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“Less focus and rambling, chatting without a purpose of direction, tired and uninformed of events in his country” US Diplomat qualifies Paul Biya of Cameroon

In a recent Wikileaks cable released in September 20011, the former US diplomat to Cameroon says he discussed with president Paul Biya for over an hour on vital issues. The chat which took place in April 2009 focused Cameroon politics, security forces, corruption and the impact of the economic crisis. According to the US diplomat, “Biya was less focused and more rambling than in previous meetings and did not seem fully seized with the numerous pressing challenges his government faces”. He further states that Paul Biya look tired and was visibly not informed about what is happening in his own country, Cameroon. He chatted “unhurriedly and without purpose of direction”.

POLITICS

-According to the cable, Paul Biya had ordered the Ministry of Finance to give all it will take for ELECAM to organise the 2011 elections.-

OBS: ELECAM remains essentially made of “erstwhile” die hard ruling CPDM party militants and the recruitment of its staff has been shrouded in total controversy and mediocrity.

-Paul Biya said the Constitutional Court and the Senate would be created before the end of 2009

OBS: These institutions have not been created.

CORRUPTION and the Economy

-Biya was informed by the US diplomat that one of his members of government was on a list of those ineligible to enter the US because of the minister’s heavy involvement in corruption.

-Biya immediately divined and said it must be Remy Ze Meka, the then Minister of Defence. MINDEF-. He further said he was not surprised.

OBS: Remy Ze Meka remains free in and supposedly enjoying the alleged stolen wealth

-According to Biya, Remy Ze Meka is “so bad” and he seems to be never satisfied

-Biya further reveals that when Remy Ze Meka was Secretary General at the Presidency of the Republic, he stole so much.

OBS: Why did Biya then promote him to the Ministry of Defence if he President Biya is ready, serious about, and able to fight corruption?)

OBS: Biya in another cable said former Prime Minister, Inoni Ephraim  had stolen just a little. Many Cameroonians wonder how much one needs to steal before he is arrested and brought to book.

-Biya said there was an acute shortage of trustworthy candidates to fill the post of MINDEF and he wanted to appoint Amadou Ali again given that the former had earlier headed this ministry.

OBS: Amadou Ali is the current Minister of Justice and Keeper of the Seal. In another Wikileaks cable, he expressed his hatred for Anglophones (People from Northwest and Southwest regions and the Bamileke-people from Western Region of Cameroon). He vowed that nobody will succeed Paul Biya other than a person from this Nordic region- The three majority Muslim Northern regions of Cameroon.

-Biya was ignorant of an ongoing World Bank Bank mission working on the recovery of stolen government assets and money.

-The aluminium giant Rio Tinto and AES Sonel are yet to agree on a fix charged for -ALUCAM

-Biya wants Rio Tinto to invest more in Cameroon.

-Biya want s electricity supply in Cameroon to be great given that constant electricity supply is a catalyst to economic development.

OBS: AES Sonel,  the American firm to whom the former state own electricity company was auctioned, is a typical example of the dismal performance of  privatised  state companies in  Cameroon in particular and  Africa in general. It has manifested gross disregard of people and extreme incompetence while maximising profits as the law of CAPITALISM insinuates.

 

 The MILITARY

-President Paul Biya admits that many generals are excessively corrupt and have been blocking progress in the country. In the cable, Biya says intends to shed the military of ageing generals.

 OBS.  Amadou had equally said the president's views when he admitted that Cameroon's military is very corrupt.

 OBS-Observation.

Read the entire cable here.

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