CODE: Cameroonian Pro-Democracy Group calls for Paul Biya to leave power

A pro-democracy group is calling for Paul Biya, who has ruled Cameroon
for the past 30 years to leave power and make way for democratic
change and free political prisoners.

The group has used online media to make the call, and judging from the
feedback on online forums, Cameroonians seem more than ready to heed
the call.

A few voices were noted to have criticized the move by CODE, saying
the leaders of the pro-democracy group should come to Cameroon to make
their call for Biya to resign.

But there is no free speech in Cameroon. Lapiro de Mbanga, a very
popular musician has been jailed for more than 2 years without any
charges, and Bibi Ngota an Investigative journalist died in jail while
looking into corruption at the presidency of the republic of Cameroon.

As noted in an earlier post in this blog, Cameroonians are more than
ready to push out Biya. He spends all his time in Switzerland, and has
a permanent scorn whenever he has to meet Cameroonians. The people are
just tired of the lack of economic opportunities, and repressive laws
which Biya has used for the past 3 decades to keep Cameroonians in
check.

Cameroonians are now watching, it will be either Yaounde or Doaula
that will serve as the trigger to what will very quickly turn into a
raging blaze that will sweep away Biya.

Any Cameroonian who dies from this day hence, will spill his or her
blood directly into Mr Biya's hands. He will do Cameroon a great
service if he immediately returns to Switzerland where he spends most
of his time.

The CODE has done the right thing. 50 more years of Biya rule will not
advance Cameroon a single inch. Cameroonians have an interest to rally
behind the CODE's call.

We need not wait for the anticipated presidential elections. Fru Ndi,
erstwhile opposition leader has been discredited, by showing how close
he is to Biya in Public.

The destiny of Cameroon lies squarely in the hands of Cameroonians.
The time has come, and "Biya Must Go"!

Biya's exit strategy: Cameroon 2011

2011 seems to be a bad year for autocrats. A new wind of change is
blowing across the continent. Autocrats who came to power shortly
after independence and who felt they had consolidated their power and
appeared at the point of handing over power to their offspring are
seeing the carpet pulled from under them.

First, it was Tunisia, then Egypt, and now Yemen appears to be the
next. It is highly suspected the popular uprisings will soon reach sub
Saharan Africa.

Countries which seem ripe for democratic transition include Cameroon.
After 30 years of autocratic rule, the people of this impoverished
country want their longtime ruler, Paul Biya to step down. However,
like most despots who lack a clear vision for their country, he has
ran the economy into the ground, and has lost so much ground since the
advent of social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter which allow
people to bypass government censorship.

People openly speak their minds, and the Cameroonian blogosphere is
increasingly critical of Biya and his cronies for the
institutionalization of corruption.

The lack of economic progress, crumbling infrastructure and a feeling
that the president spend far too much time in his home in Switzerland
has the people ready for an uprising to push out Biya.

Another reason is the increasing repression of artists and scholars.
Lapiro de Mbanga, a poplar singer among the working class has been
jailed since 2008 without judgment, senior government figures are also
languishing in jail in what is well known as targeted political
imprisonments.

With every passing hour, Webmasters are noting increasing activity on
Cameroonian online forums and websites. Something is abrew. Biya
stands no chance. Cameroonians know he won't show any spine like
Egypt's Mubarak. Since he has treated his close collaborators with so
much scorn, he is pretty much a sitting duck. And he always has the
official jet, the "Swallow" never more than 30 minutes away wheerever
he goes in the country. This Gulfstream II, equiped for Long Range
operation can fly straight from Mvomeka to Switzerland with Biya and
his family, sparing Cameroonians much bloodshed.

Chances are very slim that at the end of this year, Biya will still be
in Etoudi. The earlier he leaves, so that Lapiro de Mbanga and other
political prisoners are freed to get back to their families, the
better for the country. If he had any vision or great plan or positive
ideas to bring to the table, he would have done so over the past 30
years.

However, we have seen Cameroon descend in human rights rankings, and
in the poverty index. It is time to turn over a new page in Cameroon's
history, one without Paul Biya.
In other words, "Biya Must Go"!

Guess how long Biya of La Republique du Cameroun will last after his 30 year rule.

After 30 years of autocratic rule characterized by corruption and
suppression of economic and social progress of almost 20 million
people, the time seems to have come for the regime in Cameroon to give
way to democratic rule.

Paul Biya, who heads this regime seems to have taken the country's
treasury as his personal cash cow. He spends his time in Switzerland
and only returns to give speeches during national events, and this is
about 5 or 6 times a year.

Cameroonians, thanks to Facebook and Twitter, are now conversant with
the movement of their president. They also follow his movement, in
trying to understand where his ill-gotten wealth is being concealed.

In today's world of WikiLeaks and a 24 hour news cycle, it has become
evident that Biya's expiry date has long passed. Cameroonians are
anxiously waiting for the last straw that will break the camel's back.

More likely than not, the error of the autocratic gerontology ruling
Cameroon will come for the well paid, but greedy Police force. They
are well known to harass University graduates who try to make a living
ferrying passengers on imported Chinese bikes.

When that day comes, Mr Biya who has been careful not to groom a clear
successor like Mubarak of Egypt, will find out just how quick his
ministers will turn their back on him. He does not hold cabinet
meetings, does not meet them on a regular basis. This will play
against him as there won't be any personal questions of loyalty to
him.

After all, most of those ministers are known to be corrupt, and
wouldn't want to be associated with a radioactive Biya, or lose their
privilege to travel to the West where they have invested their
ill-gotten wealth.

The failure of the Biya regime to develop the Bakassi peninsula, even
after it was handed back to Cameroon by Nigeria, tell a lot about the
lack of a vision on Biya's part.
Even more telling, the president headed to Switzerland where he lives,
and reluctantly returned to the country after a senior government
administrator and other senior military figures stationed in Bakassi
were abducted.

The military brass, like General Pierre Semengue and Tataw James will
under no circumstance put their quiet retirements on the line by
trying to shoot civilians in Cameroon. So in the case of an uprising,
Biya will suddenly find himself all alone, and if you add the freezing
of his assets, without any funds to live his lavish lifestyle.

In any event, he built a private airstrip in his village Mvomeka, one
sturdy enough to handle a Boeing 737. So taking off from there, he
will be just about 6 hours from his home in Geneva Switzerland.
Cameroonians wish he leaves sooner, rather than later.

After Egypt, Cameroon WILL be next! "Biya Must Go"!

After 30 years of rule like Mubarak of Egypt, how long can Paul Biya of Cameroon last?

There are many parallels between Paul Biya of Cameroon and Hosni
Mubarak of Egypt. Both were appointed Prime Minister in the mid -
seventies of their countries, then after the sudden opening of the top
slot in the land, became president.
President Anwar Sadat was assassinated, and Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned
reportedly after some bad advice.

The two men, both Prime Ministers, then ascended to the Presidency
without a popular mandate.

Another trait common between the two is the grooming of their sons to
take their seats once they left power, Gamal Mubarak in Egypt, and
Frank Biya in Cameroon.

Furthermore, the take their fellow citizens for immature and
uninformed fools. Mubarak spoke very patronizingly to his countrymen
less than 24 hours before theyouths pushed him out. In 2008, Paul Biya
characterized youths in Cameroon as wanna be sorcerers. The youths
didn't react but they didn't forget either.

As Mr Biya rushes to Geneva to add layers of protection and obfuscate
his ill-gotten wealth estimated independently in the Billions of
dollars and which is the object of at least one court battle in
France, the Cameroonian blogoshere is alight with calls for his
departure.

All elements are in place for a chase a la Mubarak, only, for Biya, he
will be more than happy to leave. He spends most of his time in
Switzerland and whenever he returns to the country, he has a permanent
sneer when talking to Cameroonians.

Him, his wife and entourage all carry foreign passports. His children
attend foreign schools as he deems Cameroonian schools inferior.

His healthcare needs are attended to in Europe, as no Cameroonian
hospital is up to the task. So we may ask, does Biya deserve to hold a
beautiful and glorious country hostage for 30 years?

Does Biya deserve to spend Cameroonian taxpayers money in chartering
planes to spend in Switzerland?

Check out Camerooninfo.net and judge for yourself.

As for me, the time has come for all Cameroonians to rise up as one
man and say "Biya Must Go"!