12/31/2025
*My message to Pa Paul Biya, our "illustrious" President*
Pa, we already know everything you are going to say because we are living the reality. Our streets and cities across all ten regions have been overtaken by mountains of trash. Electricity is erratic; in fact, Menchum Division which worked so hard to re-elect you has gone without power for more than nine years.
It has become the 'new normal' that if a community wants electricity, they must block the roads in protest. As I write this, our roads are in terrible condition, even in the capital, Yaoundé. Pa, I am hungry; my neighbors have cooked, but they refuse to share.
Pa, when you speak of 'peace,' do you see the mothers in the North West and South West who still cannot send their children to school because of the 'crise'? When you talk of 'growth,' do you know the price of a bag of rice or a liter of oil today? It is as if our money has lost its legs.
Pa, our graduates have all become 'benskin' riders because the offices are closed to those without a name or a bribe. Even to get an ID card, we must wait for years or pay under the table. We are thirsty, Pa, because the taps are dry even in the city centers. You are celebrating years of achievement, but we are just struggling to survive until tomorrow.
Tah Javis Mai
Journalist/Negotiator