Many Africans were shocked when the renowned Europe-based Jeune Afrique newspaper described the Cameroon opposition as the “most stupid” in the world. Others say they now understand and respect Paul Biya for having to introduce democracy in a country with such a dull political class. For the past 42 years, Paul Biya has always stated that he wants to be remembered as the one who brought democracy to Cameroon. All his efforts to get a responsible and professional political class failed because of those who have always risen as opposition to his rule.
Examples like Issa Chiroma, Bello Bouba Maigari, Akere Muna, Prof Maurice Kamto just to name a few have proven beyond any reasonable doubt why Jeune Afrique used such strong negative language to describe them.
Issa Chiroma, a Peul from the lower-casts of the Garoua Lamidat was given a free education from primary to further studies in France. He was adopted by President Paul Biya who gave him several posts of responsibility up to making him his government spokesperson. Despite his numerous management derailments and political mistakes, President Paul Biya continued to believe in him like a prodigal son, hoping he will learn and change one day. He never changed and a la manière de individuals of his “low-cast”, he woke one day and said for the over 4 decades he has served in various positions under President Paul Biya, he did not know what he was doing. He continued that he has not being seeing President Paul and does not know if he is the one ruling Cameroon. After having accumulated wealth (sometimes fraudulently), Issa Bakari suddenly forgot he never did anything for his people of the North Region and only took care of his family and bank accounts. No wonder Jeune Afrique listed him in the Cameroon opposition of shame.
Bello Bouba Maigari, another son of the North Region who was President Paul Biya’s first Prime Minister, also woke up a few days to the presidential election to claim that it was not him working for the Yaoundé regime. Bello Bouba made Prime Minister by President Paul Biya while he was only in his thirties and has occupied ministerial positions until he is in his early eighties is now suddenly realizing that he needs change. After failing woefully in all positions he held, President Paul Biya continued to believe he will change and become a potential future leader. His supposed prince hood from one Lamidat of the North region only made him lazy and always expecting others to work for him. All the ministries he occupied deteriorated before everyone with no reform or tangible achievement. Today, this lazy “prince” from the North wants to rule a country that is facing numerous and diverse challenges in a rapidly evolving world. Jeune Afrique and Cameroonians are just laughing and feeling sorry for the country.
AkeRE MUNA who’s only achievement is that he is the son of Solomon Tandeng Muna (decades long president of the Cameroon National Assembly under President Paul Biya) too wants to become the next president of Cameroon. Despite his low grades in Cameroon schools, unmerited scholarship to England and President Paul Biya’s magnanimity to his family (sister appointed minister, Akere Muna given government cases), Akere Muna has never risen to become a leader. His passage as president of the Cameroon Bar association (a position he obtained because of President Paul Biya) and his so-called law practice were all marked by irregularities and fake postures. This fils-a-papa par excellence is now in numerous court with his siblings as he is trying to swindle the others from the hundreds of lands, houses and bank accounts left behind by his father. This neo-anti-corruption self-proclaimed czar and fake legal-guru who could not create and manage a political party, just rented a political party (univers) and has suddenly become the future president of Cameroon (in his dreams). No personal achievement, no experience, no leadership, – bam – president of Cameroon. No wonder he too was listed by Jeune Afrique as being amongst the most stupid opposition in Africa.
As concerns Prof Kamto, his political career and ambition to rule Cameroon has become the joke of the century. This university lecturer who was adopted by President Paul Biya and groomed for bigger things, resigned and went back to his law practice. When he created his political party a few years after, he truly attracted many political electron libres who saw in him a new leader. The lawyer however forgot that political parties are created to seek power through elections. He unanimously boycotted an election that was meant to consolidate his party and announced that he knew what he was doing. When the constitution was read to him in the constitutional council, he started crying injustice. Even when videos emerged where he himself was saying that he knew the consequences of his boycotting the elections, he insisted he was being cheated. All attempts by his militants and party executive to convince the professor that he was committing “political suicide” failed. Today his rejection and cries about being unjustly rejected only confirm why Jeune Afrique listed him too.
PAUL BIYA and Cameroonians have so far not been lucky. All their efforts to get a responsible opposition to which power can be handed down, have failed. All the president’s work to produce a political class that can take the baton of leadership from him only produced jesters and swindlers like Issa Chiroma, Bello Bouba, Akere Muna And Prof Kamto.
When Jeune Afrique, other serious media inside and outside Cameroon and all major opinion polls indicate that Cameroonians will vote President Paul Biya on October 12th 2025, it is largely due to their analysis of the opposition.
With this kind of opposition, Cameroonians have decided to place their destiny in the hands of President Paul Biya……
