WHAT SHALL BIYA TELL THE NATION?

WHAT SHALL BIYA TELL THE NATION? Tonight at 8pm, President Paul Biya is expected to address the nation in the traditional Head of State`s message to the Cameroonian nation. Usually, the president uses the occasion to look back at the year just ended and then do a projection on the year about to begin. One aspect he will mention is the triple elections that took place in 2013. They are the Council, parliamentary and Senate elections. Obviously, the president will say that the elections went well. But, he should look at the way his party, the CPDM, flashed money around in order to obtain votes. Despite the elections, Cameroon is still a long way from its objective of decentralization. The country still depends too heavily on Yaounde the national capital, because so far only a semblance of power has been devolved to the local communities. The president should give Cameroonians a reason for not traveling to Buea as promised to celebrate fifty years of reunification. This trip was announced over a year ago. At one point he said the trip would take place by the ends of 2013. There are other “failed” projects which Biya is expected to explain. One is the Kumba-Mamfe road project. People traveling to Mamfe from Yaounde, Doula and Bafoussam are obliged to go up to Balmenda and then through Bali, Batibo and Widikum. Because of the impending arrival, the University of Buea has put on hold some of its scheduled programmes such as graduation of students. Also, the president may have to comment on the civil unrest that took place at the university some months ago with students going on the rampage. In the event, some were taken to court and jailed. They wrote a letter of complaint to the president. Apart from that, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Nalova Lyonga must personally be greatly looking forward to the visit because if it happens she will be shaking hands with the president for the first time after her appointment as Vice Chancellor. The president is expected to reassure Cameroonians that henceforth they will not be penalized and humiliated by any more power cuts and temperamental water supply. How he does that is his own burden. He should have an encouraging word for Cameroonians in the Diaspora who generally would like to contribute to nation building but are not encouraged by the way in which the country is run.