Yaounde , the nation’s capital was gripped by a morose atmosphere early on Tuesday November 27, 2012. The country was not bereaved but work in all ministerial departments was apparently grounded. Even the closest collaborators of government ministers were seen skittering around with anxiety as their bosses carried heavy faces and were apparently very tense. Some of them looked very restive as they had not slept that night due to the announcement convening them to the Unity Palace for a cabinet meeting with the Head of State. What was going to be the outcome of such a cabinet meeting, most of them were bound to introspect, given that cabinet meetings are not frequent in Cameroon and President Paul Biya often reshuffles government after such cabinet meetings. Some ministers are appointed and sacked without them having the opportunity to meet the Head of State. Some of them only meet the Head of State during the routine New Year wishes at the Unity Palace . For instance, in 1993 there was not even a single cabinet meeting between President Paul Biya and his ministers. In 1994, the Head of State held four cabinet meetings and another cabinet meeting was only held on July 3, 2009. After the December 9, 2011 government, President Paul Biya united the newly formed government led by PM Philemon Yang around him on December 15, 2011 where he gave them specific instructions and deadlines to deliver while at the same time requiring from each ministerial department a roadmap of activities, projects and perspectives. These roadmaps were conceived by the different ministerial departments, forwarded to the PM, validated and forwarded to the President for final validation. After their validation and execution, they were evaluated by the services of the Prime Minister on a scale of 134 points and the results forwarded to the Head of State for final appreciation. Consequently, when the Head of State summoned the cabinet meeting at the Unity Palace , cabinet ministers who were aware of their mediocre performances were those who were carrying heavy faces to the Unity Palace for fear of the unknown. Tension was equally heightened given that President Paul Biya has the tendency of forming his government in November or December. Another issue that added to the fright of the cabinet ministers was the recent happening in Ivory Coast where the President, Allassane Ouattara dissolved his entire government during a session of the National Assembly. Thus the fear of the unknown and the unexpected was quite visible on the faces of cabinet ministers as they trooped into the Unity Palace . Civilities that often characterize a reunion of ministers with the Prime Minister were totally absent and each minister entered the conference hall of the Unity Palace situated on the third floor very tense and weary.
However, President Paul Biya diffused the tension when he started the in camera cabinet meeting that lasted for 30 minutes. The meeting had only one point on the agenda, which was the evaluation of ministerial roadmaps midway their execution. After the meeting, the cabinet ministers left the Unity Palace quite relax beaming with smiles, unlike the time they entered the hall. According to Prime Minister Philemon Yang who was the only person authorized to speak to the press, the cabinet meeting was a forum for the Head of State to talk about government work and solidarity and to give directives to cabinet ministers to double their efforts. PM Yang said the Head of State always directs the government and that cabinet ministers were happy to be around the Head of State. PM Yang was very elusive in his response and said details of what transpired in the cabinet meeting would be discussed later.
Is PM Yang The Scapegoat?
Like in any examination where each candidate thinks he or she has given the best and blames the examiner for failing him or her, some cabinet ministers who have performed poorly midway in the execution of roadmaps they adopted are putting their blame on PM Yang for evaluating them poorly. Despite the fact that PM Yang organized a seminar to prepare ministers on the execution of their roadmaps and the methods of auto-evaluation, some still see him as an enemy to their remaining in government. The Head of State decided to choose PM Philemon Yang as the chief examiner of the ministers in regard to the execution of the ministerial roadmaps. This is not an easy task given that some ministers have and claim filial and other special relationships with the Head of State. In this wise whether they perform poorly or not in the execution of their roadmaps, they see no reason why they should be evaluated as performing poorly by PM Yang. Immediately the services of the PM evaluated the ministerial roadmaps, some of the ministers started picking quarrels with the method of evaluation used by the services of the PM. It is even alleged and circulated in high quarters that the Head of State, powerless in front of such ministers decided to use PM Philemon Yang as the scapegoat to flush them out of government. These ministers who claim to be related to the Head of State in special ways are the ones perpetrating government inertia and have always had a gripped on the Head of State. What remains a puzzle is whether PM Yang’s evaluation of their performances in their ministerial roadmaps will be used to justify their exit from government or not. Equally, will these purported power brokers actually leave government or will they team up against Yang and ask for his dismissal from the Star Building still remains unanswered. What is certain is the fact that PM Yang has been given a delicate task and his survival depends solely on the Head of State, who can decided to maintain him or to flush him alongside some very unproductive cabinet ministers.
Imminent Reshuffle After The Cabinet Meeting?
Analysts of President Paul Biya’s motives hold strongly that he will reshuffle the present cabinet before mid December. They say he held the cabinet meeting on November 27, 2012 as a way to bid farewell to most of his ministers as they will no longer have the opportunity to meet him. Some even argue that the new government will be announced either on the 8 or 9 December; that is exactly one year after the last one. Those who hold this opinion argue strongly that President Paul Biya immediately after taking oath of office of his new seven year mandate vowed to make Cameroon a huge work site. And that he wants ministers who would help him push Cameroon to emerging economy in 2035. For this reason, cabinet ministers who have performed poorly within the first half of their ministerial roadmaps will be shown the exit door from government. This is why many Cameroonians are expecting a total overhaul of the government and the bringing in of new blood to pilot the several infrastructural projects earmarked for Cameroon ’s emergence in 2035. Another postulation is that Paul Biya wants to wipe the Marafa influence and bitter sentiments in Garoua by appointing somebody from there into government and also from areas where he was overwhelmingly voted during the last Presidential Elections but have no ministerial portfolio. It is alleged that with senatorial, legislative and municipal elections in the offing, Paul Biya intends to placate the electorate with ministerial portfolios where he has no strong political support.
However, many are of the opinion that Paul Biya will not reshuffle the Yang led-government soon as they have not yet finished with the execution of their roadmaps. It is alleged that Paul Biya called them to Unity Palace to sound a warning that those who will not sit-up and carry through with the projects that they earmarked in their roadmaps will face his wrath at the end of the given period. Whatever the case, ministers are gripped with fear and anxiety while intense lobbying is taken place at the Unity Palace . Some ministers have already cleared their tables and packed their bags while others that have never listened to the radio have bought potable radio receivers that they stealthily listened to during the newscasts.
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