we import the higher the rate of HIV/AIDS infection. Even the HIV/AIDS rate has increased in Cameroon with the supply of more condoms.

What do you think the Government gains promoting the use of Condoms?

It gains nothing meaningful .These international organizations tell government that if you don’t control the growth of the population you can’t have soft loans. So, most of these African countries that are poor accept to reduce their populations in exchange of loans.

The bad thing is that these condom manufacturers are corrupting African governments and doctors to deceive their citizens that condoms stop the spread of the HIV Virus. Countries such as Uganga that have stopped importing condoms have had their HIV prevalence rate greatly reduced. And Cameroon which still imports condoms has its rate growing. Cameroon should know that the more condoms you buy the more AIDS you will get.

Now what is worse is that the condoms are being distributed without charge. If these people think they want to help us, why not give us malaria drugs for free. We should ask ourselves why they are giving us condoms for free. What is their interest? Their interest is that you should die; that your population should not grow so that they will continue to exploit our natural resources, with little or no resistance.

The literacy rate in Cameroon is above 65%, why do you think so many Cameroonians fail to understand the hidden truth about condom

To have sex is one of the strongest urges in human beings.Peolpe like sex as part of their nature. But if you want to have sex, get married. People would tend to protest if they are told not to do something which the human nature likes. We must understand that not everything you like is necessarily good for you. The public must be very careful in making choices.

There are over 200 political party leaders. They seem not to be joining you in this fight. Is this the case?

From the look of things, it seems political party leaders are disappointed with the Biya regime, the system in place and are now withdrawn. They appear to be completely unhappy and don’t want to do anything again. But as leaders they must not give, but continue to promote what is not only leaglly, but morally right for the citizens.

The Issue of condoms and abortion is a very sensitve one. I expect the press, women, and men etc to fight against its use and promotion.

Ever since you started going round preaching on the Evils of Condom and Abortion, have you been confronted by the government?

No. The government can’t confront me. They know that I am talking and presenting the facts.  Prior to the public talks, I make sure I Respect the law, by formally informing the Administration of my intention. I even invite some government officials, even they don’t turn up.  It is rather unfortunate that the government does not want to talk about the hidden truth of the condoms.

We want our population to grow. If it does not, we shall remain poor. I have always said that if you don’t have people you can’t develop.

That is why I am fighting on the economic side of it, Cardinal Tumi and the church on the Christian and spiritual side. Abortion stops population growth and therefore makes  people poor.

Do you have any appeal to make to parents?

I am appealing to parents to tell their children that if they want to live and bury them, they should not use condoms; they should not accept abortion and they should  exercise  self-control.Young unmarried people should abstain from sex;married couples should be faithful to each other. Condom is not a solution to HIV/AIDS

Cameroon:Ngongi Family Organizes Reception in Honor of Ambassador Tabong Kima

By Christopher Ambe Shu

 Ambassador, Chief Michael Tabong Kima and wife, Frida Kima, were in the evening of Monday, 28 December 2009 accorded a hectic reception at Buea OIC hotel, attended by a host of dignitaries including Southwest Regional Governor, Eyeya Zanga Louis.

Cameroonian –born Dr. Amos Namanga Ngongi,President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and his spouse Rebecca Ngongi who threw the grandiose party, said it was in honor of Chief, Ambassador Michael Tabong Kima,recently elevated to the Order Of Cavaliere Di Gran Croce(Knight of  The Great Cross ) by Italian President Hon. Giorgio Napolitano.

The medal was awarded to him recently at the Italian Embassy in Yaoundé, by the Italian Ambassador Antonio Bellavia.

 Ambassador Kima was accompanied to the Ngongi- reception in Buea by his wife, Frida Kima and last son, Dr. Kima

In his welcome address, host, Dr. Ngongi recalled how very pivotal Chief Tabong Kima was in resolving problems at the international level while serving in Rome as Cameroon’s Ambassador .Chief Tabong Kima served as ambassador in Rome for twenty years, during which he also occupied different international executive posts.

Ambassador Kima had been Leader of African Group for all UN organizations, Dean of the Commonwealth in Rome, Dean of the Francophone Group in Rome, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, among other positions.

“Whenever there was a delicate problem to resolve at the international level in Rome, it was Ambassador Kima was called in…”,Dr. Ngongi noted, citing some examples of the crucial problems the diplomat resolved to the satisfaction of all.

Dr. Ngongi who had lived in Rome for nine years before Ambassador Kima was sent there, stressed that during Ambassador Kima’s stay in Italy, the  latter was very receptive not only to  all Cameroonians but also to foreigners; that he was loved by almost all.

Dr Ngongi described celebrations marking Cameroon’s National Day (May 20) at the Cameroon Embassy in Rome, under Ambassador Kima, as the best -organized among parties he (Dr. Ngongi) had attended.

He credited Ambassador Kima for the latter’s selflessness and judicious use of resources put at his disposal for the common good.

 “He held us all there like a real father. I feel like a son of his. In fact, all the children who are calling themselves kima all come after me”, an elated Dr. Ngongi voiced out. “He took me like a son and took my wife like a daughter”.

Dr. Ngongi, who lived in Italy for 23 years and had never seen any African receive the medal in question, dwelled on the significance of the Knight of the Great Cross awarded by Italy’s President to Ambassador Kima.He noted that it is the second most-valued medal of Italy.

According to him, Ambassador Kima has done Cameroon in particular and Africa in general proud by winning the prestigious medal.

“Ambassador, Your Royal highness, welcome back home. Thank you for bringing a very heavy gift from Italy to Cameroon,”Dr. Ngongi shouted in joy.

Governor Eyeya Zanga, in his brief remark, said Ambassador Kima “is a source of inspiration for those who have Cameroon at heart and would like to serve this country”.

The Governor added that he himself would not hesitate to seek wisdom and good advice from Ambassador Kima.

To Professor Lobe Monekosso, former WHO director for Africa and one-time Cameroon Minister of Public Health, Tabong Kima was born a great diplomat, yet he has achieved greatness a diplomat.

In his response, Ambassador Kima was so thankful to Dr. & Mrs.Ngongi for organizing the hectic reception, which gave him what he described as “the rare and pleasant opportunity” to meet distinguished personalities in Buea. “The Ngongis merit great applause from us all”, he said.

 He recalled that the Italian Ambassador in Cameroon had invited Mr and Mrs Ngongi to witness the medal- award ceremony at the Italian Embassy but the Chief Executive Officer of AGRA (Dr. Ngongi) was unavoidably absent, because he was busy elsewhere in Africa.

But upon Dr Ngongi’s return to Cameroon, Ambassador Kima gave him the invitation which was in his keeping, and Dr.Ngongi’s responded: “I have neither seen the medal nor the diploma of the decoration. I will organize my own reception here in Buea and invite personalities and friends who can come and we will together see the decoration and give own appreciation”

Ambassador Kima said because of the international significance of the decoration, the award-ceremony at the Italian Embassy was co-hosted by Cameroon’s Minister of External relations, Eyebe Ayissi.Minister Ayissi, he recalled, said “Italy is honoring Cameroon through our ambassador. Hence, it is my duty to accept the Italian Ambassador’s invitation to co-host the ceremony”

Ambassador Kima wished all present a prosperous New Year, 2010 .He then presented the medal and the diploma to the audience, drawing thunderous applause from many invitees.

Conspicuously present at the party were dignitaries such as Dr. Mrs Dorothy Njeuma, member of ELECAM Board; Barrister Eta Besong Junior, President of Cameroon Bar Assocaition; Bishop of Buea Immanuel Bushu; Mola Njoh Litumbe, Chairman of Liberal Democratic Alliance and Barrister Ekongtang Elad, OIC Board Chairman.

Report: Cameroon Is Doing Little to Achieve MDGs

By Gerald Ndikum in Yaounde

It is six years to development evaluation time, but Cameroon is not considered as doing enough to wrest itself from the pangs of poverty. The country is lagging behind in 5 of the 8 indicators by which a country’s development is evaluated.

The 2008/2009 national human development report launched in Yaounde on 29 December 2009 shows that Cameroon made progress only in achieving primary education, promotion of equality of sexes and reducing poverty. By contrast, it fared badly in millennium development goals (MDGs) like maternal health, infant mortality, fight against AIDS, access to potable water and rate of employment.

Statistics presented at the ceremony indicate that the maternal mortality rate moved from 420 to 669 in the last ten years. In the same period, the rate of unemployment moved from 7.6 to 8.8 percent.

Even though Cameroon fared well in the area of primary education, moving from 75.2% in 1996 to 82.8% in 2005, it made less progress than other African countries like Senegal, Morocco and Tunisia. Morocco, for example, that was at 55.8% in 1996 is today at 86.05%, which puts her now ahead of Cameroon.

Even though the percentage of those living below the poverty line improved from 50.5% in 1996 to 40.2% in 2008, drafters of the report still pointed to a red indicator for Cameroon because other countries were making more progress than she.

Speaking at the ceremony, Thierry Martens, UNDP resident representative in Cameroon, said the non-attainment by Cameroon of the MDGs should not be considered a fatality. He said the drafting and implementation of Cameroon’s growth and employment strategy paper (DSCE) whose ambition is to make the country an emerging economy by 2035 was an important step towards making the MDGs achievable. He said a double-digit growth would serve no purpose if infant and maternal mortality remained high.

For his part, Louis Paul Motaze, minister of economy planning and regional development, said the 2008/2009 national human development report under the theme: “Cameroon: the challenge of achieving the Millennium Development Objectives” was the country’s contribution to the debate on the promotion of human development. He expressed regret that the rate of maternal mortality in Cameroon during the last 10 years had worsened, even if the country scored points in the areas primary education and promotion of equality of sexes.

The economy minister was, however, hopeful that with the implementation of the DSCE, some of the MDGS would be attained by 2015. He therefore called for the mobilization of partners, national and internal alike, to this end.

Cameroon: How Police Rescued Lebanese Businessman kidnapped by Scammers in Buea

* Arrested Kidnappers detained in Yaoundé.    
 *Woman Housing Scammers Now At Large

By Christopher Ambe Shu

The Judicial Police in Buea led by the Southwest Regional Chief, Commissioner Adjoffoin Peter Diangha, at about 2:00 am on Tuesday, last December 29 swooped on and arrested alleged internet scammers who had reportedly kidnapped and tied up a Lebanese businessman, Roland Yosef, in a residence in Bokwango, asking for a ransom of 50 million FCFA.

The alleged Kidnappers, in their 20’s, had reportedly threatened to harm their victim if he failed to cough out the tens of millions of FCFA they were requesting as ransom from his family. Ransom is payment demanded for the return of a captured person.

The freed Lebanese, alongside the four purported kidnappers were, on the instruction of hierarchy in the nation’s capital, whisked off same day to Yaoude in a police vehicle for further interrogation .The supposed kidnappers reportedly extorted 2000 US Dollars from the Lebanese, who had flown into Cameroon on December 26, convinced that he was coming to meet business men for an oil deal.

The accused scammers had advertised themselves on a website as oil dealers, owning an oil company in Cameroon, our security sources told us.

That is how the Lebanesbusinessman, unsuspecting, got interested and established links with them.

Communication between them became regular until Roland Yosef arrived in Cameroon hoping to seal a huge oil deal.

When the Lebanese business man landed at the Douala International Airport last December 26, he was picked-up by his alleged business partners who took him to their “Bokwango Hideout” instead of a hotel.

In their Bokwango residence, the scammer-kidnappers were not talking as genuine businessmen, and realizing that the Lebanese was somehow disappointed, they resorted to threats, our sources said.
The Lebanese was then tied- up and locked up in one of the rooms of the residence.

It is not clear whether the captors would have killed him if the deadline reached and his family had not responded by making the huge payment requested. But what is certain is that the government of Cameroon was worried, and took all measures to rescue the Lebanese, so to maintain warm relations between Cameroon and Lebanon.The suspect conmen bullied the Lebanese to telephone his family back in Lebanon and ask them to wire to Cameroon 50 million FCFA as ransom for his release.

The Recorder gathered that when the alleged kidnappers forced the Lebanese to telephone his family to send the ransom, he played a smart one on them. Roland Yosef, in his conversation with his family back in Lebanon, spoke but Arabic explaining his plight in Cameroon. That is how his family alerted the Government of Cameroon and the judicial police were instructed to act fast

But his captors not understanding Arabic thought all was going well; and that they would soon pocket millions of Fcfa.

The alleged kidnappers now in detention in Yaounde are: Teboh Festus (29), said to be the gang leader; Tembong Walters, Mbah Alex and Godlove Fofuh.

Although the rescue mission was led Commissioner Adjoffoin Peter Diangha, The Recorder learned five other policemen had rushed in from Yaounde to beef up the squad, making the rescue mission a ten-policeman squad.
As the squad stormed the residence where the Lebanese was held hostage, neighours could not sleep as heavy gun shots could be heard.

It turned out that it was the police firing in the air to scare the supposed Kidnappers to submission, contrary to neighbors’ fears that thieves had attacked the residence.

Police brought down two of the suspects who had managed to climb into the ceiling to hide; then untied the Lebanese ,searched the house, and carried away a computer linked to the net, which was believed to be used for the scamming business.

It was thanks to the ingenuity of the Buea Judicial Police chief that the phone booth in Bokwango which transferred credits to the telephone set used by the Lebanese to communicate with his family that the so-called –kidnappers’ hide-out was discovered.

The Bokwango residence where the Lebanese was held and where the “kidnappers” were lodging is being hired by a certain young woman, Ndikum Delphine, who is now at large. Police said the lady house occupant could be an accomplice.

Delphine’s landlord ,a Buea-based businessman, said when the lady came to hire his house last October she claimed that she was a student of a nursing school in Buea.

The landlord disclosed that she had paid rents for up to nine months and never looked suspicious at any moment.
Ndikum Delphine,said to be a mother of one, had reportedly left her residence much earlier on December 29, after witnessing how the scammers were threatening to harm the Lebanese if he did not comply with their selfish demands.

A security source told The Recorder that Ndikum Delphine had left the house to Bamenda to receive the ransom.  The Lebanese gave them the impression that his family had sent part of the ransom.

The alleged kidnappers, our sources said, had preferred that their ransom be paid but via a bank in Bamenda and elsewhere in someone elsewhere’s name.
By press time, Delphine had not regained her house, and police sources said her whereabouts were not yet known.

Cameroon: Military,Police & Alcohol Consumption

By Mofor Samuel
The health problems that concern us now are more likely to be self- inflicted than to be ills over which we have no control. Life style factors- nutritional pattern, smoking, sexual promiscuity, drug use and alcohol consumption etc, are today said to be responsible for between 40 and 45% of our health problems. These are all areas that we as individuals whether in our family, professional or working and school lives have a great deal of control.

In Cameroon today, the consumption of alcohol is a source of occasional pleasure. The drinking of alcoholic beverages has two faces: one happy and the other sad. The moderate drinking of alcohol can make the heart of man rejoice. On the other hand, alcohol contributes to acts of violence. Drinking can remove inhibition and social restraints and can blur the way one interprets other people’s actions, making a violent response more likely.
One group of people in Cameroon whose dependence on alcohol is on a steady increase is the elements of the Forces of Law and Order or if you prefer Law Enforcement Officers. The consumption of alcoholic beverages among the men in uniforms goes across the award of epaulettes; when they are on routine controls on the highways, to when they are in the quarters and still putting on their uniforms. They are often seen rubbing shoulders and sharing bottles of beer with a civilian population that does not only wonder where the money spent on beer comes from but equally why must security officers drink beer while still putting on their uniforms up to the extent of getting drunk. Bitter exchanges, use of foul language and even complete outright scuffles and free-for- all fights sometimes broke out when these men in uniforms are under the stupor of alcohol. These often lead to injuries, destruction of personal belongings as well as the smashing of furniture, bottles and glasses in beer parlours.
As if the consumption of alcohol outside their work places is not enough, beer parlours under the cover of eating houses have been set up at sensitive points within the police and gendarmerie office compounds at least as far as Buea is concerned. At the level of the Central Police Station in Buea, it is situated directly behind the Judicial Police Building and the Identification Office overlooking the Public Security Main Charge Office. As far as the National Gendarmerie is concerned, it is situated between part of the building hosting the offices of the Military Justice Department and the Territorial Brigade.

Locating of eating houses cum beer parlours within the premises of these two departments that form an arm of the judiciary puts to question the type of law that policemen and gendarmes are out to enforce. One is not far from the truth to say that the Forces of Law and Order are guided by alcohol in the discharge of their duties. It is while drinking alcohol that most shady deals are discussed, money changes hands, prey corrupt predators not to be devoured by the law, decisions are summarily taken over complaints, complaints are being made, documents are sure to be signed since the conditions of signing are discussed and taken after the gulping of at least a bottle or two. One can sometimes even hear officers asking their victims to give them their beer for facilitating the rendering of this or that service to them. Beer in this sense can be both figurative and the normal beer that we all know.

The general opinion is that these beer parlours cum recreation spots within these premises are there to grease the wheels of the ever rising corrupt practices that are already rife within the judiciary in general and within the Forces of Law and Order in particular.

Some people may ask why focus only on the Law Enforcement Office premises when the former premises of the Delegation of Transport had the same facility? Whatever the case such recreation spots within sensitive government departments are condemned because it is not only difficult to draw a line as far as moderate consumption of alcohol is concerned, they equally serve as breeding grounds for corrupt practices. That is when it comes to money changing hands for the benefit of individuals and not the state.

Heavy alcohol consumption as it prevails within the ranks of the elements of the Forces of Law and Order is a multifaceted problem that includes hazardous use, harmful use and dependence. Hazardous use according to the World Health Organization is a pattern of alcohol consumption carrying with it a risk of harmful consequences- physical, mental or social. It includes drinking more than the limits recommended by health authorities or imposed by law.

No matter what your age, gender, activity or profession, you are not free from hazardous drinking. Just what does alcohol do to the body? What are the health dangers of over drinking? If alcohol is consumed at a faster rate than the body can handle, it interferes with brain function. Speech, vision, coordination, thought and behaviour are all connected with an incredibly complex series of chemical reactions in the brain’s key cells. The stream of information in the brain is altered, preventing the brain from functioning normally. That is why when a person drinks too much as is the case with our men in uniforms, he or she develops slurred speech, blurred vision, sluggish movement and weakened behavioural restraints and inhibitions- all common symptoms of intoxication.

The liver plays a vital role in metabolizing food, combating infection, regulating blood flow and removing toxic substances including alcohol from the blood. Prolonged exposure to alcohol damages the liver. It slows digestion of fat causing them to build up in the liver. With time, chronic inflammation causes cells to burst and die. Compounding this damage alcohol seems to trigger the natural system of programmed cell death.

The final stage is cirrhosis. The vicious cycle of continuous inflammation and cell destruction causes irreversible scarring. The liver becomes lumpy instead of remaining spongy. Finally the scar tissue prevents blood from flowing normally, leading to liver failure and death.

Alcohol’s effect on the liver has another insidious side effect- it is less capable of playing its defensive role in counteracting the effects of cancer forming agents. In addition to favouring the development of cancer of the liver, alcohol greatly increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, the pharynx, the larynx, and the throat.

Any benefits from alcohol seem to involve drinking small amounts spread throughout the week. Exceeding two drinks per day is linked to increases in blood pressure and heavy drinking raises the risk of stroke and can cause swelling of the heart as well as irregular heart beat.

These are some of the risks that our men in uniforms are exposed to as they cling to the habit of immoderate drinking but for the fact that it presents a very negative and poor image of the Forces of Law and Order in Cameroon in the discharge of their duties thereby tarnishing the image of the country as a whole.

LETTER TO PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

Dear Mr. President,
Accept greetings from the people of Africa. This essay may not represent the view of all the peoples of Africa, but it will certainly cut across the lives of all people of African origin living in the Diaspora.

Africa is blessed abundantly with many natural resources and peoples of various backgrounds and cultures. We are a generation that has started taking our responsibilities into our hands by working hard to excel in whatever domain we engage. What I write here should not be taken for a complaint; these are just my observations which I want to share with you, hence, with the rest of the world.

Mr. President, I think that just as much as it is not the choice of a child to belong to a particular pair of parents, or to have a particular set of people as a family, both immediate and extended, so too it is not the choice of a man to be born in a particular continent like Africa or Europe or America. Please Sir, don’t misconstrue my intentions. I am certain that together with most Africans, we are very proud to be born in this part of the world because we know that Africa is richly blessed by God for the benefit of her wonderful children. But just as much as it is not our choice to have been born here, so too are many of our leaders not our choice. Choosing a leader in most African countries is a near forbidden luxury for the African people. These very leaders the West asks us to blame for the backwardness of Africa came to power through means strange to the common African. Perhaps you know how, perhaps you don’t know. And unless we the common people are called upon to believe that power is not always given by the choice of the African people, we say that we have no authority over our leaders who have often not been our choice. Does it thus suffice for us just to blame these people, most of whom we never chose to lead us?

It is not our choice either for our leaders to steal and starch gargantuan sums of money in foreign and mostly western banks. Neither is it our choice to have these leaders prepare their sons and/or daughters to succeed them in what is fast becoming a monarchic democracy in Africa. It has never been our choice to suffer in a land that is richly blessed with human and natural resources way beyond our needs; a land where plenty means all for a few and nothing for the majority; where fighting poverty means all sorts of economic manipulation meant to extort money from the poor man; where laws of the land are distorted to keep the corrupt in power; where speech is free only when words of praise are constantly lavished on unproductive leaders. All these have never and may never be our choice. Yet we can only blame them and continue to swim in this misery which remains our only stock. What a weapon; blame.

What happens when we blame our predicaments on our leaders? They still encroach to power as if their entire life depends only on that power. They organize bogus and fictitious elections in which their ultimate victory is ensured years before the election. They fight corruption only by witch-hunting those whom they consider as potential threats to their position. Yes we will blame them but can do nothing because they are adorned with some of the most modern and sophisticated riffles that can shoot through concrete and kill indiscriminately. Yes we will blame them for siphoning billions worth of our money, yet they have the judges and police officers that have been trained to be repressive, who kill thousands in a protest against the excesses of our leadership. Yes we will blame them, but they will continue to get the support of some western democracies whose interests in the nation supersede that of the common man. Yes we will. Is it our fault Mr. President that we have such leadership that we never chose. We have seen more than enough pain and agony come out of some countries where such leadership has led to the most blatant genocides the world has ever experienced and truly, we don’t envy those countries. It wasn’t the choice of nationals of those countries to be born there. Moreover it wasn’t their choice to have been brutally murdered. Just like us now, perhaps they were called upon to blame their leaders for their countries’ predicaments. While the leader who loses his popularity among the common man loses his position automatically in your democracies, most African leaders become stronger and more determined to stay in power when they lose their popularity, even if it will cost millions their lives. That is why African countries fight wars. Power does not change hands. One person holds power for longer than he can manage the affairs of his country. He gets tired and instead of going on retirement, opts to rest in the presidency. He makes countless pleasure trips abroad on his country’s finance. Such trips are made for reasons known to the common man as largely unproductive and non beneficial to the country. They create fictitious political parties to mislead the international community and convince donors that their countries practice true democracy. When their unpopularity can no longer be tolerated by the common man, they engage force which may eventually lead to civil war. Yes we will only blame them, for that is the only weapon you have equipped us with.

It is true that the predicaments of Africa should be blamed on our leaders. African leaders are often very corrupt dictators who siphon the resources of their countries and starch the money in foreign accounts, most of which are in the West. Hence a form of complicity between Western banks and our leaders is established as long as the money stays where they have kept it. Those banks are not our choice and for that we blame our leaders for their naivety and greed. If anybody can stop these banks from acting as accomplices to our corrupt leaders, it will definitely not be the common African. Blames have not been known to affect leaders one bit in Africa. Even if their atrocity caused the death of millions, they still raise their shoulders high and enter world respected circles with no one raising so much as a finger. The common African like me does not have any say in the future of my country, unless when we take to the streets. When that happens, our leaders, who feel that their dear power is threatened, deploy their most sophisticated killers they call soldiers to loot and kill indiscriminately. Moreover, blaming our predicaments on our leaders won’t provide bread on the table; it won’t reduce unemployment or solve the numerous crises that Africa is facing. Blames can never deliver Africa from the evils of her leadership. Yes they can never.

It is true that as president of the United States of America, you have your priorities which are contextual to the inner and outer stakes of your country and you as the commander-in-chief are expected to enhance the interests of your country the world over. Yet Sir, be informed that it was the desire to a great extent of almost every human being on earth to have you as president of the United States of America. Most of us thought and still do firmly think that you are like the Messiah who has come to wipe tears from the eyes of those who weep, give food to those who starve, medicine to those who are sick, shelter to those with no home, hope to those who fear and doubt, and correction to those who commit crimes against the common man with impunity. Have you been possessed yet by the true spirit of leadership Sir? We understand that the commitments of that House are many but Sir, your mission to the common man is imperative. You have been ordained to radically transform the life of every common man in this world. Perhaps I am just dreaming, perhaps I am not.
Whether we like it or not, your name will be engraved into some of the greatest tablets as a one time president of the United States; even if you folded your arms now and went and stayed in your grand mother’s house. There have been many presidents and more are yet to come. Yet the kind of president you will be is what matters most. What do you want posterity to say of your presidency? That may not be my business, yet it may be, somehow. It is not my place to judge you Sir; you are a man of integrity with your own vision in life. I truly believe that when your vision as president is consistent with the amelioration of the lives of all men, then your presidency will be the most popular so far.

Mr. President, I know that it always takes a bold radical step to do the right thing. Work for the common man with all your might, for he is the reason that you occupy that office. Many will oppose you when you set out to do the right thing. Many will persecute you. But no one can stop the right thing from being done. Only the wrong things are hidden. The right things are just done. We are doing our part everyday, though in the most difficult circumstances. Do yours for the common man; in Africa and the world over.

Your  Sincerely,
 Walang M. Abang,
African Commoner and Citizen of the World,

Cameroon Government Agrees With SCNC

By Hon. Ayah Paul Abine. 

It is not in dispute that the “Republic of Cameroun” attained independence on January 1, 1960. Nor is there any doubt that Southern Cameroons voted in a plebiscite on February 11, 1961, to join the “Republic of Cameroun”. The two states “federated” on October 1, 1961, and became known as the “Federal Republic of Cameroon”. But Ahidjo, the “President of the Federal Republic”, moved to abolish the federation as early as 1968. Whereas J N Foncha and A N Jua, leaning on Section 47 of “The Constitution of the Federal Republic”, objected, S T Muna took the opposite direction. By a presidential decree of that year, Ahidjo replaced the two objecting Anglophone leaders with the colluding Muna; and he who now doubled as the Vice President of the Federation, and the Prime Minister of West Cameroon with residence in Buea. Four years later, in 1972, the “peaceful revolution” transformed the country into the “United Republic of Cameroon” contrary to the said Section 47 of the “constitution” which provided, inter alia, that “No bill to amend the Constitution may be introduced if it tend(s) to impair…the integrity of the Federation”.

 By artificial resurrection, Muna, on the last day of 2009, some 41 years after his first pact, accomplished the task by leading manifestations at the National Museum that purported to seal the obliteration of the Anglophone identity.

Not too many reasonable persons would be surprised about this divisive official policy though. Since Ahidjo’s resignation in 1982, there has been the systematic effacement of the Anglophone identity and the distortion of the history of Anglophone Cameroon in manner inimical to national unity. Two years after taking office, Biya procured the National Assembly to change the name of the country to the “Republic of Cameroon” with a single star on the flag. The adoption of that name was exclusive of Anglophone belonging for reasons too obvious to dwell upon. And the dropping of the other star was like scrapping Anglophone Cameroon. And so was it indeed! Practically, the State authorities went ahead to commemorate the 30th anniversary of independence of the “Republic of Cameroun” in 1990. To consummate the exclusion, a postage stamp was produced carrying the map of the “Republic of Cameroon” exclusive of the territory of previous “West Cameroon”.

To justify the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the independence of “Cameroun” today, the noisy minister of communication has told the whole world that the only documents deposited with the Secretariat General of the United Nations do establish conclusively that the Independence Day of Cameroon is January 1, 1960; and that the celebration of the 50th anniversary is within international norms. He more or less enjoined journalists so to uphold! The President of the Republic soon contradicted him by telling the nation, most probably as an after-thought, that the said celebration is only a prelude to the celebration of “reunification” on October 1, 2011.

The minister’s utterance reminded me of a portrait I once saw in my late law professor’s house. I should paraphrase it as “May God help me to keep my big mouth shut until I know what I am talking about”. If reminiscences I have of my transient flirtation with the judiciary, prominent among them is that the guilty are ever eager to explain. If the minister had been familiar with the saying that “silence is golden” he certainly would have been so vociferous only after due introspection. The doorway here is usually adorned with knowledgeable wisdom, maturity and honesty, rare as they are. Half-truths and loquacity do only end up in a boomerang of betrayal.

In his attempt to hide the truth in a net, Mr. Minister only ended up corroborating and upholding squarely the assertion by SCNC that there never has been a union between the two “Cameroons” as there is no instrument in the said secretariat attesting to the fact of union. And the effect of such official admission wholly negatives the recommendation by the African commission that the SCNC should “abandon secessionism”.

 No pronouncement from a body with quasi judicial competence can be more preposterous! How does anyone see secession where the “part” has never been part of the whole? And how convincing is the President of the Republic in the face of that admission when he tells us that the fiftieth anniversary is a prelude to the celebration of October 1, 2011? Is he saying that Cameroon will have deposited new documents with the United Nations’ secretariat by then? And if we have two Independence Days, how on earth does anyone have the authority whatsoever to treat the SCNC as an illegal organization? The answers to those rhetorical questions should be catalysts for uneasy consciences.
The plain truth is that any conduct tending to exclude Anglophone Cameroon by returning to the pre-reunification status is unconstitutional. Some bold jurist would even read treasonable offences in such conduct in a country in a state of law, if one of such countries we are.

Citation of foreign examples and irrelevant quotations from foreign authors cannot help the situation. Wholly idle then is it that some talkative minister has cited the example of the United States to gloss over the unconstitutional character of the 50th anniversary celebration. Clearly, it was just one of those grotesque commandeering appearances of intimidation embellished with faulty premises that superimpose abstract harmony on disguised polemics. It makes no difference that someone is susceptible to contradiction!

If the minister had sought counsel, he would have been told that the United States’ Constitution of Abraham Lincoln of over 200 years old is still in force. All states adhering to the “Union” subsequent to the adoption of the said constitution do accept it upon adherence.
The situation of Cameroon is totally different. The “Republic of Cameroun” threw its constitution over board at “reunification” and submitted to “The Constitution of the Federal Republic”. That marked the demise of the “Republic of Cameroun”. A new nation was apparently born. We cannot bank on the constitution of the new nation to revive institutions that disappeared with the “Republic of Cameroun”. The contrary would only be true if we reincarnate the pre-reunification statuses, thereby rendering the crusade against SCNC unlawful. If the minister does not know this, any jurist would put him through with just a little bit of lowliness on his part.

Why did the minister go for the example of the United States of America by the way when Tanzania is at our doorstep? Has the minister forgotten, or does he not know that at the time Zanzibar attained independence on December 10, 1963 Tanganyika had been enjoying its own independence for years? Is it not true that when the two countries united on April 26, 1964, the last-mentioned date became their national day? Did their respective Independence Days not go into the archives as of course?

If one may ask again: why the example of the United States absolutely? Is it infatuation? If infatuation it is, the minister ought to have begun by asking himself what the United States did to get to where they are so that Cameroon can follow in their footsteps to get there soonest. Cameroon should not measure up to the United States only in talking! The true Cameroonian patriot then should begin by seeking answers to such fundamental questions as why Cameroon is still to manufacture its first hoe for tilling the soil almost half a century since “reunification” when Americans are flying to other planets in rockets. Anything that precedes such fundamental questions is mere self-serving political claptrap.

We surely are not too far from the truth when we hold that we are doomed because we have far too many talkers but far too few doers. What’s more, we glorify despotic domination for vacant grandeur, and perpetrate divisiveness that fosters perpetual occupation of the pedestal even as the masses are wasting away in crippling poverty designed, methinks, to impel subservience in consideration of benevolent doles.

Cameroon:Paul Biya and 2010

By Tazoacha Asonganyi in Yaounde.
Paul Biya delivered his 28th consecutive New Year Speech to the nation on 31 December 2009. Although it sounded just like the previous 27, it reminded me of Mongo Beti’s novel, "The Poor Christ of Bomba" first published in 1956. The high point of the novel is the failure of Rev. Father Superior Drumont to properly manage and supervise the women’s camp where girls who were being prepared for Christian marriage were lodged in the mission. The failure resulted in the local churchmen using the girls for their own immoral purposes. Importantly, when the scandal of the women’s camp became public knowledge, Rev. Father Superior graciously took full responsibility for the failure in these terms: "The guilty party in this whole affair is me...the last time I set foot in the women’s camp is almost twenty years ago now...I told one of my catechists then to make the rooms more comfortable and I suppose that he had done so..."

The problem with our own Rev. Father Superior is that he never accepts responsibility for his failures. Speech after speech, he talks about inertia, corruption, embezzlement of public funds, laxity...as if his poor leadership is not the principal reason for the shortcomings. He talks about imaginary projects - roads, buildings, power supply systems, mines and industries – as if mentioning them in every of his speeches would bring them about! As Barack Obama would put it, he deploys high-flying words in the service of cynical aims, and subverts the noblest sentiments in the name of power, experience, greed or intolerance!

Much of the speech was just a listing of the ordinary things that every government does: the daily struggle to add value to people’s lives. Rather than waste time and energy analyzing the projects mentioned in the speech for the umpteenth time, it is proper to just turn our minds to an example that ridicules such pompous announcements. South Korea which in 1961 had a per-capita income of less than $100 - slightly lower than Cameroon’s that had just become "independent" - is today world leader in iron and steel production, shipbuilding, chemicals, consumer electronics, and more. This is because instead of making empty speeches year after year, their leaders went to work and quickly caused the building of giant steel mills, shipyards, factories, a superhighway system... We just need to compare their GDP with our own today to understand the shame in the pompous announcements!!

We are told that ELECAM will be readjusted! After all, ELECAM is his thing: he can do what he likes with it, when he likes! Like it or not, he says it is a big plus for our...democracy! Never mind what you understand by democracy: we have our own standard of freedom, our own standard of democracy, our own standard of free and fair elections...!

Before the speech, the Minister of communication had acknowledged the "complicated" nature of the history of Cameroon. The minister had said that the independence day of the Republic of Cameroon is registered in official documents as 1 January 1960, as if the independence day of Southern Cameroons is not also registered in official documents as 1 October 1961.

Every schoolboy knows that the "complication" in our history was introduced by law n° 84-1 of February 4, 1984 that changed the name of the United Republic of Cameroon back to the Republic of Cameroon, the original name of one of the two parties that formed a united country on 1 October 1961. The change was in the hope that by a stroke of the pen, the identity of one UN Trust territory would disappear in that of another!
The minister’s noises seemed to be an effort at spin doctoring to prepare the ground for Paul Biya’s speech because it was effectively announced in the speech that 1st January 2010 is the 50th anniversary of “Cameroon’s" independence, without as much as blinking, and without as much as adding a nuance! And then he added further "complications": 2011 will see the celebration of 50 years of reunification! What was not mentioned is that 2011 will also mark 50 years of the independence of one part of Cameroon!

Paul Biya has stated before that he hears the appeals and motions of support sent to him, and that they are the most eloquent signs of encouragement addressed to him in the discharge of his responsibilities at the helm of State.
His lieutenants have since published the "motions" in a book titled "The People’s Call". In the New Year speech, he promises to carry out many projects and to spend billions on one group or the other, including scholarship to students without adequate accompanying measures to provide opportunities for employment at the end of the studies! In the end, it all sounded like a reiteration of his intention to seek another term of office. There is no doubt that like in the past, he will consider "The People’s Call" as a nomination and exploit his constitutional amendment to turn the Presidency of Cameroon into his permanent home. And we will continue to hear the same promises, and continue to stand still as other peoples move further and further away from us, like South Korea has since done!