Anti-Biya life presidency coalition on offensive trip to US

By Harry Ndienla Yemti

The civil society platform against the institution of a life presidency for President Paul Biya of Cameroon, has embarked on an offensive visit to the US to acquaint various authorities with current attempts in Cameroon to institute a monarchy and kill democracy.

Upon their arrival in the US recently, the group which has been pressing US authorities to put pressure on President Biya to abandon his unpopular life-presidency adventure, was received at the US state Department by under-secretary of state for Africa, Jendayi Frazer.
Although much is yet to be gotten from their meetings, officials of the civil society platform in Yaounde told local newspapers that the US state Department was disturbed by reports that Cameroonians who are opposed to the life presidency project are not allowed to peacefully assemble freely and express their opinions. US ambassador to Cameroon, Janet Garvey, had already expressed her government’s position on the life presidency issue when she told journalists that the United States is opposed to self-seeking constitutional revisions.

She recently remarked “we have constantly spoken out against changing executive term limits in other countries, such as in Nigeria, and we would recommend against an effort to amend the constitution when such a move could be perceived as being for the benefit of one
individual or group,” Garvey told journalists in Yaounde, Cameroon.

She said while constitutional changes are themselves not bad, alternation of power is important. “The United States’ position is clear-as I have said already –we acknowledge that every country’s right to change its constitution and in our experience, term limits and periodic leadership change-at least every decade-are healthy for democracy,” said Garvey.

It is probably for that reason that various US institutions and organizations programmed working
sessions with the powerful delegation lead by Hilaire Kamga, of Nouveax droits de l’homme. They include the Congressional Black Caucus, the National Governors’ Association, Freedom House, National Democratic Institute, and National Endowment for Democracy, Open Society, Global Rights and the Voice of America.

The Civil Society Coalition announced in January that it was engaging in actions to put pressure on the Biya regime to abandon its announced plans to convert Cameroon to a de facto monarchy by revising the two-term limit clause in the constitution.

If the constitution is revised to allow for unlimited presidential terms, Paul Biya will almost certainly cling to power for life, as elections, which his agents control, are manipulated to ensure that he wins by a predetermined score