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A week ago, CRM leader, Maurice Kamto gave President Biya a seven day ultimatum to address the nation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other things, he requested that the President puts in place measures to compensate businesses set to be affected by preventive measures against the virus.
In a statement yesterday, Kamto noted that he feels it is his duty to draw the “attention of, to propose, to call the abandoned Cameroonian people to organise themselves for their survival.”
Because “Mr Biya did not express himself, nor did he make himself visible,” Kamto says, “whatever the reasons, he made his failure evident as the Head of State of Cameroon.”
“Together we can see the failure of Mr Paul Biya as President of the Republic, at a time when the Cameroonian people are in dire need of a commander-in-chief. No army can win a war with the sole effigies of a commander-in-chief that the troop neither sees nor hears” he says.
To remedy the situation, the politician proposes a strategy dubbed “SURVIE-CAMEROON-SURVIVAL INITIATIVE” (SCSI).
This initiative he says “has three major objectives: first, to help respond to the health emergency; second, to respond to the social and economic impact of the pandemic; and, third, to prepare for the battle of rebuilding communities and the survival of our Nation.”
In addition to mass screening and disinfection of public places, Kamto calls on “the populations of the cities of the Centre, Littoral, West and South-West regions to contain themselves from April 6th to 21st, 2020 (15 days).”
“Our doctors, nurses, laboratory assistants, paramedics are the first soldiers in this health war. Many of them get infected every day in hospitals: this is not normal. Our mobilisation must therefore also take into account the needs in our health facilities” he says.
With regards to social measures, the politician says “water and electricity distribution companies will not have to collect the payment of electricity and water receipts for three months: April, May and June” in addition to the suspension of payment of licenses and market rights by retailers.
To support the economic weight of the battle against COVID-19, Kamto says “it is urgent for the Government to open serious discussions with economic stakeholders, all sectors combined, with a view to deciding in a concerted manner a package of financial and fiscal measures to be deployed to support economic activity.”
“If substantial measures are not adopted in this direction by the end of April, businesses will be entitled to stop paying their taxes” he warns.
Revealing that Survie-Cameroon-Survival Initiative (SCSI) is a gigantic popular organisation of Cameroonians from Cameroon and the diaspora, he says it transcends all differences, be they political, ethnic, religious, philosophical, etc.
Labelling the National Solidarity Fund of the government as a mockery to the Cameroonian people, Kamto says the SCSI has two levels of funding, the sponsorship and management committees.
“I call you, dear compatriots of Cameroon and the Diaspora, to an unprecedented collective effort to contribute to the FONDS SURVIE-CAMEROONSURVIVAL FUND that i am launching today as part of Survie-Cameroon-Survival Initiative” he pleads.
Not ruling out the possibility of the President spreading rumours of his own death Kamto adds that “if, within 7 days of the publication of this declaration, the de facto President of Cameroon had not given physical proof that it is he who is in charge of the State,
– we would be forced to initiate adequate legal procedures to obtain confirmation, by the competent bodies, of the presidential vacancy and its constitutional consequences; – I reserve the right to call for more drastic measures.”
Many have expressed doubts on how the government will react to Kamto’s recent call, as his last call to action after the 2018 election led to the arrest of the politician and hundreds of his followers across the country.
Cameroon’s positive COVID-19 cases now stands at 509 making it the most affected nation in the sub Saharan Africa.
MMI
