I understand that everyone’s emotions are sore after today’s results – and rightly so. We are all tired (as we should be). Every feeling of pain, sadness or hopelessness is valid right now and I understand. What I don’t understand is us not taking a step back to pause and think. We rush to attack, slander and berate those who offer a different perspective – and who are on our side of the argument. Those who say “I knew it” but we are missing something.
There are an estimated 28 million Cameroonians and about 20 million are eligible voters. Let’s assume that 15 million voted against Biya, do we think we could yield different results? The answer is no, and let me explain why. In 2032, if Biya is still alive and ELECAM, the Constitutional Council, election observers etc all remain structured the way they are – no amount of votes against Biya will defeat him.
We make the mistake of thinking that it’s the number of votes that matter but no, it is the SYSTEM. It’s like trying to beat a man at a game wherein he designed the rules. First, the rules and the methods of the game have to change for you to stand a chance. This means we need to find a way to reform the electoral system in order to pry off Biya’s grip from ELECAM, the CC, find neutral (not compromised election observers) etc. Countries like South Africa and Nelson Mandela’s Foundation, the US gov’t and the World Council of Churches etc, can be tasked with playing the role that ELECAM currently plays while a number of other trusted countries/organizations can provide oversight. Without electoral reforms and cleansing all the current structures, every election is simply a show meant to help Biya cement his stay in power.
I can promise that this approach will not only make Cameroonians trust the process more, but will see voter registration surge to an all-time high. Right now, if things remain as they are (which I suspect they will), Biya is simply cruising to another easy win in 2032 regardless of whether we all register to vote. It’s not about the number of votes, it’s the fact that he has the system in the palm of his hands and if there are 20 million votes and he wants to rig them, he will simply do so because he has shown that he OWNS THE SYSTEM. We saw numbers from the North that were clearly cooked to give Tchiroma just a narrow win against him. We saw numbers from back home in the NW and SW that do not even reflect the number of people in some towns there, much less the number of voters!
I think we need to start thinking and I am playing my role as a commentator to make us think about SOLUTIONS because we have to admit that in 43 years, the same routines have failed to work under the exact system.
I love you all and I hope that we pause and think and yes, let’s share constructive ideas please. This is a painful national moment and I hope we can take a step back and reflect as we strive for a better Cameroon for ourselves and our children.
Yours Truly,
Hans Ngala
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