It is being reported in Cameroon that since 2007, 9 (nine) members of Cameroon's parliament, which consists of 180 members, have died. The United States Congress has 535 members but I am not sure that that many members of congress have died since 2007. The fact that so many members of parliament in Cameroon have died since 2007 should be a cause for deep concern for all Cameroonians. Such concern may only be averted if it is clear that members of parliament are elected when they are so old that they have less time left to do their work. In this case, the question that needs to be asked is why many people who are that old continue to run for office. This is not to say that older people should not run for office; the question is: "why so many?" If these people are not older people at time of death, the question that has to be asked is: "why do so many parliamentarians in Cameroon die when they are still young?" The point is not to point finger at witchcraft as some Cameroonians would do; it is rather to find out whether these people receive good medical care. If the problem is lack of good medical care, then all Cameroonians should be very worried. They should be very worried because of the simple fact that if parliamentarians, who are among the elite in Cameroon, can die because of lack of adequate medical care, then ordinary people should not expect any better.
As a matter of fact, the death of so many parliamentarians in Cameroon in such a very short time is just a reflection of the rampant death that is sweeping many in Cameroon. Life has become so cruel to so many that lifespans have been cut drastically short. In fact, according to CIA Factbook, in 2010, the average life expectancy for a Cameroon male was 53 years while it was just about 55 years for females. In the last twenty years, the life expectancy in Cameroon has fallen. All of this, under the authoritarian gaze of Paul Biya who is now 78 years old. If Paul Biya can live to be 78 years old, it means that Cameroonians are not doomed to die when they are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. Where so many people die in such a very short time span, people must question what is going on. And the question should not only be a supernaturalistic one, as often the case. People must also hold the government responsible for dooming them into early death.
As a matter of fact, the death of so many parliamentarians in Cameroon in such a very short time is just a reflection of the rampant death that is sweeping many in Cameroon. Life has become so cruel to so many that lifespans have been cut drastically short. In fact, according to CIA Factbook, in 2010, the average life expectancy for a Cameroon male was 53 years while it was just about 55 years for females. In the last twenty years, the life expectancy in Cameroon has fallen. All of this, under the authoritarian gaze of Paul Biya who is now 78 years old. If Paul Biya can live to be 78 years old, it means that Cameroonians are not doomed to die when they are in their 40s, 50s, or 60s. Where so many people die in such a very short time span, people must question what is going on. And the question should not only be a supernaturalistic one, as often the case. People must also hold the government responsible for dooming them into early death.
No comments:
Post a Comment