This past Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011, Cameroon held its presidential election. 23 candidates were in the running, including the incumbent President Paul Biya of the CPDM party and the chairman of the main political opposition party, the Social Democratic Front’s (SDF) John Fru Ndi. The current president has been ruling Cameroon for 29 years, the fourth longest-serving ruler in Africa, and is highly expected to win another seven-year term.
Tension was in the air in the weeks leading up to Sunday, including a shootout on the main bridge of Cameroon’s economic capital, Douala, to protest Biya’s rule; undetonated bombs found in an electoral office in the beach town Limbe (both incidents on the same day) to threaten against corruption and election fraud; and arrests of over 200 demonstrators who participated in the 50th anniversary of the October 1 “secession day” of Anglophone regions from the country. All of these events leading up to Election Day have kept Cameroonians vigilant.
Election Day itself was pretty quiet. Taxis did not run and business establishments were closed. People walked to their destinations. In Bamenda, the headquarters of the SDF, there were rallies the night before as people awaited their beloved leader Fru Ndi to return from campaigning throughout all ten regions of Cameroon. E-day went smoothly for the most part, but there were two reports of voting irregularities in Bamenda. In one, a woman was giving money to people to vote for a certain party. In the other, a boy stole 21 voter registration cards and tried using them all to vote for a certain party (vote early, vote often?). Both were caught and beaten up. I was having dinner last night and chatting with the restaurant worker. I asked him if he voted, and he said, “Why yes. My father is a member of the ---- party and he gave us all 5,000 francs each for voting for his candidate.”
I hung out with a good friend on E-Day and asked him if he was voting. He said, “Nope. My vote won’t count and the president will win anyway. I prefer to stay out of politics.” Now, having worked on a presidential campaign in the U.S., an apathetic response like that would have jolted me into Get-Out-the-Vote mode and I would have tried all sorts of arguments to change his mind. But here in Cameroon, it’s different. Things here can get violent quickly. In 2008, riots arose over soaring food and oil prices and the abolishment of presidential term limits. With the spirit of the Arab Spring, some Cameroonians are inspired to become like Egypt or Libya, while most want peace over change. “We have food and thus we are content. We don’t want to end up in civil war like our African neighbors” is a typical sentiment. But the tension is there. There’s rampant, blatant corruption that permeates in every fabric of society here. While I doubt there will be large-scale violence (crossing fingers), it can only take one leader to incite protests.
The election results are supposed to be counted and posted within 15 days after E-Day. Many Cameroonians are anxious to learn the results and complain that it shouldn’t take two weeks to count votes. Out of 20 million citizens, only 7 million are registered to vote. 7 million people did not turn out to vote on Sunday.
As a Peace Corps Volunteer, I’m not allowed to discuss my views on Cameroonian politics. Thus, rather than expressing my own words I’ll use President Obama’s. In a speech delivered to the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra, Ghana on July 11, 2009, these words still seem relevant in today's climate.
“We must first recognize the fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: Development depends on good governance,” Obama stated. “That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That’s the change that can unlock Africa’s potential. And that is a responsibility that can only be met by Africans.”
“Yes you can – because in this moment, history is on the move.”
All I’ll say is that I think most Americans take their democracy and liberties for granted. People all over the world wish their elected officials could represent their interests without having to resort to (potential) violence. We will see what happens during these next 15 days (side note: my birthday is in 11 days!). Praying for peace, freedom, and justice.
Carmen
P.S. Like what you’re reading? Please support my Peace Corps work by donating to my NGO fair! Visit here:
https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=694-190
P.P.S.
Read the full text of Obama’s speech here:
http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/texttrans/2009/07/20090711110050abretnuh0.1079783.html#axzz1aUEWXB92
A friend of mine here is an expat hailing from Cameroon. We talked tonight about the election there and drew parallels between the societal issues prevalent both in Cameroon & SVG. What struck me most in reading your post, the conversation with my friend, and recent observations of life here is that both countries are revered for their naturally beautiful environments; yet somehow people of these lands are distracted by the dysfunctions of manmade social constructs and fall into patterns of violence and destruction. I often wonder how long it will take for people to realize that many of the answers they seek are in the self-organizing systems of nature that surrounds them...
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