It Can Happen Where Citizens Want Democratic Governance What has happened in Burkina Faso can only happen in such countries where the citizens strive for democratic governance which is the true test of the fact that those citizens are not only the kingmakers, but the ones who have a right to shape their constitutions in the way their governments are supposed to function.

We have seen in other countries or Presidents who take their pens overnight and draft their own constitutions and the next day they simply send it to the Parliament or the Senate and it is endorsed. Such Parliaments endorse these documents giving these Presidents more time to stay in office, most often, not for the interest of the people, but for their own selfish aims.

The people of Burkina Faso said no to Compaore and made him to understand that they remain the kingmakers and not the other way round. For someone who came in 27 years ago and still wanted to add more years to his stay as President, is what I can term a crime against democracy.

The people of Burkina Faso asked him to leave the power which he, allegedly, got through the barrel of the gun for he was never voted into office. I am happy that he decided at the end to go and save his country from the pains of more bloodshed and even escaped from having his own head been made to roll.

We only hope that the military who have come in do not come in to rather tie the hands of democracy; they should ensure that elections take place quickly and for a real democratic leader to be chosen by the people and not the military any longer.

In a nutshell, what has happened in Burkina Faso is a very big lesson to those who stay in Africa in the name of President of the Republic and think that they can just, overnight, use their pens to tamper with the constitution and extend their unpalatable long stays in office against the people’s wishes or will.

Kwi Bangsi, Political Forum Programme Host, OCR, LimbeThere Is

Nothing To Learn From Burkina Faso There is nothing to learn from the crisis in Burkina Faso; first Blaise Compaore came to power through a coup. It was a disorganised State where there was no clear relationship between the military, the population and the Government in power. It was a complete dictatorship where some other arms of Government were stripped off their rights and so the military and the population connived against the President.

The opposition here in Cameroon is working at close range with the Government in power and so there is no lesson we can draw from the situation. In Burkina Faso, you cannot write against the Head of State and go free, but here in Cameroon; journalists do that and go free. So, the systems of Government are completely different, which implies that we have virtually nothing to draw from there. The only place where we can be expecting the same uprising could be in Congo Brazzaville which has the same system of Government like in Burkina Faso and the President there is about doing the same thing.

Hon Abel Mukete , CPDM resource person, Kumba

Civil Society, Opposition Must Act Now The tragedy in Burkina Faso is an indication that the people have been able to pressurise the Government and the President to step down. It is a big lesson for countries like Cameroon, Uganda and Equatorial Guinea, where the Presidents have stayed in power for long. If we don’t act now, Cameroonians will continue to suffer. I believe we must do something with courage.

The Arab Spring has come and gone and now it has shifted to the Christian world; we must not sleep, there is no need to keep a leader, who does not see the interest of the people, in power. Unfortunately in Cameroon, we lack people who can initiate something. I believe the opposition has been silenced with money, reason why they fail to rise up to the occasion. The opposition and the civil society must do something.

Burkinabes have set an indelible mark. Our nation must change hands. It is useless to keep somebody without hope at the helm of the nation. Biya’s experience has expired, reason why he may say things and forget that he said them. Security challenges such as those posed by the extremist group, Boko Haram, are some of the challenges that can provoke an unstable situation.

Denis Loh Divisional Coordinator, ANDP, Meme

Gov't And The Opposition Have A Common Destiny Actually, I do not see anything Cameroon can learn from what has happened in Burkina Faso because our Head of State was democratically elected by the population. Even when we amended our own constitution in 2008, through the means provided for by the law, there was no outrage. So, why do we want to copy a thing like that?

Blaise Compaore came to power through a coup which makes it clear for Cameroonians to know that the systems are completely different. Our opposition is more organised. We disagree over issues relating to governance but we have a common destiny. We will continue to live in peace and respect the constitution and the colours of the flag of this nation.

In Burkina Faso, the European Union, EU, and the United Nations, UN, are calling for democratic elections because the ousted President came to power through the wrong means.

Lawson Tabot, YCPDM Meme I A, Kumba