In a few weeks, you will have a unique opportunity to participate in the 2025 presidential election in Cameroon, choosing the country's next leader. The stakes have never been higher as our nation reaches a critical point in its political history. I am reaching out to you specifically because you are a powerful force for change, representing a significant portion of the electorate and over 60 percent of the population. It is completely misguided to think this election is only about your future. No, it also involves our shared history, current circumstances, and future possibilities because we cannot define our future without honestly assessing what has come before.
It is appropriate to reflect on the past by analyzing how the Biya regime has governed our nation over the last forty-two years, guided by principles of good governance such as accountability, transparency, the rule of law, effectiveness, efficiency, equity, and inclusiveness. Furthermore, if you value human dignity as you should, consider the last eight years and how political cronies of the ruling party claimed there was no anglophone problem, while our streets were filled with innocent blood and entire villages were ransacked.
Given the current situation, please take some time to evaluate the condition of the road networks in your village and towns, including issues such as institutional corruption, declining infrastructure both internally and externally, social injustice, access to higher public institutions like ENAM and EMIA, healthcare services, and election fairness.
Consider the kind of country you want to live in or that your children and grandchildren will inherit when you look toward the future. Remember, if your past track record and the current performance of the government are failures, the future is likely to be no different. To loosely paraphrase Albert Einstein, insanity is expecting different results from doing the same thing over and over again.
Please do not be misled by certain political zealots who dismiss Mr. Biya’s age, claiming it is irrelevant in a democracy. However, all issues deserve scrutiny, and age undoubtedly matters—especially when the 92-year-old president, seeking his eighth term, shows clear signs of cognitive decline and will be nearly 100 years old by the end of his presidency. We cannot ignore Paul Biya’s age-related embarrassing display at the USA-Africa Summit in December 2022 in Washington, D.C., where he made his aide seem like a caregiver. Mr. Biya appeared unaware of his surroundings or responsibilities, asking his aide, 'Who are all these people present? Are they VIPs?" He repeatedly made gaffes. If this isn’t a sign of cognitive decline or dementia, then what could it be?
Remember that our beloved country is blessed with abundant human and natural resources. These minerals, oil, timber, bananas, cocoa, and coffee belong to us, not to the so-called elites or colonizers. We are rightly called Africa in miniature because we have a small part of every beautiful resource that other African countries possess. We must not allow our resources to be stolen from us. This is the birthplace of our ancestors, whose tears, blood, and sweat irrigated our soil. The only reason we are considered a third-world country is due to poor management of our resources, greed, and the incompetence of our leaders. Consider these things carefully before you cast your vote.
Yours truly, this issue goes beyond Paul Biya to include all other presidential candidates. The same standards of honesty, integrity, patriotism, and competence should apply to each candidate running for such a high office. In a fragile multiparty democracy like ours, opponents challenging nearly fifty years of the ruling party must develop strategic plans if they truly want to bring about meaningful change. Therefore, if party leaders cannot rise above their personal interests and work together for the country's common good, it becomes clear that our problems are not only caused by the current regime but also originate from our own shortcomings.
As much as possible, you must shun and disassociate yourselves from any group or faction that advocates for violence or armed conflict. We must distinguish ourselves in this noble cause by methods that have proven effective in other parts of the world, and not succumb to the whims and caprices of emotional outbursts, weaknesses that will not take us anywhere. We must be resolute in our unity and commitment to nonviolent resistance, following the example of great patriots and civil rights activists like Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi.
Above all, we should pray for help from the Lord because if the Lord doesn’t build the house, the workers’ labor is in vain (Ps. 127:1). Stay safe, and please, VOTE!
