World Youth Movement for Democracy
Essay Contest Africa Regional Winner
t for Democracy
Alexander Achia Fotoh
Cameroon
I am pleased to tell you about democracy in Cameroon in terms of the spaces available to youths and
the exciting way dem
in which my perception and understanding of it has been changed by a particular event.
Brief History of Cameroon
Cameroon was annexed by Germany in 1884 and ruled by the latter until 1918 when they (Germans)
were ousted from the territory by a joint force of Britain, France and Belgium during the First World War.
The country was then partitioned and ruled by Britain and France as mandates of the League of Nations
and later as trust territories of the United Nations. As per the trusteeship agreement, Britain and France
were to prepare their respective trust territories for independence. French Cameroun got her
independence in 1960, while British Cameroon got her independence by voting in a plebiscite organized
by the United Nations in 1961 to join la République du Cameroun (former French Cameroun). The
country was ruled under a one party totalitarian system of government until 1990 when multiparty
politics was introduced with the formation of the first opposition part- the Social Democratic Front
(SDF)- thereby ushering in democracy. Cameroonians for the first time had the opportunity to exercise
their civic responsibility of electing their leader in a Presidential Election in 1992. Nineteen years so far,
the practice of true democracy has yet to be seen.
The country is situated in central and western Africa; it is bounded to the West by Nigeria, to the East by
Central African Republic, to the Northeast by Chat, to the South by Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and the
Republic of Congo. It is described as Africa in miniature and known as one of the most peaceful nations
in the world because it has no record of any internal or external wars fought. The absence of war,
however, does not mean the presence of peace. In theory the county has one of the best laws in the
world ranging from duly ratified international treaties to the constitution and domestic laws.
Democracy in Cameroon and Youth Involvement
According to the social science dictionary, democracy comes from the Greek words demos, meaning
“the people” and kraten, meaning “to rule.” In simple terms therefore democracy can be defined as a
system of government where the people rule- or majority rule- the sovereignty of which is vested in the
parliament and not the president. The idea of democracy is universal but the practice varies because of
the inherent differences that exist amongst human beings and societies. This poses a problem to arrive
at a universally accepted definition of the concept of democracy. Notwithstanding, there are general
principles of democracy that exist and apply everywhere to us all. Different writers have defined
democracy differently in terms of its economic, social and political benefits but the definition widely
employed is that defined in terms of the institutions and processes of democratic government, and this
is often accepted as a minimum measure of a democratic system. Collier and Levitsky (1978) point out
that the most widely employed definitions of democracy focus on the procedures of governance. For
example, Robert Dahl’s writings (1971, 1989) provide a benchmark for defining democracy. In Polyarchy,
Dahl (1971:3) identified eight criteria in defining democracy: the right to vote; the right to be elected;
the right of political leaders to compete for support and votes; elections that are free and fair; freedom
of association; freedom of expression; alternative sources of information; and institutions that depend
on votes and other expressions of preference.
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Man is a social being and will prefer order to disorder. Democracy is the ideal form of government
endorsed by a clear majority of the world’s population (Ronald Ingle Hart 2003:51)1 that guarantees
order in the society and provides equal opportunity for all. This unfortunately is not obtained in some
countries because of varied reasons. In Cameroon for example democracy is a sham: It is like a veil on
the bride’s face preventing people from seeing the true appearance of the bride; an autocratic or
totalitarian system of government in disguise of democracy.
In Cameroon democracy is practiced in the closet presumably because the powers that be do not
understand the concept of democracy, or on a second thought they understand but enjoy autocracy and
kleptocracy which lurks in the administration. It is therefore difficult to talk about democratic values in
Cameroon because it seems only to be the political system. Be that as it may, though democracy is not
given its true meaning in Cameroon, the natural quest for freedom attracts support for it.
Cameroonians enjoy the privilege of going to the polls to cast their votes for their leaders even though
result is known before Presidential Elections; they enjoy limited rights of freedom of expression and of
association etcetera.
Though democracy is widely supported in Cameroon, the support lacks substance ranging from
ignorance in the political system to self interest. Majority of the population who are peasant farmers
battle every day with poverty as a result of poor harvest and low unstable prices and so do not have
time to support a higher political standard. They are therefore indifferent about democracy.
Government employees, pensioners and businessmen view democracy as the interest of the stronger.2
They support it to identify themselves with the powers that be in order to receive promotion, be
appointed back to government offices even when they are old and counting their days on earth or
receive waiver or reduction in their taxes.
Youths especially those from colleges and universities battle every day with poverty and unemployment
and so do not equally have time to support a higher political standard. Some identify themselves with
the youth movement of the ruling party called President Biya’s Youths (PRESBY) for employment
purposes or better still have their own share of the national cake. The whole system has been gagged so
much so that involvement in politics is at best frustrating or at worst societal. It is very frustrating as a
youth to be identified with the opposition because you will never be employed by the government.
This is made worst by the fact that government policy has made the private sector unprofitable and so
the public sector becomes everybody’s priority not because of encouraging salaries but because of the
wide opportunities for corruption and embezzlement that has been institutionalized. I remember a
friend once told me that if he is given the opportunity to enter the National School for Administration
and Magistracy (ENAM) in any discipline and come out to work in the public service without any salary,
he will accept and be very happy because he can live on money from corruption and embezzlement. He
cited his mother who is working as chief of treasury as example, that she use to stay for about six
1
WVS/EVS survey, covering over 80% of the world’s population.
2
In the Republic by Plato, Socrates strongly opposed this point when it was raised by Thracymachus the sophist as
the definition of justice. He maintained to the submission of Thracymachus and to the believe of all the members
of the panel of discussion that justice is the interest of the subjects who are the weaker; thus policies and laws
adopted by the government must be fore the interest of its subjects and not the sovereign.
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months without collecting her salary from the bank and only do so when she likes. What a Despicable
vision for a youth!
This is the democratic space that exists for young people in Cameroon- survival of the fittest. Every act
of involvement by youths in politics especially in opposition to the government is interpreted by the
latter as bad faith on the part of members of opposition parties who as they claim, are manipulating the
youths. The youths have been made to understand by the powers that be that politics is for the old
people. Paradoxically they hunt for votes from youths at all cost during election period in order to stay
in power.
Regrettably some youths are ignorant or over excited in an action to present their grievances to the
government. We understand that democracy conveys rights yet it also imposes duties; as responsible
citizens, exercising our rights means performing our duties as well. Many have turned such occasion
into rebellion and destruction. How can we construct while destroying? Youths must know that issues
are democratically dealt with institutionally and procedurally. This gives for the exercise of reason and
not the will; thus eliminating arbitrariness.
In every struggle the majority sees obstacles but the minority sees the way and the best situation for
injustice to triumph is for good men to fold their arms and sit quiet. Youths are urged to prop up their
leaders who have swept their future under the carpet because of their gargantuan appetite for wealth
and power. I was asked the most challenging question in my life by my mate in school- that is why is it
that other foreign students return to their countries after completion of study but you people don’t? It
was a bitter pill for me to swallow. Though challenging, it inspired my thought and action a great deal as
I pondered over many things. The truth is that many Cameroonians stay wherever they are after their
studies because of opportunities- because the country’s policies are favorable. They admit they are
going through tough times yet console themselves that it is better than home. What an outrageous
statement! I then began to look beyond personal achievements and opportunities to service
commitment. My perception of democracy changed and I became more interested in understanding
the political system in order to contribute in my own small way to perfect it in Cameroon
Conclusion
There is no denying the fact that Africa has leadership problem and that in most African countries, the
leaders have failed to establish a responsive government, but allowing this failure handed down to the
youths or allow the youths to share in marring their own future and the future of their countries is
unacceptable. Part of the reason for the leadership problem in Africa and the failure of democracy in
most African countries is the gargantuan appetite for wealth and power on the part of the leaders, while
the other is lack of understanding in the political system. Most African leaders and the African people
have yet to understand the real meaning of democracy; they have yet to understand that democracy
works on laid down procedures and institutions which depends on elections and that the political
system can only succeed when there is a strong constitution and the rule of law giving the selfish and
greedy tendency of human beings. Appointments to government must be mandated by parliament and
committed to service to the state and not compensation for loyalty to the president. We need a strong
parliament to check abuses of power; a vibrant civil society and private sector. These are in line with
President Barrack Obama’s message to the people of Africa especially the youths in a speech delivered
in the Ghanaian parliament on Saturday, 11 July 2009; in particular that Africa needs strong institutions
and not strong men.
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References
1. Russell J. Dalton, Doh C Shin & Willy Jou: Popular Conceptions of the Meaning of Democracy:
Democratic Understanding in Unlikely Places, 2007, paper 07’03. Center for the Study of
Democracy, University of California, Irvine.
2. President Barrack Obama’s speech delivered in the Ghanaian Parliament on Saturday 11th of July
2009.
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