Cameroon’s crisis of conscience: a nation’s self-inflicted wounds

In a searing commentary, high school teacher and political analyst Armand Noutack II delivers a scathing indictment of Cameroonian society, arguing that the nation’s inability to progress stems not only from its leadership but from the collective failure of its citizens to embrace integrity and accountability.

The hypocrisy of change

Noutack questions the sincerity of those who claim to seek transformation while clinging to corrupt practices. He highlights a pervasive contradiction: citizens who decry government corruption in public forums often engage in it privately, whether through tax evasion, academic fraud, or manipulation of public resources. «Some present themselves as fierce opponents by day, only to meet ministers at midnight to negotiate lucrative public contracts they execute poorly for personal gain», he writes.

Institutional decay at every level

The educator extends his critique beyond political elites, targeting sectors where corruption thrives. He condemns:

• Teachers who exploit students through extortion or sexual harassment;
• Health professionals who abandon public hospitals for private clinics;
• Police officers who solicit bribes at roadblocks;
• Business owners who sell expired goods or manipulate market scales;
• Media figures whose reporting is dictated by political or financial interests;
• University administrators who commercialize education, offering hollow degrees.

A system built on complicity

Noutack reserves particular disdain for Cameroonians in the diaspora who, while benefiting from foreign salaries, continue to receive state allowances fraudulently. «You fled to Canada but left your bank cards with family to keep collecting your Cameroonian salary», he says. «Yet on Facebook, you scream for Biya to leave. What change do you expect when you’re still leeching off the system?»

He challenges the notion that change can come externally. «If you cannot be the change you claim to want, then be silent». Noutack calls for a cultural revolution, urging citizens to reject the «mental corruption» that has festered for over four decades, affecting both power structures and opposition alike.

A call to action

The educator urges Minister Motaze, who recently launched audits of state salary files, to broaden oversight. He suggests infiltrating every profession to root out complicit actors, warning that without systemic moral renewal, Cameroon’s future remains bleak. «We are all corrupted», he concludes. «The rot is in our minds».

Armand Noutack II, High School Teacher