President Paul BIYA, a man far above baseless accusations

Publié le 27 juillet 2009 par Moore

In Latin, man is referred to as animal bipes implume; which means a two legged featherless or hairless animal. This type of animal is born with the major characteristic of the other species of animals.

But over the years, our ancestors who experienced the animalistic propensities which are inappropriate for life in community have put in place conditions to transform the young animals into human beings fit for communal life. We can mention home training, religious organisations, formal educational institutions, etc.

Many young people have gone through these stages and become mature human beings. Unfortunately some have followed the same path but have failed to rid themselves completely of animalisms. Such animalisms manifest themselves as soon as such people are confided posts of responsibility. Myriads of examples exist in Cameroon and elsewhere.

If we take the case of President Paul BIYA we will state categorically that he is one person that followed the road map of humanisation very successfully. He was raised at home by stern parents; he attended religious institutions, was taken special care of by Catholic Fathers, and then went to France where he studied Law, Political Science and Administration. Here we recognise a human being adequately prepared morally, academically, and professionally to serve his people. These qualities have been discerned in his active life in all domains for over the years.

President Paul BIYA returned to Cameroon in 1962. In October 1962, he was appointed “Chargé de Mission” (to be in charge of missions) at the Presidency of the Republic. In January 1964, he became the Director of Cabinet of the Minister of National Education, Youth and Culture. The following year he rose to the rank of Permanent Secretary of the same Ministry with Honourable William ETEKI MBOUMOUA as Minister. In December 1967, President Paul BIYA was appointed Director of the Civil Cabinet at the Presidency. The following January he became Secretary General at the Presidency, then seven months later he was appointed Minister Secretary General and in June 1970 he became Minister of State. Five years later President Paul BIYA rose to the post of Prime Minister. The Prime Minister, according to the 1979 constitution, was made the successor of the President of the Republic in case of vacancy at the Presidency. In 1982, President AHMADOU AHIDJO resigned and designated Paul BIYA as his successor.

President Paul BIYA’s career profile is an eloquent testimony of the fact that he is a Man of Reason and Conscience. It is very rare to find a man start work at the executive level and remain there throughout his working life if he is not guided by foresight, rigour, moral rectitude, efficiency, etc.

This makes President Paul BIYA a special person. Cameroon, as it is today, is the making of President Paul BIYA. From 1962 when he started working till today, he has been in the centre of decision making forums and has influenced decisions that have so far made of Cameroon a haven of peace in the turbulent African sea.

When President Paul BIYA took over from President AHMADOU AHIDJO, all the Cameras of the world went round in search of the exhibition of his wealth in various forms, but to their utter amazement, they

Dipl.Wirt.Ing
Olivier Medjo Ndille

found nothing; what the photographs showed was his mother’s mud block kitchen in his village, Mvomeka; while his colleagues, some of whom occupied lower positions than him, had several buildings in the major towns of Cameroon and abroad as well as expensive cars.

This futile search for ill-gotten wealth was conducted when President Paul BIYA had held very high posts in the country for twenty years. The result of this search proved to Cameroonians that they had a President who was out to serve them selflessly. Furthermore, he became the enemy of those whose animal instincts had not all been destroyed. By the time President AHMADOU AHIDJO handed over power, his wife asked him why he had chosen Paul BIYA and the response was that he had weighed all his collaborators on the balance and they were all found wanting.

If after twenty years of loyal service your bosses who deal with you on daily basis declare you the best in all aspects of life who else can know you up to the point of passing a negative judgment on you?

According to the President of the “Comité Catholique Contre la Faim et pour le Développement – Terre Solidaire”,

Déçus, voire vexés de ne pas trouver Paul Biya dans l’étude sur les biens mal acquis que nous avons publié en 2007, des associations, syndicats et journalistes Camerounais se sont penchés sur la question.

The President of this NGO states that in their 2007 report on ill-gotten wealth Paul BIYA’s name did not appear and some Cameroon associations, syndicates and journalists were very disappointed and even angry then went ahead to supply the NGO with information on Paul Biya’s financial and wealth situation.

This attitude looks very absurd. It is strange that an NGO elaborates a methodology to carry out research and come out with results and when the results are published, outsiders jump in and provide their own results in order to implicate somebody whose results were negative. How reliable can such foreign results be in the overall findings?

What motivated the association, syndicates and journalists to feed the NGO with their own information?

What methodology did they use to obtain their results?

If ill-gotten wealth is to be condemned, is tribalism to be condoned in Cameroon with more than 250 tribes? Here we see the common saying that if one wants to hang a dog, one gives it a bad name.

In the 2009 report, the NGO has still not accused President Paul BIYA, they have only reported what the Cameroonians of bad faith handed to them as their will has not been done. I believe they will hang themselves.

From 1962 to 2009 President Paul BIYA has piloted the affairs of Cameroon and all Cameroonians of good faith know that he is a man of integrity whose animal characteristics had been destroyed when he was still growing. He has virtually ruled Cameroon for 47 years. If he had the animal greed that most of his colleagues and collaborators have one should be counting millions of the most sophisticated buildings around the world and millions of bank accounts across the globe.

Those who are thirsty for power should wait for the ballot box not to smear a man who has already shown to the world that he is living on a