Editorial: Referendum on Biya's "prodigious destiny" in Buea.

Looking back in 2019, when the documentary had not been produced, President Biya wrote on his Facebook page that: "I cannot stop expressing conviction that a great destiny awaits Cameroon".

He went on to pose pertinent questions: “Why are we Cameroonians? What makes us proud to be Cameroonians? What type of Cameroon do we want for our children?”

The documentary that was screen in Buea, after Yaounde, Douala, Bafoussam, Maroua and Bertoua, is intended to answer those questions and more.

One articulate review of the documentary notes that it "weaves together real-life history, personal testimonies and fictional elements to chronicle Paul Biya’s remarkable 42 years reign. From his victories to the trials he faced, the film paints a vivid portrait of the Cameroonian president. Voices from diverse segments of society-children to elite share their perspectives on Biya’s leadership. 

Former Prime Minister, Peter Mafany Musonge, among others, lauds the president’s impact on Cameroon".

Musonge, Chairman of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism and leader of the South West Permanent Delegation of the ruling Cameroon's People’s Democratic Movement, CPDM, did not only eulogies President Biya in the film but in person. 

He told his audience that Biya has done so much to the people of the South West Region, such as the creation of the University of Buea, the tarring of the Kumba-Mamfe Road, and the creation of a Special Status to the people of the South West Region.

“This film is a tribute to the commitment and determination of Paul Biya, for the development of Cameroon…it is important that younger generations know the history of their country and the efforts made to build it,” Musonge declared.

Taking the cue of adulation, the Mayor of Kombo Abedimo Council, in the Bakassi Peninsula, Abuko Patrick Anki, said: "We, the people of Bakassi, will always remember President Paul Biya for the peaceful handing over of the Bakassi Peninsula, which would have been a war between two brotherly nations-Cameroon and Nigeria. But he took a fatherly approach. He took the legal part of it by carrying the case to the International Court of Justice, ICJ".

The Principal of Bilingual Grammar School Molyko, Cecilia Lyonga, said: "It's something everybody should have in his or her house. In every school, we should have this. It's a textbook on its own. And I think it revives Cameroonian memories about what President Paul Biya has done for this country".

For the cons, especially limiting the presidential development performance to the South West Region, the Limbe Seaport, Tiko Airport, POWERCAM, Cameroon Bank are history.

The CDC, which is the second largest employer after the government, is on its knees as a result of the Anglophone conflict that remains unresolved for over eight years.

The lone refinery, which is in Limbe, SONARA, has been without repairs after a fire incident for some four years and is the largest debtor among all state enterprises.

As the projection of the film was announced, separatist faction leader, Chris Anu, proscribed it, in a futile attempt to block the successful screening. 

In a crisp statement on social media, Anu said, for 41 years, “...the people of Buea...have forced-fed Paul Biya’s narrative-a stale movie that has played out for decades, with nothing to show for”. 

He emphasised that the "people are fully aware of this story and will not be swayed by any attempts to glorify Biya’s leadership". 

To enforce his social media ranting, some hooligans attempted to block a delegation in Muea travelling for the film, but were quickly repelled by defence and security forces, who before the event, had reinforced security in the municipality, which was affected by a two-week lockdown by separatists to block school resumption.

With presidential elections slated for next year, and a CPDM caravan touring regional capitals with the documentary, critics say the prodigious legacy is a campaign strategy intertwined with triumphs and achievements but sidetracks issues of longevity, corruption and limping infrastructure, which if put on a scale of a democratic referendum, would amount to a déjà vu narrative. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3238 of Monday September 23, 2024