As the political and social Agamemnon lurks about Cameroon these days, some citizens of this country are still refusing stubbornly to take the right path that would help us avoiding plunging into disaster and total chaos? No matter the frightful signs of disarray at the skyline, they claim that it isn’t Mr. Biya’s fault.

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Depending on the side (political/geographical/spiritual/circumstantial) these citizens are standing at and what they benefit from the mess put in place by Paul Biya’s dictatorial regime, they’d keep lying and lying and do everything to convince the people that Mr. Biya wasn’t the problem. And they’d do everything to keep him in power.

It isn’t only in Cameroon this group of citizens can be found. They are busy under any dictatorial regime. In countries such as Togo, Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Congo(s), Chad, Ivory Coast, Gabon, etcetera, they are actively busy within and abroad.  

In Cameroon, this group of citizens is clothed with tremendous emotions and passions, is clothed with disgusting dishonesty and partiality, and with filthiness and lies, when it comes to defending and protecting Biya’s regime which indeed over 30 years did not receive any mandate from the people.  

These citizens zealously criticize and blame contemptuously all African bad leaders, all of them... except Mr. Biya. They defend this big wild Cat whose negligence and inconsistence have brought extreme poverty, corruption, hate and uneasiness amid Cameroonians. They’d target the Cat’s entourage and hold them responsible of all the flaws.

They keep telling the people repeatedly that Cameroonian ordeals and throes come from the French authorities, from London, from Washington… They’d repeat over and over that Western countries are to blame for the nightmarish poverty in the country, and the people would end up believing them.
 
Those western nations have a part of responsibility in the African disastrous situation, of course. But they never asked Mr. Biya for instance to travel with dozens of his staff and family members and live for months in a hotel in Switzerland and waste Cameroonian people’s money. They never prevented him from building roads, schools, hospitals and equip them.
Those western countries never impeded Mr. Biya from fighting cholera that keeps taking many lives in Cameroon every year. They never asked him to let grow and spread corruption, embezzlement, discriminations and divisions in Cameroon at the extent it is now.    
 
As in any long dictatorship, the over three decades of Mr. Biya time in office has favored the rise and setting of a category of outlaw citizens in all sectors of social life, who openly and overly behave like wild carnivores/omnivores.

They regard the country and its wealth as a gorgeous fruit tree or a big game belonging exclusively to them. And they would do everything to keep it in their hands to continue to harvesting or dismantling it.

Their deep fear and nightmare come from the fact they’ve been making life tougher and tougher to Cameroonians, and that with a true change and justice in Cameroon, they’d not compete with the brave, talented, Cameroonian patriots living in Cameroon and abroad.

At this point, I turn to Cameroonian people and ask them to make no mistake, no matter the sweetness of speeches and assurances from this regime and associates. In the process of change and afterwards, to give change the chance to actually succeed, the new team must progressively neutralize these zealous citizens who behave like wild animals.  

Also I would like to repeat myself here, ‘A peaceful political change in Cameroon is impossible under Mr. Biya’s regime’. He must be firmly squeezed. If not, after 2018 he’d still be around, clinging to the power.

As the political and social Agamemnon knocks at Cameroonian doors, Cameroonian patriots must act or work harder and skillfully to limit the bloodshed in the process of change in their country.  

I love Cameroon as many of us do. Cameroonian people don’t want bloodshed. But since Mr. Biya and a handful of gangsters refuse to understand that Cameroon belongs to all its citizens, they are the ones creating and imposing violence on the people.

Cameroonian patriots must get ready for an inevitable political and social Agamemnon. How long it’ll take? Nobody can tell. For almost half a century, we’ve been told that we live in a peaceful country. But we know we’ve been at war. A silent bloody war which had claimed so many Cameroonian lives. We know that, we know it.   

Seeing what has been going on over and over in Cameroon, there are three questions I would like to ask Cameroonians living within and abroad: Are we enough aware of our lot or not? Are we so brave or just coward? Are we so intelligent or just stupid?

 
Leon Tuam
Human Rights activist and writer
October 10, 2014        

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