The recent visit of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to Yaounde, has prompted a profound reflection as to the intent, the purpose and impact of such a high-level visit at this time in the political life of Cameroon. The question of who gains what from such a visit has made the following observations necessary.
To the People of Cameroon:
The people of Cameroon need to be better conscientized so that they can start making informed choices concerning the political life of this country. They need to know that a visit such as this one was not meant to bring about the change we as Cameroonians seek. That visit only benefits the government of Mr. Paul Biya who likes to play to the gallery, instead of addressing the political, economic and social ills which have haunted this country for decades. That visit was only one more gimmick the regime in Yaounde organized in
order to upstage itself and maintain its stranglehold on power. Therefore, our collective destiny lies only in our hands. We are all fed up with this Biya system and want to see it replaced with a more credible system which respects principles of constitutional democracy. So, what we need to do is to stand firm with the opposition forces, register massively for elections, vote massively and defend your votes massively. Our fate lies only in our hands. Whatever problems we have as a people, the solution can only come from us. Whatever
high-level visit organized by Mr. Paul Biya and his regime, will benefit us nothing.
To the Opposition in Cameroon:
The opposition in Cameroon is very, very weak and inefficient. The government is aware of this weakness and it is taking total advantage of it. The opposition is allowing itself to be fooled into thinking that this government invited the UN Commission for Human Rights for the benefit of the opposition or even for the
good of Cameroonians. That invitation was only meant to manipulate the international community and use that as a leverage to keep the citizens marginalized. The government was using that visit to legitimize its plans
of making it impossible for popular candidates to take part in the forthcoming elections, thereby making its rigging machinery more efficient.
It is said that once a man can ask you to do something and you do it, then he has total control over you. To achieve its aim of subjugating the opposition, the government succeeded in organizing a meeting between the UNHCHR and the opposition. The opposition went into the meeting without any plan and nothing to offer.
That is why they came out of it even worse than they went in because they didn’t seem to have contributed anything and nothing came out of it that strengthened them. A lengthy report of the visit was published, less
than 48 hours after the meeting, showing that it was all a masquerade. The contents of the report contained nothing apart from the usual rhetoric about human rights abuses and eventual punishment of the culprits.
Besides, it seemed to point to anybody as the culprits except the government, whereas the government’s human rights abuses are legendary.
The opposition needs to realize that,
1. Its strength and the probability of its success now depend on putting Cameroon and Cameroonians above their individual and organizational affiliations.
2. Cameroon’s problem can only be solved by Cameroon, perhaps using its recognized institutions like political formations.
3. The government only uses those international organizations to legitimize its stranglehold on power by the use of force. Therefore, to make itself a force to reckon with, the opposition needs to:
1. Make all forthcoming elections to be predicated only on two positions:
a) Those who want a continuation of the present Biya-CPDM system and
b) Those who want a complete removal of Mr. Biya and his system of fraud, corruption and bad governance.
2. Start discussions on how to replace the present regime by sticking to the two positions mentioned above, while also formulating what to replace it with and how to arrive at that objective.
To achieve this, the opposition must create a space, a platform, an ante chamber, where these strategies are discussed and made public to the Cameroon people. For long, the opposition has not been clearly and
convincingly focused on Cameroon and the Cameroonian people, in much the same way as the Biya system.
Both the Biya-CPDM system and the opposition have been bed-fellows in ostracizing the people and this has been the principal weakness of the opposition. This is an opportunity for the opposition to change that course
and become more people-centred. That will be the way to draw the line between who is for the present system and who wants change. Whatever alliances or coalitions are formed, the opposition, consisting of the
leaders of political parties, leading opinion voices, and the civil society organizations need to regularly discuss developments in the political life of the country, take a common stand and communicate it to the people. Only
then will they draw the people to their side and show enough strength that can cause this government to sit up.
To the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Sir, this goes to you, as well as the UN and the International Community as a whole.
The majority of Cameroonians are convinced that the UN and its organs are absolutely ineffective in helping oppressed people. Your invitation to Yaounde was only a scheme with which the regime wants to hold on to power by force. Presently the government is preparing to prevent popular candidates from participating in the forthcoming presidential elections and since that move will be coming on the heels of your visit, it will seem as though you were part of the scheme. However good your intentions may have been, this regime will use it against the people of Cameroon and thence the perception that you and your organization are helpers in their predicament.
This means therefore, that you need to do more for oppressed people under dictatorships like that of Mr. Biya in Yaounde. If you and the rest of the international community, don’t distance yourselves from Mr. Biya’s
intrigues, and political maneuvers which make it impossible for Cameroonians to obtain justice, they will continue to feel marginalized and oppressed with the help and collaboration of the international community.
Atemkeng Peter ,Civil Society Advocate
