Regional Balance: The illusion of fairness

The Minister of Higher Education Jacques Fame Ndongo has used regional balance to justify the "tampering" with the results after the entrance exam diplomacy scandal at the Institut des relations internationales du Cameroun (Iric)

We can identify several other cases of favoritism that have marked our society. Everywhere, in the government, administrations, businesses and colleges which strides on representativeness criteria. This criterion of representativeness is growing every day in universities, in the defense forces and the police.

This "positive discrimination" or "regional meritocracy" substituted for equal rights was built in the aftermath of independence in order to reduce regional and ethnic inequalities in administrations. Its use has certainly contributed to the development of a diverse society and integration of various sociological components of Cameroon.

According to Claude Abe, the drift has multiplied over time. He said the political exploits this distribution for various purposes and to him this balanced Cameroon is already outdated.

The sociologist explains that "regional balance is now a big lie and it is well sustained to help the governing class to reproduce itself".

The last competition of the IRIC as an example is a glaring case which probably has broken the building national unity. Claude Abe stated that “the ‘unqualified regional balance’ undermines national unity since some people are favored over others”.

“This quota system causes unlawfulness and creates a lot of frustration that can raise a rebellion".

Many young people met at the Universities of Yaoundé I and Yaoundé II-Soa who did not hide their grievances.

They think the proportional Cameroon is a false pretext by placing children from rich homes in large schools and in the most prestigious positions in the administration. They evoke the condition of regional balance staging several competitions.

"Cameroon needs to be built and run by competent people whether Bamileke of Douala, the Bulu or Kanuri, it does not bother me at all, as long as the country works”, says the sociologist .

“This ‘institutional stupidity’ substituted by Cameroonian Merit ends communism in favor of an individual society”, he observed.