Steemit Engagement Challenge S11/W4 | " How is democracy functioning in your country?."

Steem greetings friends of the Hindwhale community. It is always a privilege to share content on topics such as the topic of this week 4 engagement challenge.

Though it is a great topic of discussion, we need to be tactical and not be carried away by emotions as experiences from bad governance. That said, I will share my ideas based on the guiding questions below 👇👇.

How is democracy functioning in your country?

According to my understanding of the word democracy, it is a form of governance where everyone is involved through elected officials to govern the people. This implies that everyone is actively involved in the activities of the state under the supervision and leadership of an elected body.

Since independence, Cameroon 🇨🇲 was governed under a single-party system. One could say there was no democracy practised from 1960 till the early 1990s when the multiparty system was legalised.

Though the multi-party system was legalised, there still existed a dictatorship form of government where since 1960 till date, only two presidents have governed the people. The country is practically being controlled by the ruling party and the opposition parties are voiceless.

Any attempt by the opposition to express dissatisfaction with the form of governance is considered by the regime in power as an act of terrorism. Arbitrary arrest forced disappearances and detention is commonly practised by the regime in power.

In a nutshell, the word democracy is far-fetched and practised in Cameroon. The president has the right to do and undo without anyone questioning him. He revises the Constitution at will to suit his interest.

Is your country free from any domination ruled?

As I earlier said, though multi-partyism was legalised to allow opposition parties to contest during elections, rigging of elections is common to favour the regime in power to continue ruling.

We are not free from domination rule as the president is the head of everything in the country. He can take decisions by himself through the signing of decrees. His actions are not questionable as he is the grandmaster of everything.

Is your country self-sufficient in food production?

When it comes to food production, Cameroon I think is one of the countries that is blessed with varieties of food crops and cereals due to the favourable climatic conditions within the regions of the country.

Cameroon supplies food to Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Chad, France, etc. Food items such as potatoes, and veggies are supplied in large quantities from Cameroon to Gabon, Equatorial Guinea. Cereals from the North region of Cameroon are exported to Chad, eru, crayfish, palm oil, plantains, egusi, etc supplied to Nigeria. Bananas, timber, etc supplied to France.

However, recently, Cameroon is suffering from food scarcity due to a lack of a highly mechanised system of farming. The local farmers used poor methods of farming such as burning down bushes, deforestation is highly practised, which has damaged the soils, causing soil erosion.

Food production in Cameroon has reduced and is not sufficient enough to sustain the population. This justifies the constant hike in food prices in the market as demand is high but supply is low.

How is youth employment in your country?

The level of youth unemployment in my country is alarming. The reason why most youths now risk their lives moving through dangerous paths seeking greener pastures. You see the thousands of youths fleeing the country, risking their lives moving through the Mediterranean Sea and through the Amazon forest just to get better living conditions.

Notwithstanding, I think the high rates of unemployment are caused by the lack of a transformative mindset to create opportunities for the youth.

The system of education inherited from the colonial era needs to be revised as it does not provide avenues for youths to explore and learn the practical realities of our society today. Take for instance in a modern era and a child is in school busy studying the history of not his or her community but learning about revolutions in Europe, America, etc. How will the revolutions help that student?

What you want your country to be like?

It is everyone’s wish to see their country advance in a way that almost everyone feels happy and belonging. I know everyone can never be satisfied but at least the majority of the population feels the impact of the advancement in a country.

I want my country to be developed, with good roads, a good drinking water supply, stable electricity supply for everyone. Let everyone enjoy these basic amenities and not only the working class.

There should be good governance where elected leaders should be held responsible for failing to listen to the people’s cries. Not a country where elected leaders mind only embezzling state funds at the detriment of the people.

I want a country where the constitution is not constantly revised by the head of state to suit his personal interest.

At this point, I will say democracy exists on paper in Cameroon. In practical terms, it is not efficient. I will invite @majerius, @fombae, @solaymann, @wilmer and @pelon53 to share their entries to the challenge.