I have never been as interested in politics as I am now in my entire life. The last time I showed any interest in political developments was during the 2008 US presidential election. Even then, my role in the matter was limited to observing how political discourse is conducted in the cradle of democracy. I was in America, and history was about to be made with the election of the first black man to the White House. By the color of my skin, I was concerned.
If you are classified in the youth category in this country, I believe this year’s presidential election in Cameroon should be, or will become, your primary business. It has never been this imperative for you to engage in political discourse.
Most of you reading this today have known only one president your whole life. Meanwhile, nature might have it that Biya should hang up the boots at this age; we all know he might not be ready for any rendezvous with no longer being president, even though it is almost established that for Cameroon to have a prosperous hereafter, it must be released from Biya’s yoke.
Unfortunately for us, our political system has conditioned us to be speculators, as we do not know precisely when the elections will be held. That Biya even mentioned, in his year-end speech, that there will be elections this year is a victory already for us and this year’s presidential hopefuls. We have come to expect somewhat maniacal, dictatorial political manoeuvres from long-serving African political leaders – the type that will make an administrative decree cancelling elections not so far-fetched.
Currently, I understand that five candidates have announced their intentions. So far, we’ve seen activity in the camps of Maurice Kamto and Akere Muna, who both spoke to the nation alongside Biya at the end of the year.
I am watching closely, and I hope to help you navigate their campaigns. I don’t want to get ahead of the candidates, but beyond promises of structural reform, I will be looking for the vision each one has for Cameroon. A lot is being said about fixing the malfunctioning government, but that will not be enough for the president who will be receiving a country whose citizens have lost touch with its collective essence.
When I talk about vision beyond tactics, I mean I want to hear statements like “I will work to make Cameroonians healthier and increase life expectancy” rather than “I will make healthcare more affordable.” Those might sound similar, but they require very different strategies and tactics. I also want to hear things like “Cameroon must elevate its status as one of Africa’s top tourist destinations” instead of “I will fix our bad roads.”
That said, Akere was a guest on Canal2’s La Grande Interview – a program hosted by Jean Bruno Tagne two days ago, and I would like to speak on a few things that came up—for the benefit of those who did not watch the program. My hope is that we start to analyze each candidate’s ideas or views on how they plan to organize and run Cameroon as president. The goal is to help us make more informed decisions when we go to the ballot boxes, whenever Biya tells us when that will be.
AkERE ON HIS PROGRAM (IN GENERAL):
Tagne, asked Akere to speak on the program he will be using to gain our support, arguing that it seems Akere Tagne asked Akere to speak about the program he will use to gain our support, arguing that it seems Akere is relying more on his personality and career profile than on an actual plan to pull Cameroon out of the rubble. In response, Akere stated that he has a plan which includes:-is banking on his personality and career profile more than an actual plan that will pull Cameroon out of the rubble. To this, Akere asserted that he has a plan which include:-
Zero tolerance for corruption
Providing Universal Health Care (Whatever that means)
Equal Treatment for all (End favoritism, tribalism, and all other isms)
Make sure Justice is seen to be done
Restructuring the civil/public service to reward hardwork
AKERE ON DUAL NATIONALITY
In his year-end speech, Akere discussed his plan to urge the diaspora to actively participate in rebuilding Cameroon. He intends to allow Cameroonians to hold more than one nationality and promises to facilitate travel for those who acquire additional passports, reducing unnecessary restrictions and red tape. Part of his program includes allocating a portion of public contracts specifically for Cameroonians in the diaspora. His aim is to tap into the vast pool of knowledge that the current regime has alienated through its hostile treatment of Cameroonians trying to contribute their expertise to Cameroonian industry. He reiterated this point during the interview.
AKERE ON SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
First, let’s refresh our memories.
A system of government distributes power among various parts and levels of the state. The amount of power held by the central government determines the type of government a state has. Today, there are three main systems of government: unitary systems, federal systems, and confederate systems.
A unitary system has the highest level of centralization. In a unitary state, the central government holds all the power. Lower-level governments, if they exist at all, only implement the policies of the national government. In a strictly unitary state, the same set of laws applies across the entire country without variation.
A federal system combines national and state or local governments. The federal government usually has precedence over local governments in defense and foreign policy, but local governments have significant influence over most other policy areas. Sometimes, local governments implement national policies, which means that, in practice, the “national” policy can differ greatly from one place to another.
A confederate system (somewhat extinct) is at the opposite extreme in terms of centralization. A confederacy is a loose association among a number of smaller political units. The majority of political power rests with the local governments; the central federal government has very little authority. Local governments have significant freedom to act as they choose.
Akere promises to adopt a federal system. However, he is open about not being sure how many states or regions will be formed and whether the anglophone regions will be combined into a single state or split into two separate states.
Finally
ON THE FCFA
When asked if Cameroon would continue to use the CFA or adopt its own currency, he preferred to leave the decision to economic experts to guide his decision. It seems like it’s something he will need to look into, but he insisted that there are many economic consequences associated with leaving the FCFA. It is a decision that should only be made after technical experts in monetary affairs clarify the implications, he says.
