Steemit Engagement Challenge 2 // Steem4Nigeria Contest | Welcome Mrs. President: We need a Manifesto from you, What should we Expect?

Introduction

Hello my esteemed friends in the steem4nigeria community, accept warm steem greetings from my humble self @chant. Politics has never been my thing because of the dirty play which politicians play in my country. But from this challenge, I start seeing myself actively getting ready to involved and change things in my country. It’s a privilege to participate in this challenge to share my political ambitions of ruling my country one day. Before I get into my manifesto, I will first give a brief narrative of Cameroon's colonial and post-colonial history.

Brief Historical Narrative of Cameroon

Cameroon has once been seen as a haven of peace where there were no conflicts even though people were not fully satisfied with the state of things but everyone was somehow happy while struggling to meet up with their needs and wants.

Looking at Cameroon during the colonial era, we had a mix of colonial tradition and style from the Portuguese, British, German, and French. It was a tough tussle with the colonial masters as they faced resistance from the natives.

However, the country was divided into French Cameroon and British Southern Cameroon. French Cameroon gained its independence in 1960 while British Southern for its independence in 1961. The two later decided to form a unitary state ruled by Ahmadou Ahidjo. Since independence, we have had 2 presidents and I think we need the power to change hands.

Present State of Cameroon

Presently, Cameroon is no longer a haven of peace due to the numerous crisis that plagued the country for years now.

We have witnessed Boko haram attacks in the Northern part of the country, killing civilians and military personnel, the bombing of schools, residences, and administrative areas by Boko Haram has made the security of lives and property in this part of the region a call for concern.

In the Eastern part of Cameroon, we have the Seleka rebels from the Central African Republic, taking hostages, and killing civilians. Kidnapping for ransoms in this part of the country is a strategy used by the rebels to have money.

In the North West and SouthWest regions of the country, we have the Anglophone crisis which has been crumbling down the state coffers to strengthen military intervention.

The unemployment rate in Cameroon is alarming with thousands of youths roaming the streets jobless, while some have engaged in cyber crimes.

From this, we see that the country is engulfed in crisis, and from the look of things, nothing is improving but rather worsening. The reason why the number of street protests has been increasing.

Why I think I will be Suitable for the Position of President

Being a president entails a lot of communication skills, showing empathy, having integrity, being accountable for every action, and being decisive. These are what make you a good leader ready to serve the people. I am capable and have all these qualities.

• Communication: Words they say can either build or destroy if not communicated well. I am always cautious of the words I used because I know the implications of using the wrong words. I listen more and speak less.
• Empathy: I believe that as a president you need to understand, and share what people are going through in your country. I am someone who always tries to understand and share the experiences of others especially vulnerable groups. If you can not experience what they are going through, then you will not understand their worries.
• Integrity: I am an honest woman who stand for the truth and holds strong moral principles which I believed if I am voted for president, it will be a plus.
• Accountability: Being a president is like being a father or a mother to all citizens irrespective of class, status, tribe, religion, etc. If the state falls, you as a mother take responsibility for failing to put things in order. I am a mother and I take responsibility on behalf of all to make sure things work out well. With this skill, I believed if voted for president, it will help me to build a better Cameroon.
• Respect: Respect is something that if you do not work to earn, then you turn to be disregarded. I believed this is one of the causes of dictatorial regimes. If you are a good president, the citizens will respect every decision you take. I am someone who respects people’s ideas, opinions, and thoughts. This skill will enable me to respect the people’s opinions, respect the laws governing the state. I will respect the decisions of the Supreme Court if I am elected president.

The Most Pressing Problems Faced in Cameroon by Citizens

Anglophone crisis
The Anglophone crisis is one of the most pressing issues that need practical solutions if not it will resurface worst than it is now. Anglophone Cameroonians feel marginalized by the majority of French Cameroonians. They feel that the constitution that binds their union is not respected. For over 5 years now, due to the crisis, schools have been shot down, the economy is draining down, and the present regime in power prefers a military solution to the crisis by declaring war.

Corruption and Embezzlement
The level of corruption and embezzlement is alarming as the regime in power has made it possible for them to feel their pockets. Money in circulation is in the hands of a few high-class citizens while the majority of the population languished in poverty.

Unemployment
The rate of unemployment in Cameroon is a call for concern. Thousands of youths are jobless and this applies to the reason why the crime rate among youths is high.

Food Insecurity
Of recent, we heard of the minister of trade, who said that “citizens should mind the way they eat nowadays because times are hard”. This is the sad reality of what citizens are going through. Cameroon use to supply food to other countries in huge quantities, but today, Cameroon imports food from other countries. Before, the World food program was not present in Cameroon, but today, we see varieties of International Organisations such as UN-OCHA, UN-WFP, USAID, Norwegian Refugee Council, Denish Refugee Council, International Rescue Committee, Intersos, etc all rendering food support to vulnerable citizens.

Poor Road Infrastructures
The state of roads in Cameroon is a nightmare. Even in urban areas and high ways linking to other cities is a disaster. The rate of road accidents is high due to bad roads. Many lives have been wasted because of the poor state of roads. Limited farm-to-market roads are another concern that needs urgent action. Food gets bad on farms because farmers are unable to transport it to the market.

Health Challenges
There are few specialist hospitals in Cameroon. This implies that if you are sick of certain illnesses, the only option is to be taken out of the country for proper treatment. This is only advantageous to the few working-class groups that can afford the cost of treatment out of the country. The doctor-patient ratio is low, and the pay package for health personnel is discouraging. Medical doctors are not well paid, and most of them prefer to work in other countries where living standards are good.

Solutions I will Proffer if Voted President

With regards to the Anglophone crisis, if I am voted as the president, the form of the state should be discussed and dialogue with the separatists. I believed federalism should be the first step to resolving the crisis. The military solution used by the present regime is not the best way to resolve differences between citizens. Therefore, genuine dialogue with the leaders and citizens will go a long way to curbing the crisis.

Most often we hear of government officials arrested for embezzlement but we have never heard of how the money has been recovered. If for instance one can embezzle billions of dollars and only serve a jail term while the family enjoys the money and the citizens suffer. This is the reason why corruption and embezzlement continue at a high level in Cameroon. As a good leader, if I am voted as president, there will be accountability for all recovered state assets from embezzlers. Also, there will be term limits instituted in the constitution for the office of the president. Presidential elections should be done in 2 rounds.

We have state-owned plantations that have been privatized and at the same time heavily taxed which has led to the collapse of most state-owned enterprises privatized. If I am voted president, these plantations will be revamped, which will create thousands of jobs and secure food for the citizens.

Scholarships will be given to medical students to further studies abroad and come back to render those services to the public at subsidized rates in government hospitals.

Create more farm-to-market roads to enable farmers to be able to harvest and sell their produce without them getting bad due to poor roads.

The educational system will be changed from general education to professional education. That is instead of students wasting time learning history, they should learn how to build aircraft, build cars, etc. The country should be producers and not only consumers of foreign goods.

Innovations I will Introduce

First, agriculture will be mechanized, this will greatly increase yields and secure food for all. Most agricultural produce in Cameroon is done by local farmers, using hoes, and manual labor is highly used. Introducing mechanized farming will greatly reduce manual work but increase yields.

Secondly, in the health sector, modern hospitals will be constructed with computerized systems whereby doctors can be accessible by the public online in case of an emergency that requires urgent attention.

Lastly, the taxation system will be highly computerized in a way that corruption and embezzlement will be reduced. Corruption and embezzlement are high because the present regime focuses on the analog system of keeping papers and files manually which leads to fraud.

Conclusively, action they say is better than talking. Therefore, I will not talk much but rather say, vote for me as president, and see the actions I will take to make Cameroon a haven of peace.

I like @b-naj, @majerius, @graciella, and @monjuapollonia to share with us their presidential manifesto.