Are flashy cars an indication of corruption?

It has to be said that us Cameroonians like to show off, we don’t want to be seen as struggling with day to day life but rather noble aristocrats leading a dignified life in the golden Côte d'Azur.

Every new car released in Europe can be spotted the very next day on the roads of Cameroon. Despite the bumps and the dirt, our streets are lined with the latest brands of luxury cars from Hummers, BMWs and Mercedes, to Audis, Peugeots and Lexus’.

Owners of these cars will fork out more than 90 million FCFA to get the best metallic paint, rimmed wheels and aircraft computer technology to drive down the dusty avenues and catch the eye of young women.

But one wonders where they get the money to afford these luxury vehicles when we know that the basic salary of a senior judge, a CEO of a company or theoretically a minister wavers between 700,000 and 1,300,000 FCFA, even the DG’s of certain public companies we know only get around 7.5 million.

Can it therefore be assumed they use their professional positions to enrich themselves? In simpler terms this means they indulge in corruption, through the embezzlement of public funds and various schemes to defraud the state they claim to serve. But there you go, Cameroon is Cameroon.