- Seeks Church's help for peace building
Paul Biya of Cameroon
Ahead of Cameron's general election coming up in October, the government is widening its consultations with various interest groups and stakeholders, including leaders of the Catholic Church, for peace building efforts.
The 92 years old Paul Biya, Africa’s second-longest-serving president after Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea, in July announced that he would be running for the presidency in October for the 8th time, even as he shuttles abroad frequently for medical tourism.
Last year, it was rumoured that he had passed on, prompting the government to publicly deny the rumors. Paul Biya is Cameroon’s second president since independence from France in 1960, and has been in power since 1982. There have been widespread discontents among the populace as a result of myriad of socio-economic challenges pushing the people to the brink.
Cameroonian Minister of State, and Secretary-General at the Presidency, Ferdinand Ngoh Ngoh, who represented the government at the parley, held at the Unity Palace — also called the Etoudi Palace, which serves as the official presidental residence and administrative headquarters — at the instance of President Paul Biya, started by commending the Catholic Church in the Central African nation for committing to peace-building as the country prepared for its presidential election in October.
He recognized the Catholic Church’s contribution to peace-building before discussing with them how to foster peace during the election period, emphasizing his administration’s determination to commit to "fair and transparent elections", and the need to prevail on the people to keep peace and to be law abiding.
NECC Delegation with Govt Officials
Responding, the Secretary General of the National Episcopal Conference of Cameroon (NECC), Father Paul Nyaga, told the minister that, considering the sensitive moment the country is going through, particularly with the approaching presidential election, the bishops “came as men of God, carrying the hopes and concerns of the people”, even as they keep praying for "a climate of peace in the country before, during, and after the election.”
In his remarks, the NECC's President, Archbishop Andrew Fuanya Nkea of the Archdiocese of Bamenda, recalled the consistent positions of the Catholic Bishops to the calls for peace through messages and pastoral letters. He highlighted the message on the socio-economic situation of Cameroon, dated January 11, and the pastoral letter on the occasion of the presidential and regional elections dated March 28. He handed to the minister copies of the documents to buttress the firm position of the Bishops.
Archbishop Nkea reaffirmed the Catholic Church’s nonpartisan position when it comes to politics, adding that the Church does not take sides but is “determined to continue its evangelization mission by promoting justice, reconciliation, and peace, serving all Cameroonians, sharing in their joys and hopes, as well as their sorrows and anxieties.”
“To this end, the Church encourages the multiplication of consultation platforms with public institutions to strengthen cooperation in the service of the common good,” he said.
Individual Catholic bishops in Cameroon have also voiced their desire for peace in the country, decrying behaviors likely to jeopardize peace-building efforts.
In his pastoral letter on August 12, Archbishop Samuel Kleda of the Archdiocese of Douala denounced what he termed as “anti-Gospel acts,” including corruption and bad governance that he said are causing discontent among Cameroonians as they prepare for the October presidential election.
Kleda said the Central African nation is “shaken by multiple evils that afflict all social strata” and is in a great need for peace, justice, and reconciliation especially during this electioneering period.
“The malaise that is eating away at our country at the present time and which is causing widespread discontent in the hearts of citizens in this pre-electoral period has its roots in the anti-Gospel acts that are being instituted in the management of our country,” he said.
The Cameroon archbishop also highlighted the absence of democracy, widespread poverty, and unemployment, illegal immigration, a poor road network, and difficulty in accessing water and electricity as additional acts causing discontent among his compatriots.
In his pastoral letter addressed to clergy, women and men religious, and the laity, Kleda also highlighted the “nebulous management of oil, mining injustices, and security crisis in the country’s northern region" as additional factors behind discontent.
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