INTRODUCTION TO THE POLITICAL THOUGHT OF UNIVERS

In July 2009, a political party called “Univers” was born in Ngaoundéré, in the Adamawa Region of Cameroon. The party was legalized in March 2011. The party’s logo presents Cameroon as this universe to be protected. At the center is the map of Cameroon, surrounded by ten (10) protective stars representing the ten (10) regions that currently make up Cameroon; the ten (10) regions are linked by hands shaking each other, forming a protective barrier around Cameroon.

UNIVERS: A LEFT-WING, RIGHT-WING, OR CENTRIST POLITICAL PARTY?

The appearance of the UNIVERS Party on the political scene inevitably raises questions about its political orientation or ideological identity. Throughout the world, analysts generally classify political organizations into two opposing tendencies: "left" and "right". The opposition observed between these two ideological trends originated in the West, from class struggle: the bourgeoisie versus the proletariat; employers versus workers… When a political movement cannot be clearly placed into either of these two camps, it is labeled as "centrist".

UNIVERS aims to be a political party focused on finding solutions to Cameroonian problems. In light of the proposed solutions, UNIVERS will leave it to political analysts to classify it as "left", "right", or "center", according to the tripartite ideological nomenclature.

THE CAMEROONIAN PROBLEM: AS SEEN BY THE UNIVERS PARTY

The Cameroonian context is marked by the absence of a true social contract upon which everyone agrees. The foundation upon which the Cameroonian nation-state is built is difficult to discern. The general feeling is that such a foundation doesn’t even exist: Together, who are we? What is our shared identity? What are the common values we defend? In which direction should we steer our collective development? What shared vision do we have of Cameroon today and fifty years from now? Truth be told, Cameroonians have never agreed on answers to these questions. Some speak of an emerging Cameroon by 2035: which Cameroon are they talking about?

UNIVERS does not claim to answer these questions, which have never been posed to the Cameroonian people. In reality, at no point in their history have Cameroonians experienced true political dialogue, neither among themselves nor with those who have successively governed them.

Without consulting Cameroonians, the Portuguese named this territory “Camaroes,” now known as Cameroon. Later, the Germans arrived and arbitrarily drew the first borders of Kamerun; they settled there by force, without any consultation with existing social groups. The placement of Cameroon under mandate, its division, and its administrative trusteeship by France and Great Britain all happened without even a single village chief being consulted. Colonization by foreign powers was marked by a refusal of any dialogue with the colonized, with a dictatorial administration hostile to any emancipatory initiative by the colonized.

Independence, Reunification, and Unification were carried out without true prior dialogue among Cameroonians. The neocolonial political leader does not talk with the people, even less with political opponents whom he refuses to meet, represses, or imprisons—if not outright assassinates. At every level of decision-making, political, administrative, or parliamentary leaders do not engage with citizens, nor do they communicate with them. The rulers are cut off from the people.

In truth, the voice has never been given to the People who, since the colonial era, have lived under a bureaucratic-military dictatorship. Until now, the Cameroonian people have only endured decisions imposed by a ruling class serving its own interests.

THE POLITICAL PROJECT OF THE UNIVERS PARTY: THE RECONSTRUCTION OF CAMEROON

The political project of the UNIVERS party is to bring together Cameroonians, place them before their responsibilities, and invite them to take charge of their own destiny based on a platform of shared aspirations. The goal is to lead them toward rebuilding their country, by establishing a unified Cameroonian society in place of the multiple societies built along tribal or ethnic lines.

To achieve this, UNIVERS must first gain political power through elections organized in accordance with the Constitution, laws, and regulations of the current Republic. This is why UNIVERS commits, within the limits of its means, to participating in all elections organized in Cameroon. Political power can be exercised at the level of the Presidency of the Republic, but also at parliamentary, regional, and communal levels. During the elections in which it participates, UNIVERS will always ask Cameroonians to give it the means to realize the project of Reconstruction of Cameroon, which involves the Reconstruction of the State.

All variants of development lead to the same conclusion: the State in Cameroon is in crisis. It has been since the very first moments of independence. Its evolution reveals regression, a systematic withdrawal of political engagement, increasingly cut off from society and unable to respond to the stress of its environment. The demands of the present require a strong State, with real guarantees of the rule of law.

History leaves us with a seemingly strong State, but in reality, a fragile one. It has not successfully met the fundamental challenges required by any enterprise of political domination over a territory. Certainly, it would be incorrect to claim that nothing has been accomplished so far. There are achievements and strengths. The Cameroon that UNIVERS intends to rebuild does not start from scratch. But we must recognize that today, public governance is in crisis. No doubt, as elsewhere, due to the increasing complexity of politico-administrative action, making society less easily governable. Yet, for those wishing to transform the country, it seems urgent to modernize governance and rebuild the State by rethinking the frameworks of political, social, cultural, and economic action.

Rebuilding means taking up the challenge of institutionalization, which must ensure the dominance of the state project over competing hegemonic initiatives, notably those of clans, tribes, or particular and selfish political or economic interests. For institutionalization to take place, it will be necessary to ensure the permanence of a culture of the general interest: an interest specific to the State and superior to those of more or less organized actors who might be tempted to appropriate state power for specific objectives. Actors within the state apparatus must be deeply aware that they serve something greater, something irreducible to the individuals who temporarily occupy the leadership of the State. Rulers must be convinced that they depend on the will of the governed; the interests of the governed come first and prevail. The ability of public officials to be accountable must become a key evaluation criterion; for civil servants, being accountable on demand should be routine within the functioning of public administration.

Rebuilding Cameroon also means making the State autonomous. Today, public action operates in an environment of confusion with private interests. The State is seen as a means of enrichment and satisfying private interests. Public procurement is merely an opportunity to enrich a few private operators, at the expense of the general interest. The police and justice system are instrumentalized: how many people are deprived of their liberty as part of settling personal scores? So many cases are lost or won because of, or thanks to, the corruption of judges.

Rebuilding also means putting in place mechanisms that ensure the security of the State. It is about preserving the republican nature of institutions and the continuity of their functioning. The security of the State must not be confused with the protection of a political regime, embodied by individuals temporarily holding political power.

When it gains political power through elections, UNIVERS will adopt a working method that involves creating spaces for reflection on Cameroonians’ problems to find appropriate solutions. All Cameroonian intelligences will be called upon, both within Cameroon and in the diaspora; all the nation’s living forces will be mobilized: intellectuals, traditional leaders, business operators, youth, women… It will be their responsibility to rebuild their country themselves, outside of partisan and political debates. All proposals made here, as part of this Reconstruction project, will be debated among Cameroonians, who must find the solutions themselves. Some solutions will likely be unanimous; they will then be adopted. For highly controversial issues, the people could be called upon to decide; the people will then be consulted through votes—at the communal, departmental, regional, or national level. The adopted resolutions will form the foundation upon which the norms of governance for the reconstructed Cameroon will be built.

The Reconstruction of Cameroon will be carried out based on governance proposals made to Cameroonians. On this website, everyone will have the opportunity to discover the many themes of political reflection to be submitted to Cameroonians. For each theme, called a “vision,” a diagnosis will first be made, followed by proposed therapies.