‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere’

By Hinsley Njila
Whenever anyone points out things that need to be corrected in Cameroon, it’s become Cameroonian and fashionable even for people who clearly have not benefited from the corrupt system that Paul Biya has championed to criticize them for doing so. You can’t be surprised where this type of attitude comes from especially after reading the president’s reaction to the recent strikes all over the country, and to the pain and suffering of the Cameroonian people. For these people so critical of anyone who dares to point out the truth about our country, I ask you a few questions:

- Are you proud of your country when your President gets on television and insults the youth for seeking a better society with less police brutality, better schools, better teachers, employment, better healthcare, justice for all etc?

- Are you proud of Cameroon when Transparency International conducts research, which showed that 75% of all Cameroonians bribed a public official for service in 2007?

- Or maybe you are proud of Cameroon when international media (CNN, BBC, and YouTube etc) are showing young defenseless Cameroonians being killed by an uneducated, overly brutal and senseless police?

- Hmmm…Could it be that trying to qualify as one of the world’s poorest countries for debt relief purposes is something that any Cameroonian should be proud of?

- How about Cameroon being one of the most corrupt countries in the world for the last 10 years on average?

- The World Bank has also asserted that Cameroon’s business climate ranks among the least welcoming in the WORLD. In fact, the US Ambassador to Cameroon rightfully pointed out to Cameroonians last year that while it takes 5 minutes to register a business in Singapore, that same business being registered in Cameroon will take 444 days and millions in bribes if at all.

- Maybe the fact that young smart, vibrant, energetic, hardworking, able bodied Cameroonians would rather die in the North African desert trying to get to Europe for a better life, even if it means cleaning toilets and living in unwelcoming environments, than perishing in the joblessness of Cameroon is something you’re proud of.

- Also, maybe the fact that your child / brother / sister / relative / neighbor / friend... etc was denied entry into University because a less qualified person took the spot, or that your kid in college is using the same books you used when you were in the same grade and not catching up with changing knowledge makes you proud.

- Or maybe the fact that ALL private radio and television stations can be closed in one day for correctly reporting and showing images of the government mercilessly killing innocent youths makes you proud.

Now, I can see you arguing against any of these points if you’re a member of Biya’s immediate family who, I can assume, have benefited from his incompetence and disregard for human suffering over the years. Everyone should be quite concerned for the sake of justice. Like Dr. King said during the civil rights struggles, ‘injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ Like you, I’m embarrassed for my country, but let’s all have a healthy debate so HOPE can finally in our lifetime be something that ALL Cameroonians, young and old, get to live and dream about.

Hinsley Njila
Contributor