By Tata Mbunwe
Social Democratic Front (SDF) Chairman, Hon Joshua Osih, has described President Paul Biya’s continued absence from Cameroon as “indecent and contemptuous,” as the 93-year-old leader marks 46 days abroad without official explanation.
At a press conference on Thursday, July 23, Osih said that, while no constitutional provision limits the president’s stay abroad, the government’s silence on the reasons for the extended trip is unacceptable.
“Although no constitutional provision sanctions the duration of stay abroad by the President of the Republic, the SDF finds it indecent and contemptuous that no official communication has informed the people of the reasons for the extension of the President’s short private stay abroad,” Osih said.
“The SDF draws the attention of the President of the Republic to the fact that, in the political and republican sense, it can be affirmed that he is in the service of the state and of the Cameroonian people and that he cannot exempt himself to the rules applicable to all citizens,” the SDF Chairman added.
Biya left Cameroon on June 7 for Switzerland alongside his wife Chantal, with the presidency initially describing the trip as a “brief private stay.”
The government has not given any official update on the president’s return since June 18, when Communication Minister René Emmanuel Sadi said Biya would come back “as soon as possible”.
Joshua Osih also condemned the CPDM-dominated parliament for using its overwhelming majority to block opposition bills and consolidate power around Biya, who has ruled for 43 years.
The SDF tabled five bills during the June parliamentary session, including proposals to enforce asset declarations under Article 66 of the Constitution and strengthen measures against femicide, infanticide and sexual violence.
Article 66 requires senior government officials to declare their assets at the beginning and end of their tenure, but the provision has never been implemented due to the absence of enabling regulations. The SDF has previously introduced similar proposals without success.
The femicide bill sought to address a recent spike in violence against women and children, including high-profile cases of rape and child abuse that have sparked public outrage across the country.
Osih also recalled that the SDF’s counter-proposal to make the newly instituted Vice President position elected alongside the President was rejected during the April session, prompting SDF MPs and other opposition lawmakers to boycott the vote.
The ruling CPDM passed the original bill, which allows the President to appoint the Vice President. The move was seen as further centralizing power in Biya’s hands and enabling him to handpick a successor after decades in power.