Reshuffle the cabinet now!.

As pointed out by the CPDM Mayor of Ngoumou, in the Centre Region, Jean Baptiste Atemengue, in a television debate last week, there is "pressure on the Head of State, among other things, to reshuffle the cabinet...

“Some are calling for a government reshuffle for a campaign team," Atemengue said.

It has been a tradition for the president to reshuffle the government team before or after an election. 

The last shake-up he made was after the 2018 presidential poll, in which he instituted the Dion Ngute government in January 2019.

Since then, there has been no change, even after two elections. But this time, it is not an issue of a "campaign team" as such cabinet changes used to be described as such, but the deep vacuum of five vacancies in government.

There are consequences for such five empty seats, even though a few have temporary occupants, cumulatively with other posts in a country where unemployment is qualified as "a ticking time bomb".

As has been pointed out by articulate commentators, in the opposition, civil society and even within the ruling party, the lack of rapid replacements contrasts with the urgent need to manage national issues as the institutional void calls into question the vitality of a political regime in place for over four decades in power.

Critical pundits are questioning: How can one justify that a Head of State, who is supposed to embody stability, does not provide strategic positions for the management of Cameroon for so long?

The context portrays an inertia that feeds the criticism of a hyper-centralised system, where every major decision depends on a single person, who when overwhelmed, uses "high instructions". 

The consequences are palpable: delays in the adoption of economic reforms, administrative blockages in ministries with empty seats, and sluggish diplomatic activities.

Vital sectors like health, agriculture and tourism, just to name a few, suffer the consequences of the erratic management by interims or "procuration", to borrow from Issa Tchiroma Bakary, who needs no introduction.

The opposition and civil society are decrying an institutional dysfunction that compromises the effectiveness of the State. This unprecedented situation has reignited the debate on Cameroon’s political future as the 2025 presidential election approaches. 

The question is no longer just ideological, but operational: can a country be run without a complete and responsive executive?

As President Biya has written in his latest social media postings: "In politics, nothing is ever definite... it is necessary to constantly adapt to new situations".

The statement coincides with a series of resignations within the government, four months before the 2025 presidential election. His party and government are also shaken by the positions of some supporters calling for him to retire.

Faced with such daunting pressure to return to the village or renew a broken government, the Minister of State, Secretary General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, on the "high instructions of the Head of State", has initiated a series of meetings with members of  government and parliamentarians from all 10 Regions of the country.

The objective of the meetings, holding at the Presidency of the Republic, with each Region having its own session separately, is said "to define concerted strategies and to re-mobilise all parties, with a view to achieving a resounding and flawless victory in the upcoming presidential election".

There are behind the scene speculations that after the consultations, expected to last for a week, the Head of State will make three sweeping announcements, including a government reshuffle, an Extra Ordinary Congress or Politburo meeting of the CPDM, which could confirm and legalise his candidacy or that of a successor. Until that, the president remains under a crushing trinity of pressure.

The first is to replace the deadwoods and fill the vacancies in government. The second is the pressure by some of his acolytes, acting more on egoistic self-protection than consideration for President Biya's wellbeing, who are calling on him to seek another term.

There is also pressure from democratic thoughts that a third term is an abomination and that at 92, the president should seriously consider taking a deserved rest.

President Biya, however, remains undecided, out of public view, but churning out social media messages and "very high instructions". 

Sooner than later, Cameroonians expect unambiguous clarifications as October draws near.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3492 of Thursday July 03, 2025