2025 presidentials: When Bishops hope for change in Cameroon.

Cameroon Bishops during episcopal conference in Buea

Before the 48th seminar of the Bishops of Cameroon that ended in Buea at the weekend, some Catholic Bishops across the nation had amplified their calls for President Biya not to go in for an eighth term.

Amidst the storm from pro-Biya acolytes and apostles of change alike, there were expectations that the seminar would come out with a final communique to support the overt stance by Bishop Emmanuel Abbo of the Catholic Diocese of Ngaoundere, Barthelemy Yaouda Hourgo of the Diocese of Yagoua and Archbishop Samuel Kleda of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Douala, who want President Biya to retire.



But at the end of the seminar in which the Bishops were pampered by the administration, their final communique was silent about a united call for the Head of State, 92, and 43 years in power, to "go". They were just being diplomatic.

But while the spin machinery of the stay-put advocates jubilated, the Bishops were, however, united that the CPDM regime has been at the root of governance impropriety. They however threw a challenge at President Biya- declaration of assets.

For a 43-year regime which preaches the fight against corruption, and has in place structures like the National Anti-corruption Commission, CONAC; National Agency for Financial Investigations, Supreme State Audit Office and Tender Boards in all State institutions, it has failed to respect Article 66 of the Constitution on declaration of assets.

The Article, which is the main weapon of fighting corruption, compels State officials from the Head of State down to mayors, including other senior State officials, to declare their properties when they take and when they leave office.

It is over two decades since that provision was enshrined in the Constitution by the same CPDM regime. It is more than five years since Parliament, dominated by CPDM MPs, reluctantly passed the bill authorising the president to promulgate it into law. 

So why has President Biya not set up a commission as required by the bill he signed into law, for him and his team members to declare their assets?

Does that reflect a regime governed by the rule of law and justice? The Bishops of Cameroon were united in their final communique that President Biya and his "officials should uphold the Constitution and declare their assets in the interest of transparency". Will that be done before the October presidential election?

It is that lack of transparency, respect for the law that the Bishops strongly condemned "bad governance, corruption, and the embezzlement of State funds", which they said have significantly contributed to the sufferings of the Cameroonians.

The Men of God had called on State officials to judiciously manage public resources entrusted to them to better serve the citizens of Cameroon. It is an indictment that is stronger than just telling the "natural candidate of the ruling party" that his regime has failed to deliver and he should step down for another candidate.

Despite the gloom, the Bishops encouraged the Cameroonian people not to lose hope, urging them to continue praying and working toward building a prosperous nation.

“Cameroon is a garden bequeathed to us by our forefathers…we must take care of it,” they said.

At The Guardian Post, we stand on the firm conviction that that garden cannot thrive when the fruits of the harvest are not shared equitably, especially when those who do the harvesting are not selected based on free, transparent elections devoid of intimidation, restriction of people to campaign openly and protect their votes from being "stolen" by strong men, some of who go to the Bishops to confess their sins..

As the Pope said in his own New Year speech to diplomats at the Vatican, priests are not separated from politics, especially at a time the Catholics call "Jubilee Year".

In the words of the Pontif, “... the Jubilee is meant to help us step back from the increasingly frenzied pace of daily life in order to be refreshed and nourished by what is truly essential. In a word, to rediscover ourselves, in him, as children of God and as brothers and sisters, to pardon offences, to support the weak and the poor in our midst, to give rest and relief to the earth, to practice justice and to recover hope. This is a summons to all those who serve the common good and who exercise that lofty expression of charity, perhaps the highest form of charity-that is politics."

Bishops of Cameroon just did that in Buea at their seminar and some didn't mince words before. 

They were unanimous, as The Guardian Post epitomised that "citizens are increasingly living in misery as the government continues to increase taxes without improvement in public services”. 

They equally decried what they referred to as organised plundering of country’s heritage, non-respect of Article 66 on declaration of assets. They insisted killing is not solution to conflicts and called for fresh dialogue to address the Anglophone crisis".

That is politics by the Bishops as it should be. It is an acerbic indictment of a regime, led by one of their Christians under whose governance the country has been "stagnant, 65 years after independence".

It doesn't need any interpretation to explain that the Bishops were in unison for a change at the end of their 48th seminar in Buea.

 

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3338 of Tuesday January 14, 2025

 

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