A war between Whistleblowers and Defenders of Government?
It’s not strange that being a critical mind in Cameroon has always been a hard way to go given the chaotic Governmental approach the country has, but to think that at a time when the world frantically wrestles a deadly virus as Covid_19, some diehards prefer the mental status quo. These weird Government Defensive mindsets still stock them in a mental cocoon which might take Cameroonians walk the path of Italy or Spain in the struggle against the Novel Covid_19 Pandemic.
Many who have chosen to call the attention of the Government of the day to sanity, have often been regarded as anti-Covid_19 Fighters, even when they exhaust everything in them to hold powers accountable to making right decisions and policies to speed up this fight.
As a matter of fact, some Thinkers have often come under the hammer head for asking Government to adopt strategic measures in distributing Incentives to Cameroonians so that the nation can be Shutdown for effective management and mitigation of the effects of this Pandemic.
In their efforts to make Nonsense of all meaningful proposals, the Cameroonian Government Defensive mindset ask amongst these questions;
√ What have you also done to assist the Government?
√ Why Do you people Complain Always?
√Do you think Cameroon is the worst Country?
√If you are there, are you going to be better?
√Do you Know more than the Government? Etc.
Infact, these questions have kept them spinning in the circus, from 10 cases where Government first imposed some ineffective rules, March 17th, 2020, till more than 223 cases April 1st, 2020. In short, those rules are still begging effective Ground measures to take off.
These Questions from those who think Love the State and are sole proprietors of the Country’s Patriotism, are causing more lives of fellow citizens more than ever before. The Cameroonian Defensive Mindset doesn’t look beyond the nose to pick Applicable examples next door.
Not long after a cry for the country to shut down, the Head of State who has not been seen in public since the worldwide pandemic broke out, is said to have created a fund with 1billion Frs. to fight the Monstrous Virus (Far Below what is budgeted for drinks at the Presidency during feasts). Well, Good step atleast. The question now is, how impactful given the strength of the virus? But the Cameroonian mindset will ask this writer as usual, Has he not tried? Where is your own Contribution?
They won’t ask themselves How much a single minister Steals from State’s wallet, some above 109 billion FCFA and still breath without oxygen pipes.
The Cameroonian mindset won’t look into her neighbor’s books to compare notes. At the mention of countries like Senegal that has programmed a financial scheme of close to 200,000 frs per household for the next 3 months to enable Lockdown, you become a state enemy. At the mention of Nigeria that has used her beautiful stadium in building a befitting quarantine center for patients instead of costly hotels adding the risk of spread like in Cameroon, you become a state enemy.
When you tell a Cameroonian that PM Abiy of Ethiopia, the Noble Peace award winner has released thousands of prisoners to curb the spread of this Pandemic, you become a non-Patriotic Cameroonian.
Stop at Rwanda where President Kagame is supervising a program to distribute Food and medical supply to his citizens in this perilous era, they will say Cameroon isn’t Rwanda.
Turn over to Ghana where the President has been on TV more than 3 times since the outbreak to personally talk and encourage those who took him to power to stay strong in the midst of the crisis, The Cameroonian mindset says, their President is Head of State and Must not speak physically but via His subjects.
I mean, you reading got many of these examples of progress done in other African countries to burial the dreaded Covid_19 pandemic while sustaining the citizens.
These are people who over the years pay monies at toll gates, taxes of various types, bills, fines and penalties, rents etc. to swell Government’s Treasury. How hard is the hand that has to give back? –That of their Government.
The Defensive Cameroonian mindset has kept our health minister tweeting numbers of increased cases even at midnight with policy makers observing as if the disease has friends.
Oh! What a mindset? Instead of holding power, they hold the whistleblowers. Where will our help come from? I have often said that, Holding Powers to account Doesn’t mean validating the recalcitrance of citizens towards such crisis. We must now think anew for the situation is new. What these defenders of Government sluggish approach towards the virus fail to understand is that it’s a collective fight which individual efforts are good but can’t work solely.
It is the legendary Bob Marley who sang; Emancipate yourself from Mental Slavery non but us can free our minds
The Cameroonian mindset of Defensiveness needs an overhaul, a reboot and a retouch, else we shall wake up one morning to Tens of Thousands of Covid_19 deads daily.
Till then, be your own Government, Doctor and policy maker, with aim to live and safe the world.
