THE COLLAPSE OF DICTATORSHIPS IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST, WHAT LESSON FOR CAMEROON AND ITS YOUTHS.
Introduction :
Young people have played very essential roles in the
advancement of progress and change in the world. Youths have changed the world’s
thinking, shaped the world, and played a pivot role in the advancement of
democracy in the World. It is because of the role of youths and the part they
have played in various countries in the world that I boldly say that, a Youth
is the human engine of every society. On the 16th of July 1976, it
is apt to say that, it was the youths that stood up against the apartheid
regime[1]
in South Africa and necessitated its eradication. From December 10th
2010, a somewhat revolutionary wave broke out in the Arab World and the world
became amazed as the wave spread like the giant tsunamis of Asia. The wave
caused and led to a long list of regime change and power shifts and collapse of
major dictatorships in Africa and the Middle East. What makes this historic
drama so fascinating is the fact that, more than ¾ of such revolutionary
changes were caused and carried out by the youths of the Arab world.
Context:
The results of youth action in this area of the world saw a
series of regime changes in the Arab world; in North Africa and the Middle East
and have started extending to the South, west and East of Africa. Many have had
reasons to believe that this regime change is the long awaited wind of change
the youths in particular have been waiting for and which they stand tall to see
it cut across the entire continent of Africa.
In Tunisia, the 18th of December 2010, marked the
beginning of the revolt following the self-immolation of a youth Mohamed
Bouazizi and on 14th of January 2011, saw the ousting and overthrow
of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali as President. Ben Ali later flew to Saudi
Arabia on exile. The Overthrow of Ben Ali, a long standing African Dictator,
followed his entire regime, firstly with the resignation of his Prime Minister,
Ghannouchi, a dissolution of the political police, dissolution of the former ruling
political party of Tunisia and the Liquidation of all its assets. This followed
the release of all political prisoners and an election of a constituent
Assembly on October 23rd 2011 and finally to the adoption of a new
Tunisian Constitution after 2013-14 protests against the interim Islamist
led-government. The Tunisia revolution facilitated the birth of the next neighboring
revolution; the Egyptian revolution.
Two regime changes in
Egypt saw the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, who was later
sentenced to Life imprisonment having been found guilty of ordering the killing
of protesters in Egypt. Mubarak’s overthrow led to general elections in Egypt which
saw Mohammed Morsi being elected as the new president in 2011 yet Morsi was
later overthrown by the Military in July 2013[2].
Following a second election, Abdel Fattah El
Sisi, became the elected as the new Egyptian President. Was there any lesson
leant from these two revolts? Did other Dictators see the revolts as an
opportunity to hand over power and set the people free? Or were they waiting to
see themselves flown out of their “mighty kingdoms”? On the contrary nemesis always
has a way of catching with all those people who sit on top of the people they
were chosen to govern? The results will always be disastrous.
The 23rd of August 2011, saw the collapse of the long
standing dictator-regime in Libya. The collapse came with brutal killing of Col.
Mohamat Ghadaffi as president by a combined force of local and UN-based
Military. Ghaddaffi’s overthrow and killing came as a big blow to the entire
continent of Africa as nobody could ever imagine Colonel Mohamat Ghadaffi being
kicked out of power. What lesson could other dictators learn from Ghadaffi
defeat, what effects on the African continent? What could be the future of
other regional countries in the Arab league?
The spread of the wild fire revolutionary wave did not disappear
from the whole North Africa and Middle East sub region. The heat went and settled
in Syria since 2009 till present date, with the Asad regime resisting a step
down from power even after continuous pressure from the NATO and other world
regional groups. The revolution still persists with countless number of deaths,
from children, to men, women, old and young, accompanied by massive suffering,
poverty and hunger.
In Yemen, the revolution started in January 27th 2011,
and saw the overthrow of two governments in February 2012 and January 2015 just
like the case in Egypt. And the protest is still rising in an ongoing violence.
The Overthrow of Abdullah saleh as President of Yemen and the grant of immunity
to him against any form of prosecution caused serious protests which led to
destabilizing the country and ending in coup d’état.
This coup followed the
same effects suffered by the regime in Tunisia. From the resignation of the
Prime Minister to the rest of the Members of Parliament of the ruling Yemen
Political party, the sacking of all military leaders and the restructuring of
the Military, to the conduct of new elections which saw Abd Rabbur Mansur, emerged
as the new President. However, in an ongoing protests, which some may be right
to term it an endless protest, Mansur, was overthrown on January 22nd
2015. What is the fate and future of Yemen Leadership? What lessons can the
rest of the world learn from such a continuous revolution?
The revolution spread across the Arab world and touch almost
every part of the Arab world, from Tunisia to Egypt, to Algeria, Jordan, Oman,
Iraq, Bahrain, Libya, Kuwait, Yemen, Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia,
Iran, Israel and UAE. Although some successfully ended with peace, others ended
in destruction with massive human and material lost. Estimates put the number
of human deaths from 242,335 -247,339+ with in Libya as from about 25000-30000+
people. Syria from 210,000+ in Syria and covering more than 80 percent of the
total deaths recorded across the Arab World revolution. When will the Syria
world end? Will the Syrians ever smell and iota of peace and tranquility ever
again, having the presence of heavy and most dreaded terrorist groups like ISIS
and ISIL?
All these terrorists groups are by products of the revolution in the
Arab world. These terrorist groups cause a major political blockade to
political change and major reforms in the Middle East. It is a huge barrier to
Economic and social development. The group has made a greater part of the Middle
East as no-go area. The soldiers of these terrorist groups are mostly or if not
all youths.
What change can come out from brutal killings and terrorist attacks
from other youths?
What are identical to all these revolutions are the causes of
the revolutions? They are identical in the fact that issues of Dictatorship,
Unemployment and human and economic suffering, Embezzlement and Mismanagement
of public funds, human rights violations, and the desire to assume absolute
Monarchy and remain in power for life as leaders, intimidimation, and a host of
other reasons are causes for these uprisings.
The reasons youths get involved
at the centered point of all the revolutions is that the youths are the direct
recipients to the above ills from their governments. They suffer the greatest
from such a social pollution because they lack a representation in the
management of public affairs. They are not represented in their government and
so do not have a direct say to issues that directly concerns them.
In Cameroon, the youths cannot boast of an official youth
representative in the government. The Ministry of Youth Affairs has at its head
a Minister who is aged about 65years and above. The youths wonder if such a person
directly sees into the affairs of a 21st century youth.
From the
area of education, to social to economic to culture and above all to politics,
no youth in Cameroon can boast of an official and an influential youth
assistant manning the affairs in government in their country. Very few
graduates will find themselves a good and well paid job which they can take
care of themselves and feed their families. A majority of Cameroon youths can
only survive from the economy of foreign countries. How can the youths of
Cameroon think of belonging to a government they have been expressly regarded
as outcasts? How can we reconcile the fact that a leader who has stayed in
power for over 33 years refuses to leave power, refuses to give to his youths a
fair share of the national cake and still refuses to accept the fact that he is
a Dictator?
The issues that have caused civil wars and revolutions across
the world are the same issues that have shaped and re-shaped the world many
times. These are issues that have altered the normal functioning of the state,
these are issues that have crumbled down regimes and have brought down
Dictators. These are issues that brought the people of Burkina Faso to stand
tall and demand the step-down of long serving leader Blaise Campaore in October
31st 2014 after serving as president for 27 years. These are issues
that have brought out the zeal for change face of every Cameroonian youth. Cameroonian
youths. These are issues that have necessitated the posing of this invaluable
question “What is the place of youths in the management of public Affairs in
Cameroon”. Do the youths of Cameroon need to forcefully include themselves
into the political class of the country or do they need to remain segregated for
as long as God says otherwise?
A food
for thought. With the extension of the Boko Haram insurgency from Nigeria to
Cameroon and the brutal killings of over a hundred of people in the Northern
region of Cameroon in February 2015, one would likely ask the fate of the
country’s political fate. What is the burning desire of Cameroon youths at this
point in time? Is it an immediate and forceful inclusion into the political
class or a complete termination of the insurgency group? Should Paul Biya step
down now at this tempting moment in Cameroon’s political history or should he
hang on to power and continuously fight the Boko Haram terrorism to a standstill.
[1]
Apartheid was a system of government in South Africa from 1948-1994, where the
society was segregated on the grounds of racial differences.
[2]
The revolution in Egypt broke up as a result of resistance to the imposition of
an Islamist-backed Constitution by the Muslim brotherhood and Mohamed Morsi
which saw the overthrow of Hosni Moubarak and the election of Mohamed Morsi as
President. M.Morsi was later removed in a second revolution that came few
months after Moubarak.
5 comments:
Very well said.Good mastery of events.Looking at all the revoultions, has the countries learned their lessons? Do we have youth participating in political decisions of the countries? Cameroon is a sad case.
Cameroon is a sad case to say?The big question is; Are Cameroonians ready for this wind of change? Can the youths confidently stand for themselves in this desire for change?mbarakamozo?
You have said it all comrade. You could not have said it better.
Good analysis Shamy. My opinion is that in Cameroons above 80% of youths live above the poverty line though ideally this is other wise. In which case, there is no motivation to seek change. Perhaps many do not know what change is all about because they were born and brought up in a system that re-circles itself. Another factor is that livelihoods are supported by remittances that bush fallers send back home keeping the quality of live generally at a minimum standard. There is no pain that can trigger the need for imminent change.
Such is a fine stuff from you Mufubaron. What position do you think the youths occupy in Cameroon's current democracy. What methods will you suggest as a way forward to salvage our current state of socio-political and economic stand stil.That imminent change that you and I need.
Post a Comment