Cameroon 2011: Is Biya legitimate?

Winning elections used to be a stroll in the park for entrenched dictators like Paul Biya. Cameroonians mounted a weak protest in 2008 in the face of yet another amendment of the constitution of the oil rich African nation which allowed the aging leader, 78 year old Paul Biya to stand yet for another mandate as President of the Republic after 36 years in power.

Those who attempted to mount opposition to this move quickly found themselves in jail. The electoral process in Cameroon is not credible, and Paul Biya now finds himself in the midst of popular rejection by Cameroonians. In a democracy, it is abnormal for an individual, and his tribesmen to dominate the rest of the country, stifling any diverging voice or point of view and throwing political opponents in jail. Professor Titus Edzoa, whose only crime was to have dared to stand as a candidate for the 1997 presidential elections is still in jail, with the keys in Paul Biya's pocket.

The official website of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon ( www.prc.cm ) so far shows only two congratulatory messages, one from the figurehead German Federation President Christian Wulff (real power lies with the Chancellor, Angela Merkel), and the second, from the Moroccan King, Mohammed VI (Arab Spring knocking on his door after Libya - solidarity anyone?). No other head of state or leader has addressed a congratulatory message to Paul Biya, eight days after he was declared winner of the presidential elections.

The silence is telling. Even other African Presidents have not broken ranks to congratulate Biya. Total silence from Ndjamena to Libreville, Abuja to Malabo. Even the highly visible rapprochement he has had with the Communist People's Republic of China has not earned him a friendly message from President Hu Jintao. Slowly, beautiful Cameroon is becoming a pariah State under the stewardship of Paul Biya. When a man takes all the resources of his country and places them in the hands of his tribesmen, who in turn brutalize the rest of the citizenry, he will one day meet his reckoning from those same tribesmen to whom he conferred power.

Once more, we have to say, Biya still has time...not much time, but just enough to leave power, retire peacefully to his beloved Lake Geneva beach residence and save face. Whether he gets indicted by the International Tribunal at the Hague or some other legal Jurisdiction for plundering the Cameroon's treasury and Human Rights abuses that occurred during his 36 year watch, is a question that will be left to the fresh and dynamic leaders who will rise up to reverse 36 years of despotic rule to decide.

The real score for Mr Biya during the 2011 presidential election is visible on his very own official website. He has been rejected firstly by the Cameroonian people, and now, by his peers!

Cameroon: Biya envoy attempts to appease Cameroonian Diaspora.

Henri Eyebe Ayissi, Cameroon's External Relations Minister is on a mission. He will be in Paris, France, this Sunday, October 30th 2011 to meet Cameroonians. His singular goal, stem the growing tide of domestic and International opposition to the Biya regime. For a brief recap, Paul Biya has been effectively ruling the oil rich African nation since 1975 when he became Prime Minister. Under his tenure, the country's infrastructure has collapsed while Mr Biya enjoys lengthy holidays on the shores of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. He is propped up by a deeply entrenched tribalistic cabal with close ties to the Communist People's Republic of China.

Presidential elections which were held on the 9th of October 2011 saw record low voter turnout - the result was known in advance - Paul Biya will be the winner.






Failing the endorsement by the International Community for a victory widely seen as a sham by Paul Biya, for the first time in his 36 years of rule, he seeks to dialogue with Cameroonians. He is too important to talk to ordinary Cameroonians and sends his External Relations Minister to Paris, no doubt with a suitcase full of cash to silence critics.

Meaningful criticism can only come from the diaspora. When pop star Lapiro de Mbanga expressed his views against yet another mandate by the seventy-eight year old president, Paul Biya promptly had the artist jailed. No one can openly criticize Mr Biya in Cameroon and sleep peacefully at night. Many have found out the hard way.

Mr Henri Eyebe Ayissi should give his colleague Gregoire Owona a lesson in diplomacy, so that  he refrains from insulting foreign dignitaries. It is in bad taste and not representative of Cameroonian values.


Cameroonians just wish Mr Paul Biya would retire and leave the nation to continue its progress in peace. Mr Henri Eyebe Ayissi seems to think otherwise. No doubt he is heading to France to make the case for Mr Biya. The people will prevail.