Cameroon's chief Catholic prelate, Archbishop Emeritus of the
Douala archdiocese, Cardinal Christian Tumi expressed
concern about Biya's continuing stay in power after 30 years and
declared in the last week of October that social implosion was imminent
in Cameroon because of the deplorable conditions under which
most of the country's 20 million inhabitants live.
“Before the [October 2011 presidential] elections, I said I had
told somebody [Biya], that if I were Paul Biya, I would resign, because
for more than 30 years in power and at the age of 80, I would
love to see a change. I don't see any change happening in Cameroon by
2035, the year the government claims will see the country
transformed into an emerging economy,” the fearless and
ascetically-critical Tumi, who originates from the English-speaking
North-West Region told the authoritative bi-weekly “The Post”
newspaper in an exclusive interview on 19 October.
“But for Cameroon, I don't know whether the people have the
freedom or the power to change their leaders. They should have the
freedom to choose their leaders. Since independence, I have never seen
any transparent elections in Cameroon, even when we had that
one party system,” Cardinal Christian Tumi said, forecasting that the
country was heading towards social implosion. “Maybe we are sitting on
gun powder that might explode one day. Imagine the case where someone
is sick and there is no way the person can have himself
treated because there is no means, while there are others riding in
very luxurious cars, which is seen to have come from doubtful
origin,” Tumi questioned.
For more news and expert analysis about Cameroon, please see Cameroon Politics &
Security.
© 2012 Menas Associates
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