CAMEROON NEEDS A NEW PRESIDENT!

On the 12th of July 2007, I said that if those who were scheming to manipulate Cameroon’s constitution succeed in making President Paul Biya a presidential candidate again in 2011, I too will run for the office of President of the Republic. My fear then was that we could end up with the same political actors, and a déja vu scenario in 2011 or a replica of the 1997 and 2004 presidential elections.

<sup>By Snowsel Ano - Ebie

And since 1990, there has never been any doubt in my mind that a new head of state will manage this country differently and lead it towards progress and development. What we obtain so cheap, we esteem so lightly, and that is how some people found themselves in the Unity Palace.</sup>

^{The wrong impression that a country like Cameroon gifted with natural resources, minerals and a conducive environment for its citizens to realize their full potential, but has not been endowed with talented young women and young men who are capable of providing leadership at the level of the presidency, pained my heart very much. I refused then to agree with the fact that those who in 1982 tried to give the former president the impression that only he was qualified to lead this country, should today stay around till kingdom come because they are being given the same impression.}

^{Cemeteries are filled with many people who yesterday thought they were indispensable.}

^{The office of President of the Republic is the most influential thing in Cameroon. Besides the traditional functions of serving as administrative head of the nation, commander in chief of the defense forces, head of the magistracy, making treaties, and granting pardons, in Cameroon, the president is so powerful that he appoints a new Prime Minister and members of his government on the same day, at the same time. He appoints all top administrative and military officials, he appoints all ambassadors and consular officers to foreign countries, and receives the accreditation of foreign diplomats. He designates the speaker of the National Assembly, is the only one who can succeed to get a bill through the National Assembly, and has the prerogative to single handedly appoint 30% of the Senate.}

^{In Cameroon, it is the President of the Republic that appoints members of Board of Directors of all State Corporations, the president of the board, General Managers and his/her deputy. The president is a judge who appoints all other judges and decides which cases should be tried and which prisoners should be pardoned. His every act is portrayed as infinite wisdom even when he contradicts previous acts. In a nutshell, in Cameroon, the president is worshiped as a deity, venerated as a demi-god who decides the fate and destiny of the nation and its citizens, and "talented" journalists and "educated" intellectuals are forever singing his praises. Some people are even equating the office to one particular individual, not stopping for once to think that it could have been Ni John Fru Ndi in 1992, and it can be Snowsel Ano-Ebie in 2011.}

<sup>The negative impacts of the world financial crises are already starring at us in the face, but the challenges of the 19th century have not been solved. The Ring Road has not been constructed, the Kumba-Mamfe Road has not become a priority, all our divisional head quarters have not been linked with tarred roads, and we still do not have an express train running between Douala and Yoaunde. We are still running an educational system that produces citizens who are not bilingual, technical education has not been made the bed rock of our development endeavours. Our food self-sufficiency has been taken for granted and agricultural production has not been mechanized. The public service has been transformed into a bastion of corruption, while its management is inefficient.

Our government is too big and the functional budget too huge for a country struggling with indebtedness and economic down turns. Wasteful government spending, coupled with tribalism, unemployment, widespread poverty, and a bankruptcy in moral values can best be addressed from the presidency, and I know that only a new president will have the guts to heal this nation. Conventional wisdom tells us that if you are the problem, you cannot be part of the solution. Only the keys to the Unity Palace can bring this country out of the doldrums.</sup>

^{The major political parties may be preparing to give us the same actors in 2011 but Cameroon desperately needs a new president. We need a young, dynamic and patriotic leader. A bilingual Cameroonian, born after 1972, with a broad based university education, a mastery of state institutions and at least five years in the management of public affairs, self-discipline, and the willingness to succeed can lead this country in 2011. This country needs a new head of state that is knowledgeable, available, and responsible. Let us stop pretending and deceiving ourselves that there is a deficit in the number of people who are qualified and who can rule Cameroon, because I know many of us who can.}