Martin A. Nkemngu
6 November 2009
For the past 27 years, President Biya has made good governance a priority for fighting poverty.
The former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan talking about governance had this to say, "Good governance is the single most important factor in eradicating poverty and promoting development".
On coming to power on November 6, 1982, President Paul Biya faced the challenge of transforming Cameroon to a modern State. To achieve this goal, the President, like Kofi Annan, knew that good governance was an important factor in poverty alleviation and the enhancement of development. In a constant quest to improve the living conditions of his fellow compatriots, Mr. Biya under the banner of the New Deal, embarked on an extensive programme of reforms geared towards adapting Cameroon to new conditions of a modern State.
Hence, in a systematic and sustainable manner, he strengthened the rule of law and respect of human rights, put in place suitable structures for democratisation, promoted probity and accountability through a ruthless fight against corruption and embezzlement of public funds, and encouraged the development of a free and independent press. To redress the economy, he launched a process to restructure, privatize and rehabilitate state-owned corporations.
On the political front, President Biya reintroduced multiparty democracy in the 1990s opening room for competition and challenge against his ruling party, the Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement (CPDM). Today, Cameroon has more than two hundred political parties. In a constant quest for transparent, free and fair election, the government in December 2000 created the National Elections Observatory (NEO) and following demands from the opposition for improvement, set up in December 2006 an independent body for the organisation and management of elections, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM).
To ensure the emergence of a truly modern society President Biya ensured the establishment of institutions to improve governance and promote development.
Some of these institutions include the National Governance Programme, the Supreme State Control, the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court, the National Agency for Financial Investigation, Anti-corruption Units in various ministries and the National Anti-Corruption Commission. These institutions are, in various ways, engaged in the fight against corruption and the improvement of the image of the country. And the results of the fight are there for all to see. Many former members of government and top-ranking public functionaries involved in corrupt and embezzlement of public funds have been duly tried and sentenced to serve long prison terms in conformity with the provisions of the law. Measures have been taken to make the judiciary a power. Reforms have seen the adoption for a new Criminal Procedure Code to guarantee the respect of human rights. Further, the existence of the National Commission for Human Rights and Freedoms ensures that there is regular monitoring of the respect of human rights and freedoms.
Apart from the courts, administrative sanctions are frequently meted out to overzealous government officials who violate or abuse the rights of fellow citizens.
Under Paul Biya’s leadership, the media in Cameroon today enjoy unprecedented freedom. A free press has, in playing its role as waterdog helped to improve governance by exposing wrongdoing. Cameroon can boast of hundreds of independent newspapers as well as several private radio and TV stations.
As Cameroon celebrates the 27th anniversary of President Paul Biya’s accession to power there is no doubt that all the structures are already in place for the emergence of a truly democratic modern state. What is now needed is the establishment of synergy between the public and private sectors to produce the desired results. With Biya’s clairvoyant leadership it is certain that Cameroon is at the threshold of its take off for a future of hope and expectation.
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i did not read the article but just the subject itself is enough to make a sound mind react! you cannot EVER connect the express 'good governance' with 'Paul Biya.' The two are mutually exclusive entities; we know definitely that Biya has led his people to doom and now he is on his way to a total collapse! You have committed a fallacy of misinformation!
What a load of crap this is. What has he realy done for Cameroon is a big question. If corruption has bacome any better under his 27 years in power I realy wonder what it was like then. It is horrible as it is now. Cameroon is still ranked very high on the corruption list. And what about good governance. Did Cameroon not have an election that was so tainted with fraud that it must be a shame to call yourself a cameroonian and still support the government and the president. And it is a shame that it is this way, because you have one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and if you only could put away corruption and work together to build Cameroon, it could be heaven. But instead do you keep writing this crap above about how good we have been when anyone that has been there can see and hear that it is just bull.