The Chairman of the Social Democratic Front party, Hon Joshua Osih, says Cameroonians who don’t vote have no right to complain about bad governance, unemployment, corruption or underdevelopment.
He said leaders like President Paul Biya, who has been in power for over 40 years now, have been succeeding because Cameroonians give the impression that he is the best president in the world.
They do this by abstaining from voting. Abstention, he said, is an indirect message that Cameroonians approve of the regime in place.
Hon Joshua Osih was speaking in Buea on April 20 during his tour to the SDF electoral districts in the South West.
It was part of a nationwide tour of the SDF leader, who was voted national chairman in October last year.
“Those of you here who are not registered to vote, let me just tell you that you are wasting your lives, because people duller than you will be managing your lives,” Hon Joshua Osih told youths.
“People who are less competent than you will be managing your future. And the only way for you to take back your future, to claim back your future and to decide how that future will be for you, for me and especially for our children, junior brothers, and junior sisters, is to participate in the political debate, which is voting.”
His outing amplified calls already made by other stakeholders, including Roman Catholic Bishops, entreating the youth to vote.
Cameroon is in a pre-election year and will be holding Presidential, Legislative and Municipal elections next year.
The ruling Cameroon People’s Democratic Movement party (CPDM) controls all three arms of government – the executive, judiciary and legislative.
Observers say the opposition’s only chance is if the youth massively participate in the elections.
However, voter apathy is seen as the country’s biggest political challenge, as millions of young people remain disinterested in politics.
The 2018 elections, which President Biya won by 71 percent, witnessed just 3.5 million voters out of an estimated population of 25 million Cameroonians back then.
Youths make up more than half of this population but just a fraction of them participated at the elections. The apathy, politicians fear, could creep into next year’s election and that will mean another victory for President Biya’s four-decade regime.
In Buea, headquarters of the South West Region, youths say their scare has been fueled by reports of vote rigging and lack of transparency in elections management.
Most of them believe their vote does not count, because the regime in place will win the elections with or without their vote.
The voter apathy problem has caused some young civil society advocates in Buea to create an alliance that advocates for political participation among youths.
Lucas Nji, a civil society leader, is one of its key members. He says the only way Cameroon can rise up from its political woes is if youths actively participate in choosing their leaders.
“It is to take active part in politics, and to also, encourage fellow youths to see that politics, especially in a democracy, is the only solution,” Mr Nji said.
“It is only when a youth is actively involved in political discussions and political issues – which I am happy because political education has been the measure problem – Most youths are not politically educated and until when they start having such political education…,” Lucas Nji added.
Joshua Osih’s message has been that youths in Cameroon, whom he said constitute the largest political party after women, should be politically active.
“If the President of the Republic doesn’t work for you, kick him out. If the new one doesn’t work for you after seven years, kick him out too. But when you stay at home, the message you are sending is that we have the best president in the world,” Hon. Osih said.
He preached the same message in the Far North, North, Adamawa and East Regions before coming to the South West, his region of origin.
He also visited the SDF districts in Tiko and Limbe before coming to Buea.
Osih’s nationwide tour is the first undertaken by a political leader in Cameroon since the escalation of the conflict in the English-speaking Regions of the country in 2017. He is the first party leader, out of Cameroon’s over 300 political parties, to officially visit the crisis Regions since armed conflict broke out.
The crisis has had an adverse effect on the opposition, with insecurity paving the way for the ruling CPDM to claim nearly all municipal, parliamentary and senatorial seats in the two Regions.
The Crisis has further fueled voter apathy owing to separatists’ threats against voters. This has given the CPDM an absolute grip over all, except one Municipality out of over 60 in the two Regions.
Osih said the aim of his tour is to acquaint himself with the challenges of grassroots Cameronians so that the SDF can craft policies that mirror their concerns.
