Cameroun - Cameroon, Dictatorship and Political Poker

The CL2P never thought that the Cameroonian’s opposition would have it easy. Indeed, in the aftermath of the presidential election in the « Very Very Democratic Republic » of Cameroon …The founder president’s subjects are said to be very « shocked » by the victorious declaration of his main challenger, Maurice Kamto. This eminent international jurist is therefore reproached for not having left the primer to the great helmsman through the completely subservient institutions to his power.

In summary, even winning an election at the polls in Cameroon, an opponent must wisely wait 15 days, relying solely on the will of the « prophet » Paul Biya, who has awarded for 36 years – depending on the docility of each – the score which he judges to be less prejudicial to his omnipotence.

Do not insure yourself against this strange conception of universal suffrage in Cameroonian democracy. This could be worth all kinds of threats.

Within that context, what is taking place is a game of poker. In poker, except for the very first moment, the players don’t have the same resources. … In poker, they can afford to be involved in more hands and take a few more risks. In politics, more resources means that you can engage more with voters, however, a government indifferent to public good require different tactic because there is no demand for more “civility” and “good faith” with a regime that never felt the pressure to satisfy the transactional demands of the public.

Thus, Prof. Kamto playing poker with the regime is another stroke of genius Kamto! People who are victims of Stockholm syndrome do not understand the game of poker in Cameroon. You are a poker player and a poker when you do not command cards like the ones you control everything, you have to take more risks and force your opponents to take the bait and expose his cards. Thus, prof. Kamto is forcing Mr. Biya to “Take the bait » which is very possible for Pa’a Paul, a gentleman who never negotiate anything in his life always takes the strong way. Indeed, Prof. Kamto, who knows the regime very well having been a member of government, understands the regime wanting to strike back when someone hits you, and Senior Minister, Hamidou Marafa Yaya is illegally detained for the same reason, but the truth is, the regime would have been better off to say nothing at all. Now, however, the regime is clearly behaving childishly with a frantic swirl of cynicism, opportunism, and fearmongering that left few looking their best and did, in fact, expose our tactics of political warfare at their most untamed. Thus, the regime would have been better off just leaving it alone and not giving prof. Kamto the extra attention. Going on this media storm was obviously intended to be self-defense, however, it ends up making the Biya’s regime look unhinged.

This kind of political poker, moreover, emphasizes the long term importance of political activism and creativity forcing open critical-radical spaces to redefine proper forms of citizenship and institutional politics.

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