The ruling CPDM, the political backbone of the regime in La République du Cameroun, clocks 41 years today, tracing its roots back to March 24, 1985, when it replaced the defunct Cameroon National Union. While the anniversary is being observed across regime strongholds, especially in Yaoundé, one striking absence continues to define the day.
Paul Biya, the long-serving chairman of the CPDM and the face of the regime for over four decades, remains conspicuously distant from the celebrations. In what has now become a pattern, Biya has never been seen wearing the party’s official fabric, a symbolic gesture many militants consider a basic expression of loyalty to the party.
Inside sources within the central committee have offered no clear explanation for this continued detachment. The chairman, often absent from public view, has again chosen to stay indoors, far removed from party militants marking the anniversary in different parts of the country.
Over the past decade, Biya’s silence has grown louder. No anniversary messages. No symbolic appearances. He didn’t even issue a routine statement to acknowledge the party that has sustained his grip on power for 41 years. For many observers, this silence is no longer ordinary. It raises serious concerns about his commitment and emotional attachment to the CPDM.
In a regime where political symbolism carries weight, the absence of such basic gestures from the party’s national chairman leaves militants and watchers questioning the true state of affairs within the ruling establishment.
As celebrations continue in La République, the unanswered questions around Biya’s relationship with his party linger, casting a shadow over what should have been a moment of unity and reaffirmation.
Lucas Muma l BaretaNews
