Change in any part of the world has never been the single issue of opposition parties. It has always been the collective action of the civil societies, active political population, religious authorities etc. A collective action of these bodies always brings change. Each and everyone must know what to do. The opposition cannot do it alone. In Cameroon, Cameroonians seem to have resigned their faith to opposition leaders and parties. These leaders first and foremost are individuals like any other, they are parents too. We have resigned ourselves to think only them can bring change. No, it does not work that way, though the opposition leaders must craft strategies, call for action; Cameroonians must be ready to take initiatives by themselves through a very political civil society. They must be ready to answer should opposition leaders call as well.
The problem in Cameroon is that Cameroonians seem to have lost interest in the government as well as the opposition. Therefore, the opposition must do more than what they are doing now. They must be able to get Cameroonians perception to change.

Speaking to senior Cameroons vitriolic writer, Dibussi Tande, he confirms the position of BaretaNews. Hear him:
“Political parties/the opposition, even with the best of intentions, cannot “make it happen” alone. The civil society must step in to also pressure the regime on key issues. The problem today is that everyone is sitting back and expecting the political parties to do it all, to turn water into wine. And that is not possible. Even in the most robust democracies, political parties are merely one piece of the global equation.

As a reminder, all the significant political changes in Cameroon of the last quarter century came about thanks to a concerted effort of many groups; trade unions, students, political parties, professional organizations, even the Churches. I don’t think there will be any further major democratic opening in Cameroon without sustained pressure from a similar coalition. Opposition parties cannot do it all, cannot go it alone. Now, how to get such a collective effort going again in Cameroon is the million dollar question. But for starters, let’s reduce our obsession with political parties…”

Quizzed on what he thinks the civil society could do such as getting into Arab spring or forming an opposition coalition to oust the regime of Paul Biya, He wrote:
” The Arab Spring? Cameroonians already had theirs in 1991 and like the Arab Spring, it promised far more than it could deliver. And we’re all back to square one – and even worse off in some cases.I agree with the general theory of coalitions. However, the reality in Cameroon is that the performance of the vast majority of parties that go it alone in elections is so inconsequential that forming an alliance with them will have little or no effect on the political landscape. And, given the level of disenchantment with political parties in Cameroon, I am yet to be convinced that a coalition of SDF, UNDP, UPC, UDC and CPDM would oust Biya in the current dispensation.

Even if they win, what happens the day after given their vast ideological differences? Another Southern Sudan? Just take a look at the failed opposition coalition of 2004 in which you had the likes of Tchiroma, Bedzigui, etc., and Fru Ndi and tell me what would have happened if this disparate group of government moles, patriots and traitors had come to power…”

However, BaretaNews thinks the civil society and opposition must work together and call for a reform of the electoral system from top to bottom, replace the current electoral process with a 2-round system to throw off those mushroom parties, take the administration completely out of the management/ overseeing of the electoral process. The civil society can start from there.
Cameroonians must start getting involved rather than concentrating on drinking beer, eat roasted fish, have a good sex at night, sleep and get up to complain the next morning and the circle continues.

God is still saying something