The Colbert Factor:
𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒎𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 91-𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓-𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑷𝒂𝒖𝒍 𝑩𝒊𝒚𝒂’𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒅, 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝑪𝒂𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒇𝒐𝒓 42 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒊𝒄 𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕’𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒊𝒏 𝒅𝒐𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓, 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒆 (𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒋𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑴𝒐𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝑩𝑪𝒐𝒎 𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 – 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒚 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒛𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔, 𝒑𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒃𝒃𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒎𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏), 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆 𝒂 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑩𝒊𝒚𝒂 𝒂𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓’𝒔 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒍𝒍, 𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕. 𝑵𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑷𝒂𝒖𝒍 𝑩𝒊𝒚𝒂 𝒉𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅, 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒎𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒀𝒂𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝑷𝒂𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂 𝑩𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒆 (𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒎𝒆𝒓 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝑵𝒊𝒄𝒐𝒍𝒂𝒔 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒐𝒛𝒚’𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒔), 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒖𝒛𝒛𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒒𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒄𝒆.
While this U.S trained publicist is still to come (remember she handled President Paul Biya’s 2018 campaigns, including creating and hosting his website as well as all online and offline campaign strategies), the ripple effects of her newest strategy are already being felt in Yaounde and across the country. Immediately President Paul Biya set foot on Cameroon soil on Monday October 21, 2024, CPDM regime cronies started leveraging his “triumphant” return after the prolonged absence, to bolster their support base ahead of next year’s Presidential elections. One could see regime barons working behind the scenes to mobilize the population, including transporters unions to urge President Paul Biya to be their candidate in next year’s Presidential elections.
The CPDM political machine has since President Paul Biya’s arrival in town, been using it to create a dramatic effect, distract from controversies and showcase power and control. Recall that Patricia Balme had intended this strategy to distract Cameroonians from the many controversies that were threatening to disrupt and discredit the Yaounde regime as it found itself wanting in just so many areas. The aim of this strategy was to reinvigorate public support while demonstrating strength and vitality, thereby positioning President Paul Biya as the most viable candidate for the upcoming elections. All three were achieved when the disappeared President who runs Cameroon as a village provision store, reappeared.
As President Paul Biya settles back into office, and the documentary on his “achievements” is being screened across major towns and cities of Cameroon, and as November 6 (date on which he ascended the office of the President in 1982) approaches, more hyping of the man, Paul Biya, is expected. In the days ahead, the CPDM machine would move into high gear, dolling out favours, contracts, and other benefits to loyalists and allies who are ready to sing for their dinner.
What with a political machine that is well oiled and efficient, with a strong grip on the media, the electoral body, and government institutions. What about a fragmented and weak opposition struggling to mount a credible challenge to the CPDM dominance? In a country where civil society groups are suppressed, with activists and critics facing harassment and intimidation, cronyism seems to be the order of the day. Added to the struggling economy with high levels of poverty, unemployment and inequalities, the word of Cameroon under another Biya mandate shall only exacerbate.
Critics continue to argue that Biya’s health concerns aside, blatant cronyism and political maneuvering in Yaounde undermine democracy and good governance in Cameroon. The CPDM’s dominance of Cameroon’s political space for over 42 years has led to the suffocation of opposition political parties, restrictions on political freedoms, reduced economic growth, nepotism and favouritism, and more importantly, corruption and embezzlement.
The Cameroon political climate is becoming more and more tense as next year’s elections approach. Opposition parties and civil society actors are demanding change, citing the need for fresh leadership, political reform, economic development, social justice and human rights, as reasons for immediate social change. It’s just a matter of time to know whether the usual CPDM cronyism and political maneuvering will pay off or Cameroonian voters would demand a new direction.
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