Biya must stop the rot or...

The CPDM-led corrupt coalition government limps from one crisis to another, its credibility draining away, its coherence evaporating.

Poorly led, devoid of concrete achievement, it clings to office with neither purpose nor resolution, buffeted by events instead of shaping them.

Most ministers appear weak, unable to stick to their policies or challenge vested interests. Even on the central issue of tackling poverty, corruption and deficit, which are meant to be the coalition`s overriding priority, they have failed  dismally.

Something has to be done to reinvigorate the Government. If the CPDM are to have any hope of winning the 2013 council and legislative general election and the 2018 presidential election, the slide towards paralysis and breakdown has to be halted.

 So Paul Biya is about to embark on that time-honoured manoeuvre so often used him and not his Prime Minister consent or agreement to restore his popularity. The Government reshuffle.

Many Etoudi`s Palace insiders have a touching faith in the reshuffle, regarding it as a panacea for political ills, an elixir that will lead to a sudden rise in the polls.

Paul Biya is not so credulous. He knows reshuffles never have much impact on the public and believes that endlessly changing personnel instead of just leaving the office after nearly 30 years in power denies his colleagues a chance to get to grips with their portfolios. Throughout his poor leadership of the party he has always been reluctant to change his team.

 Several of his key ex-ministers are facing what it is called by campaigners extra-judicial and political procedures for alleged corruption and embezzlement. In Cameroon where people have been used to the Night of the Long Knives, Paul Biya sacked nearly a third of his Government.

 In today`s corrupt led coalition, some ministers are eager for a move, others have proved they are simply not up to the job. Yet the speculation about the changes has only succeeded in reinforcing the image of chronic enfeeblement at the heart of the Government.

In removing the dead wood Biya can make room for new ministers who  could bring a fresh impetus to the Government. He should be bold and consider abandoning his prejudice against the reformists of his party. Changing the Government has always be a new start but is not enough.

 The Government needs a new sense of direction, a focus on the country national interests and the young people and the abandonment of the progressive orthodoxies that have done so much damage. Sadly there is little sign of that happening under the current leadership.