Since 1982, the only pressing problem for the CPDM has been how to protect its position at the helm of state.
You’re listening to Radio Equinox, the people’s channel. Hello, a government can’t have as its sole priority how to stay in power for life. Since 1982, the only pressing problem for the CPDM has been how to protect its position at the head of state.
The rest of the problems are secondary. They can wait. When it comes to protecting their power, even if the money was hidden, where are they going to get it from? Even if all the police officers, all the gendarmes, all the army personnel are lying in the hospital, we’re just going to disconnect their IVs and ask them to sleep at every intersection in Yaoundé, and then tap everyone, go sleep in the neighbourhoods of opponents and virulent civil society actors to monitor or kidnap them.
All this is because their power is threatened. Everything is becoming urgent. The only urgent thing for them is everything that must be implemented to save their power.
The only thing they fear as a priority is staying in power. These have been the priorities of a country for 42 years: Protecting the throne.
But the country’s crucial problems are never an emergency for them. The well-being of the population and the protection of their property are their primary concern. From the moment all the necessary arrangements are made in Yaoundé and Douala to protect their power for life, the rest is no longer a priority.
The country only exists because a small clan wants to stay in power forever or pass it on to their children and grandchildren, and so on. That’s a country’s priority: protecting the power of a small clan. The rest of the 30 million inhabitants, even if they don’t perish, don’t matter to them.
It’s the least of their worries, the lowest of their priorities. Since the Boko Haram terrorist threat was established in the Far North region in 2009, with the onset of widespread atrocities starting in 2012-2013, people have been told that one of the causes of this situation is the isolation and underdevelopment of the Far North region.
In other words, we’re telling people whose only priority is their continued existence in power in Yaoundé. We’re telling them, if you want to put an end to this Boko Haram situation, one of the best solutions is to open up the Far North region. Boko Haram only operates with ease because this region is isolated.
In addition to extreme poverty, the area needs to be opened up. We denounce it, we draw their attention. The only thing they see in our civic efforts is that you want their power, you support the opposition, you want to blacken the country, you want to destabilise the government in Yaoundé.
That’s all they see when you tell them things are going badly. After touring for more than 22 days in 5 of the 6 departments of the Far North, we’re creating a series of 5 reports to present the chaotic state of the region, where people still live under the constant threat of Boko Haram. The road’s isolation means that instead of heeding our warnings, what comes to mind is to send armed men in civilian clothes to follow you everywhere. The Equinox television channel is launching a series of reports on the chaos in the Far North through the section “Cameroon, how it’s doing.” The only thing people can think about is how to shut down this television channel because, for them, their image is tarnished, their electorate is threatened. For them, everything revolves around protecting their eternal stay in power.
After that, the lives of Cameroon and Cameroonians no longer interest them. In the case of the Marouakousserie road, especially from Moura, people complain, reports are made, and denunciations are made. Since 2011, after the horrific incident with the highway robbers, people have been told to fix this road, fix this road. Boko Haram remains active because we feel the road is damaged, the road is impassable; fix this road. Beyond the issue of the smooth flow of trade between Cameroon and Chad, beyond the ordeal experienced by the people of the Far North, fix this road if only to save the lives of the passengers on this route. Their answer is, what was there before? Why is Boko Haram more active during the rainy season in the Far North? This is precisely because they know that the worsening isolation during this period reduces the possibilities of surveillance and intervention of our defence forces. After all, their vehicles cannot circulate well during this period.
It’s as simple as 1-2-3. Since 2012, Boko Haram and Gorj have been kidnapping and robbing passengers on this road. Fix the road, fix the road.
People think we say this because we want their place in Yaoundé. For over a decade, the construction of what we sing about has been sung about. Every day, we sing about the work.
We bring in cameras for nothing. So here’s a woman whose five children have been in the hands of Boko Haram for a few days, demanding a large ransom. Five children were kidnapped along with 11 other people.
In total, 16 passengers were kidnapped on this road while returning from Kousserie via the tourist agency. After spending the night in Zigag, they wanted to get back on the road. Before reaching Ouaza, Boko Haram surrounded them.
Only the driver was able to escape because he was mystically armoured. People are forced to sleep en route on a route that takes less than four hours if the road were paved. And we’re talking about the number 1 national highway. And then, unconscious, cynics will come on TV and tell you the worst insecurity in Cameroon is Kamto, the MRC, and the bastards.
They’ll tell you that the priority in Cameroon is to put uniformed men everywhere to prevent a popular uprising by the people of Kamto. But here’s a poor mother who even undressed in the middle of the street because her five children are in the hands of Boko Haram, who are threatening to start killing them one by one. This is the result when a country’s leaders’ only priority is protecting their continued existence in power.
Courage to the victims, and have a good start to the week, everyone.
Since 1982, the only pressing problem for the CPDM has been how to protect its position at the helm of state.
