All the citizens must equally take part in the life of the nation. Besides the fact that it is indeed a fault vis-à-vis national unity, tribalism is a threat to peace, a threat to stability, a treat to national cohesion. The deadly virus of tribalism is infecting every level of our society with no exception: in our government, in the administration, in the management of our companies, inside political parties, in our daily conversations. This, whatever the alibi used to somehow justify it, is a collective a fault which illustrates the sad reality that the notion of « nation » with all its implications is still to be defined, or at least needs to be redefined. Ethnical instinct, identification to the tribe remain main features that tend to increase with poverty, injustice or with the political game.   

Regional balance was conceived as an attempt to content everybody by sort of making a arithmetical addition: bafia + duala + fulbe + beti + basaa + bamileke + manguissa + bamoun + bakweri or fong or bamenda or bakundu or bafwor or banyangui or balum or makossi, etc. It is true that policy can in a way appease almost everybody. Regional balance must be understood as an approach, a first step to national cohesion. However, with that system the peril of tribalism is not at all resolved, since every tribe is supposed to identify with one of its sons or daughters in the government: now what about the global body, what about the nation, what about us?

The mission of a government being to show dedication, patriotism and competence in taking over the affairs of state and not to surrender to individual tribal desires, we should definitely go beyond regional balance. I think there are ways to go beyond it actually: if those in function in the government on behalf of the nation give concrete signs of their complete and exclusive dedication to the affairs of state with no favoritism – it is the executive's duty to make sure things work that way – I am positive the need to cling to the tribe will slowly but surely fade away. If concrete signs were given to Cameroonians that the head of state, the ministers, the governors, the mayors, the prefects, the police, the army were totally devoted to the national cause, to the welfare of all the citizens in priority, I have the strong conviction tribalism would quickly be substituted for true patriotism. The exclusive connection to the tribe in a sense can be viewed as a manner for people to seek a kind of security because they have lost faith in the institutions of the republic or in those who are supposed to lead the beloved land. All those who are paid a salary, who benefit considerable favors in order to take care of the nation must do what they are in function for and so justify the trust the country granted them.

Also, honesty demands for us to acknowledge the fact that even the most devoted and zealous servants of the nation – yes, even in those troubled times we can find few of those – are facing pressure from the family, the clan, the tribe who ask for favors at any cost. The tribe must be not make those noble and proud children of The National Triangle fail nor fall. Whenever, individually, collectively we are guilty of such acts, we must have the strength and courage to admit that thus are betraying Cameroon, meaning we are betraying the 19 millions of us. Each one of us will have to understand that he or she whose name sounds close to ours is foremost a servant of the whole nation. Everyone of us must feel responsible, if our nation's prosperity  is really what we are seeking. We all are moulding directly or not everyday the reality of this Cameroon we live in. We are Cameroon, Cameroon is each one of us. Our thoughts, our words, our actions, our fears, our hopes, no matter how little, end up having an imp       act on the entire community we live in. We all have a part in the destiny and destination of our nation, this we will have to acknowledge and take the full measure of.

So, regional balance is no guarantee for social justice or equity. Regional balance in itself is not productive. It is a political strategy that targets a kind of general contentment. The government that will stand a chance to really be efficient with concrete tangible results will necessarily have to be made of competent Cameroonians, energized by- and filled with the love for our country, full of deep respect for all the citizens and who when managing the affairs of state will consider national interest only and exclusively. The ultimate goal being to make Cameroonians not to focus on their representatives ethnical origin. I am not saying that step is an easy one. To speak the truth, this which I am talking about will ask self-sacrifice and selflessness from the future servants of the nation. However, i do believe this step is a key to a winning Cameroon. When Cameroonians will stop caring about their representatives ethnical origins, when their representatives will stop being called in function on the basis of their ethnical origins, when those representatives themselves will stop focussing on their own ethnical origins, we will have a right to consider it a victory for Cameroon. But we must be realistic, there is no miracle to wait. The man in charge of the executive will have to fully do his job and invest all the resources of his will and personality. This is officially his duty to do that.