AN ODD PRAYER FOR PAUL BIYA

AN ODD PRAYER FOR PAUL BIYA

There is a certain visible impatience and irritation among some Cameroonians concerning President Paul Biya. There are people who feel he should go. But since he is still in power and the callers are frustrated, they have resorted to outright insults and `diabolisation` of the individual.

One does not have to look far to see this annoyance. It is in newspapers, it is on internet social media, it is in politicians` speeches and even in church sermons. Similarly, one hears the antagonism in private conversations.

Some people have gone as far as wishing death on Paul Biya. Some have said he is of the devil and others have even called him “Satan”. Once, women even marched naked in the streets of Bamenda in another attempt to bring Paul Biya down. The women did so in the name of the powerful secret society of women known as the “Tekumbeng”. That did not work.

Therefore, as Cameroonians, we have sentenced our president to death a thousand and one times. What baffles us is that he is still alive and still firmly in power, despite our many whishes and prayers to the contrary. Even so, we look powerless and incapable of doing anything to him.

However, while I was a guest of the Deeper Life Church in Kumba recently, I was taken aback that when it was time for the pastor to address prayers and wishes to God, he behaved differently towards Paul Biya. The pastor who is the Reverend Amakon Samuel in charge of the Kumba Region of the church, called on God to guide President Paul Biya, his ministers, senators, parliamentarians and Councilors and others who assist him in governing. He asked God to build them so that they would in turn build the nation.  He appealed to  God to keep them alive and strong, and endow them with extraordinary wisdom so that we can have a peaceful and prosperous nation.

When I asked why the pastor behaved so differently from others, I was told that it is the Christian`s duty to pray to God and pray incessantly, so that God makes things better. The act of “judging” others, I was told, belongs to God and God alone. And that after all, God is not a fool. He knows what he is doing. So we should not attempt to dictate to him.