Constitutional revision: Biya’s risky adventure: People power is already rumbling!

Courtesy - The Herald Editorial

Paul Biya’s bill had hardly been voted on when the streets began to rumble. In fright, the president called off his trip abroad where he had to rest after the great task. Whether the strike is true now or not, people power threatens and is something to reckon with. From the Church, an unusual and forthright voice also warns the Yaounde authorities to beware of people power. Says February was child’s play.

Ask just anyone you meet their opinion on last week’s illicit tampering with the constitution to allow Paul Biya yet another term in 2011, and the answer you get is the same: ‘ Cameroon has fallen backwards; Cameroon is sinking.’

Twenty-five years so far (and 29 in 2011) of failed economic policies; patently corrupt and inefficient government, questionable governance and failed democratisation, and more, combined to render Cameroon, endowed with natural resources, fertile soil and a hard-working people, a failed, poor and beggarly nation.

With enormous patience, Cameroonians had very much looked forward to Biya’s retirement in 2011, in the ardent hope that with a new freely-chosen leader, Cameroon could have a new beginning and make up for the lost years.

It is just that hope that Paul Biya and his oligarchy are determined to deny Cameroonians. The assembly that voted the amendment bill is a fake one, derived from fake elections. And, contrary to spokesmen of the ruling CPDM click, the amendment was grossly unpopular. (A February 2008 poll by Gallup showed that an overwhelming 84% of Cameroonians disapprove of Paul
Biya).

There was, of course, never a shred of doubt that the amendment bill, like any other government bill, would be voted as soon as it was sent to the assembly. The real issue was the mighty risk that the project itself held for Biya and his regime.

We already drew attention to Biya’s good luck so far in that Cameroon’s donor partners have never so far made up their minds to sanction him for his piling political misconduct. But this time he went too far in defying them. Can they continue to pardon him at the very high cost to Cameroonians?

We have also often noted the public’s new sense of self-confidence which manifested in last February’s strike. We are sure that when all fails that cannot because it is the very policies of the regime that nourish and strengthen it.

People power, as we call it, seems already to be rumbling. There have been persistent talks about another strike that is expected to begin today. Try as hard as we can, this newspaper has been unable to know who are its organisers. For this reason anyone would dismiss it as baseless.
Not until we learnt that Paul Biya cancelled a planned journey abroad at the last moment (see our
main story), and all the militarization of the main towns of the five provinces that took part in last
February’s strike.

Last year September, against rumours of a coup d’état, Paul Biya traveled abroad for three weeks, including a trip to the United Nations. That was followed by another long week in France in October. The story did not bother Biya because it was unfounded.

This time it is not a coup, only a strike. And if it could have such an effect, then don’t dismiss it. That only tells you how real the regime is considering people power.

The answer is not to go to war with the people but to respect their legitimate aspirations. In this regard, Samuel Kleda, the archbishop coadjutor of Douala, who chaired the very recent meeting of the Catholic Episcopal Conference made forthright remarks.

Kleda is absolutely in no doubt that the real problem of Cameroon is one of social injustice that has caused severe socio-economic dis-functioning. Consequences: youth unemployment, rising cost of essential commodities and weak purchasing power of the masses, and corruption that blocks economic development.

The archbishop calls upon public authorities to face the problems squarely and approach solutions with a spirit of dialogue, reconciliation and respect for Cameroonians.

Unless public authorities are serious and objective in this, let them know that last February’s violence was only a wake-up call. A greater shock is in store for them, ie a popular uprising that will embrace the whole country.

Amending the constitution for one man!

Paul Biya has intimidated the people, who have clearly expressed their opposition to his life presidency scheme, in order to push through his selfish constitutional review project in parliament. But he should know that threat has always instilled obedience only temporarily

By Tazoacha Asonganyi in Yaounde

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’s aspirations. 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 realise 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 realised 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 that power 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 enumerating constitutional provisions on paper is not to guarantee them; they are not worth the parchment they are written on if they are so 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.

Constitutional amendment:Defiant, Paul Biya embarks upon a risky adventure!

EDITORIAL, The Herald Newspaper

Against opposition at home and from vital donors abroad Biya has gone ahead to amend the constitution so as to stay in power beyond 2011. To ignore powerful foreign partners and the kind of people power we witnessed recently is foolhardy. Biya may still be counting on his usual good luck which has helped him to escape the sanctions of the international community for a long history of flawed elections. But his poor record in office over 25 years can no longer guarantee
that luck. This time we will see how he will escape both donors’ wrath and people power.

Those whom the gods will destroy, they first render mad! Anyone familiar with the extreme unpopularity of Paul Biya’s intention to continue in office after 2011 cannot but suspect that this ancient Greek observation is now at work in Cameroon.

The fierceness with which the policies of the government, particularly the amendment of the
constitution, are opposed was symbolised in the rioting, looting and destruction of February’s strike.

Cameroonians have not been alone in opposing Biya’s risky adventure. The EU, France and Britain, Cameroon’s most important donors, took turns only last week to urge the president to retire so there can be power change in 2011. That year Biya will be clocking 28 continuous years in office!

The US position which had been made known a lot earlier was exactly the same as that of the Europeans. US authorities have even been urging Biya to make good a promise he made to George W. Bush at the White House five years ago that he would unfailingly retire in
2011.
It was against that background that Biya went ahead last Friday and sent the constitutional
amendment bill to parliament. There was absolutely no question that Biya was
determined to defy, or even confront, these powers as well as ignore the will of Cameroonians!

In fact, it happened that Biya sent his bill to parliament right after receiving Georges Serre, the
French ambassador, who had come to personally convey both the French government and the EU common position on the matter. Disregard, you might call that.

How else would one regard Biya other than that he is on the road to self-destruction? Think of it. It was the sympathetic support of donor governments that permitted the regime another lease on life with the 2006 admission into the HIPC initiative (ie total debt cancellation).

Without their support Cameroon would be rejected by multilateral donors like the World bank/IMF and all the assistance they grant. The regime could be choked out of existence. But does Biya care?

One must admit, though, that the Etoudi occupant has so far had a good record in escaping the wrath of the international community. Just imagine how good Biya’s luck has been.

Since October 1992, Yaounde has repeatedly escaped punishment for deliberately refusing to correct its flawed electoral system that keeps the regime in power.

Cameroon’s twelve-year membership of the Commonwealth is a story of broken promises, starting with Biya’s brazen refusal to adhere to the Harare Declaration, the very principles of good governance by which membership is defined.

On the issue of a credible electoral system, Biya’s sense of impunity and defiance was openly displayed in December 2006 when he made a sudden u-turn on the Commonwealth with which he had worked for a year and a half at his own request to create a “truly independent election management organ in Cameroon.”

But the Commonwealth forgave the affront with amazing grace. Such is the generous pardon that Biya has usually received for his political sinfulness. No doubt the president feels confident his streak of good luck will continue with the present adventure.

If his overall record had been glowing there would probably be good reason to continue to count on the goodwill of the international community. But that is far from being so.

In the last one year international watchdogs on good governance, corruption, governmental efficiency, and more all took turns to rank Cameroon low on their scales of performance. A Gallop survey also put Biya’s approval rating at a meagre 16%.

Given such a horrific record; given the already long years in office, and given the daringness of the project that can only be achieved with rigged elections, it remains to see if this time the
international community would be complacent.

And even if that failed the huge and explosive anger of the masses, a bit of which was witnessed at the recent strike, is an ever-looming danger to watch.

With the odds that Biya has so painstakingly stacked against himself, isn’t it just possible that the
president is still counting on luck that may since have left him?
Hasn’t the president provoked the vengeance of the
gods?

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

How biya steered constitutional revision maneuvers

Admirers applauded him for being a master planner, while some exasperated detractors only saw an evil genius at work When President Paul Biya addressed the nation on 6 July, less than three weeks to the 22 July twin parliamentary and council elections and called for “clear majorities”, very few Cameroonians understood his underlying intentions.

Paul Biya repeated his call through the government run CRTV airwaves on 22 July shortly after casting his vote. On 15 August, after the Supreme Court had already declared results of the elections, Biya thanked Cameroonians for giving his ruling CPDM party the “clear majorities”. The president was a very triumphant man. His CPDM party finally grabbed 153 out of the 180 seats in Parliament, way above the two-third majority required for a constitutional amendment. But at the time, although many suspected that Biya had intentions to revise the constitution and make himself president for life, most of them hoped they were wrong. The mist surrounding the issue began to clear on 30 October 2007 when the French television channel, France 24, broadcast a recorded interview Biya granted them a few days earlier. In the interview, when asked about whether he would modify the constitution so as to be able to run for the 2011 presidential election, Biya said he had more important preoccupations than the 2011 elections, then added, “I leave those who want to open the debate to do so. Because there are also people who say that to ensure continuity, I should run again in 2011”. Seven days later, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Biya’s accession to power, the CPDM baron and general manager of the Cameroon Shipyard corporation, Zacheus Forjindam, led a team of CPDM officials in his native Santa – NorthWest Province to send a motion to President Biya advocating the revision of Article 6.2 of the constitution that provides for a seven-year term for the president renewable once. For other CPDM barons across the country, Fornjindam had demonstrated political ingenuity at its best. In panic, Prime Minister Ephraim Inoni got his Fako CPDM constituents to adopt a similar motion two days later. But even then, Lekie division had beaten him to it, as the CPDM there had already adopted a motion late on 6 November.The rush had begun. In the subsequent days and weeks, CPDM elites dashed to their constituencies across Cameroon to obtain motions pleading with Biya to reign for life. Although some CPDM officials, MPs and grassroots militants tried to resist, the constitutional revision machinery trod the nation like a pitiless colossus, crushing every dissenter.

When the CPDM Central Committee finally issued a communiqué thanking militants for their calls for a life presidency for Biya it was only a mater of time for Biya to make his penultimate move. On 31 December, during his end-of-year message, Biya finally announced that Article 6.2 of the 1996 constitution would effectively be revised to allow for unlimited presidential terms. During most of the CPDM hysteria over motions for a life presidency, many opposition parties and civil societies groups whispered threats of resistance. But as one observer said, they all sounded like the cowardly bark of a dog that already has its tail between its legs. Biya’s ultimate act would likely be to table a bill this 2008 at the National Assembly where his crushing CPDM majority would rubber stamp his proposal to become Cameroon’s president for life. As to what might happen, your guess is as good as mind. God safe Cameroon.

Yemti Harry Ndienla Esq

Senior Journalist,

P. 0 Box 494 Buea,

Southwest Province Republic of Cameroon,

West Africa.

Cell; 237 772 52 03

mcyemtih@yahoo.com