As Global Voices Russian Language Health Editor, Maryna Reshetnyak spends most of her time covering the Kiev-based Rising Voices grantee project, The Drop-In Center. She also blogs on Global Voices about discussions in the Russian-language blogosphere related to health, most recently about the swine flu hysteria in Ukraine. In this video she describes her first meeting with Rising Voices grantee, Pavel Kutsev, and recalls her life as a graduate student in Delaware, USA.

Transcript

I am Maryna Reshetnyak and I live in Odessa, Ukraine.

David: And what do you do for Global Voices?

Maryna: I am the Russian Language Health Editor for the Rising Voices project. Basically, I cover the Drop-In Center project. This project unites a group of people who are leaders in the Ukrainian harm reduction movement. They are living with drug addiction themselves. They are on substitution therapy so each day to live a normal life they need to take methadone. And they blog about this. They blog about the problems they have. And actually the blog helps them to lobby and advocate to the health care authorities in government and I cover this project.

David: Today, for the first time, you met Pavel of the Drop-In Center … this blog that you've been translating for almost a year now, right? What was it like to meet in person for the first time after you had met him online?

Maryna: Surprisingly, when I met him, I met the person I expected to meet. It seems that by reading everything that he writes, it allowed me to know him very very well. It seems like, you know, that I met an old friend. I spent two years in the United States of America doing my Master's program in Public Administration at the University of Delaware. So I spent two years of my life in the fantastic place of Delaware which I miss a lot. Also I spent three months doing my internship in Washington D.C. And I also like this place a lot.

David: So when you were living in America, what were some of the impressions that Americans had of Ukraine?

Maryna: They have the impression that it is very cold. I don't know why, but everybody though that it is very cold.

David: It is very cold!

Maryna: One pretty educated person … asked me once if I miss the northern lights. I was like, no. I live in Odessa. It is really warm there and we have nice beaches. Yeah, this is the only think they knew about Ukraine is that it is very cold but I did my best to explain to them that Ukraine is also a very beautiful country full of culture.

David: What are your impressions of Global Voices?

Maryna: Well, it's a fantastic project. It's really great to feel myself to be a part of a network of more than 200 people from all over the world doing the same job. And I'm really proud to be a part of that team. It means a lot to me.

Initially, health care officials denied the fact that people were dying because of swine flu, saying that the deaths had been caused by an unknown infection, which led to pneumonia. But the thought of an “unknown infection” scared the public even more. Later on, officials admitted that there was an H1N1 epidemic starting in Ukraine. The result? People rushed to drug stores and soon after pharmacies were out of stock of face masks, vitamins and immunity-boosting supplements.

Inconsistency in health officials’ reports, plus a lack of information, created many rumors and much gossip. And Ukrainian politicians saw the epidemic as another opportunity to appear on TV and boost their image. Major TV channels ran 5-hour talk shows focused on the flu that were filled with politicians, many of which featured not a single person with a medical education.

In this environment of “collective madness,” the Internet has served as a medium for unbiased information about the epidemic, as well as professional advice on what to do and how to protect yourself and your family from the virus.

A balanced professional analysis of the flu epidemic by Dr Komarovskyy, a well-known pediatrician with more than 30 years of professional experience, was posted on his personal Web blog. This was perhaps something people were waiting for, as the post was widely sent around and has appeared on popular forums and social networks. It was also republished by major Ukrainian Internet media such as Ukrayinska Pravda. In a few days, the post got about 900 comments from readers.

At the beginning of the post, Dr Komarovskyy explains what forced him to turn to the Internet to tell the truth about the flu. He says:

I had planned to write about the flu in a few days, after I'd received adequate and objective information. But then, I received a phone call from my fellow nurse…Her boss had ordered her to bring three face masks the next day. When she asked where she could find the masks [drug stores were out of stock], the boss gave a response that reflects the Ukrainian reality “The night is long, so you can sew them.” This was the last straw for me, I realized that I cannot stay silent anymore, I need to talk.

In fact, on Friday and Saturday the only thing I did was talk. My cell phone registered about 850 phone calls on these days. I responded to questions, calmed people down, explained things…I understood that if my friends and patients (people with theoretical and practical knowledge in the treatment of viruses) were in panic, the general situation was a total disaster.

On Friday I talked to one of the managers of a TV channel from Kharkiv. I found out that there was not a single chance to talk to the people of the city. All the air time was filled with politicians. At night there was a Savik Shuster political talk-show focused on the flu epidemic. Perhaps, for me it was one of the biggest shocks of the last few years. I do not remember myself being so much ashamed of my country…On Saturday, naïve me called Kiev. I said that I am ready to come, that I am ashamed, that we need to calm people down, that what is going on is a national shame… People tried to help but were not able to. For me it is clear. The flu and elections are not compatible, like the flu and Aspirin – it might cause many side effects.

A significant part of Dr. Komarovskyy's post was devoted to medical aspects of the flu. He professionally summarized facts about the ways it is transmitted, its symptoms and treatment. With a good sense of humor he went through the common misconceptions about treatment of the flu. In addition, Dr. Komarovskyy gave tips on how to prevent the flu.

In the next part of the post Dr. Komarovskyy shared his opinion concerning the hysteria surrounding the flu, the irresponsible appeals of politicians and the errors of public health officials. He pointed out:

During the first two days of the hysteria, the main advisers and teachers for the nation were politicians – parliament members, ministers, former ministers, etc. When a doctor appeared on TV, it just so happened that the politicians could talk better…The highest point of the panic was after a claim by a presidential candidate (!) that the deaths of Ukrainians were being caused not by a flu, but by a pneumonia-inducing plague. I want to highlight, this was not said by an old lady selling sunflower seeds at the market, but by a presidential candidate of a European country.

Another presidential candidate complained that drug stores did not have enough Oxolin ointment in stock [which in Ukraine is believed to be effective in prevention of the flu] and blamed this on “criminal pharmacists.” For some reason, nobody was able to explain to the candidate that the effectiveness of this ointment is not clinically proven and has never been used in the USA or France or any other country.

OK, there are no doctors among the presidential candidates and perhaps they cannot afford a public health adviser. But a few of our politicians have a medical degree! One of them mixed up Theraflu with Tamiflu [the only medication proven to be effective against H1N1]. The other one did not see any difference between regular and viral pneumonia…But when I heard a doctor – a Parliament member and a secretary of the Parliament's Public Health Committee - say that Tamiflu is just an immunity booster and that at a meeting of National Security Council they decided to purchase Oseltamyvir instead I became really scared and ashamed. When major public health decisions in this country are being made by people who do not know that Tamiflu and Oseltamyvir are two names for one medication – what can we expect? …Thus, we should not be surprised by the fact that the government is purchasing medication that are not used anywhere in the world.

My advice to the government: Ask WHO [World Health Organization] experts to provide you with a list of required medications.

Dr Komarovskyy finished his post with a general assessment of the flu situation in Ukraine:

If we double the number of people sick with the swine flu (since no more than half the people with the flu go to a doctor) and compare it with other death rates, we will see that the death rate is even lower than with the regular flu. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death in every country at any time. Pneumonia often accompanies many other diseases and traumas. If each case of pneumonia was reported by the media, nothing good will happen.

We are unlucky to have these together: the [economic] crisis, the elections, the fall season and the flu. But we know for sure that sniffing, coughing and a high body temperature is influenza [the flu], a common disease that is relatively easy to treat. It requires self control and certain actions, which everybody can afford.

Obviously this battle is not fought by those with money who, for reasons obscure or not, are protected with bank accounts that would make mere mortals envious. According to a survey conducted in February by an English company, ECA International - Luanda ranks first among the most expensive cities in the world.

In his blog Mundo da Verdade [pt], Miguel Caxias writes:

“Só para terem uma ideia, o custo por noite no hotel em que estou é de 170 USD (quarto individual, com casa de banho e pequeno-almoço mesmo muito sofrível). Estamos a falar de um hotel que deve ter se tanto, duas estrelas. Para um europeu, não só por costumes alimentícios mas também por costumes de segurança, não se arrisca a comer em qualquer botequim de esquina, obviamente. No restaurante onde temos feito as nossas refeições, o custo médio de uma dose é de 30USD (junte-se a isso bebida, sobremesa, entradas e o preço salta logo para 40/45 USD de despesa individual).

Luanda está numa fase de construção massiva. Junto à Marginal existem apartamentos a 1 milhão de USD. Estão todos vendidos!!!”

The high cost of living in the country is paradoxical, since it does not correlate to a high quality of life, at least not for those faring worse economically. Angola registers high development indicators that, unfortunately, are not reflected in the finances of the majority of Angola's citizens. Excessive demand coupled with scarce supply make things rather difficult.

The Brazilian author of the blog Diário de África [pt] provides a quick analysis of what happens in Angola.

“Não são apenas os alugueres (habitação) que custam caro. Tudo é caríssimo. Um quilo de tomate pode sair por 20 USD. Uma bandeja de uvas pode custar 30 USD o quilo. Um bife com batatas fritas pode custar facilmente, 50 dólares. Um cano furado pode sair por 1000.000 USD. Tapar um pequeno furo na tubulação do ar-condicionado do carro e colocar o gás para enfrentarmos o calor luandense custa 200 USD.

Precisa de electricista? Ele não vai sair da sua casa sem ter tirado pelo menos 100 USD de você. Mesmo que só tenha trocado uma lâmpada. Porque é tudo tão caro?”

According to this blogger, the answer is simple and, once again, harks back to the war that robbed the country of more than 30 years of development.

“O atabalhoado processo de independência e a guerra acabaram com tudo. Primeiro, a independência. Em 1975, pelo menos 300 mil portugueses abandonaram Angola. Médicos, dentistas, advogados, empresários, encanadores, mecânicos, burocratas, professores. Em questão de meses, Angola ficou sem quadros. Não havia quem soubesse gerenciar as finanças do país. Depois a guerra. O esforço de guerra sugou o dinheiro que deveria ser investido na saúde, na educação, nas infra-estruturas do país. Agora multiplique essa situação por 30 anos. O resultado chama-se Luanda.

Com a alta no preço do petróleo nos últimos anos, os fretes subiram e por tabela, o de todos os produtos. Chegou-se a uma situação tal que mesmo os itens produzidos em Angola podem custar mais que os importados. Porquê? Os economistas que me corrijam, mas parece ter algo a ver com a tal lei da oferta e da procura. Quem quer agora, tem de pagar mais.”

O país não tem indústrias. Tudo é importado. Vem de navio. No porto, não há espaço. Os navios ficam dois, três meses atracados em alto-mar, aguardando autorização para descarregar. Só agora é que a agricultura começa a dar os primeiros passos. Mas só nas áreas em que não há minas terrestres. O último número que ouvi era de que mais da metade das terras cultiváveis do país estava cheia de minas. Enquanto o terreno não estiver limpo, nada feito. Portanto, até a comida precisar ser importada.

Governments have heard this. Pushed on in no small parts by grants, corporate and development programs, many countries began leveraging new technologies to increase access to government services. They’ve tried various methods to simplify procedures for citizens, expand transparency and make information available to everyone.

The blog Abugidan Info from Ethiopia draws the parallel between increasing peoples’ access to information and a more healthy political culture.

…the importance of the undeterred flow of information in the sphere of politics and governance and in improving socio-political life can hardly be exaggerated. Let us look at it this way. As in the marketplace, the impact of its lack is catastrophic, especially to the development of democracy and strengthening of respect for human dignity. In today’s society, that deficit is characterized by exclusion, inequality, the arrogance of power and problems pertaining to peace and security, stereotyping as political strategy, poor economic growth and uneven development and subjugation that eventually gives way to societal polarization and conflicts. With Internet today’s reality of our world, IF ONLY governments get their cues from a longstanding Syms’ ad, “An educated customer is our best customer”, the world would have been a much better place!

Governments' use of information and communications technologies can only go so far, says Tanya Gupta, a blogger at Governance Matters from the World Bank. She argues that many e-government programs concentrate on providing better services to citizens while they should consider issues relating to political culture.

The first is increasing participation.

Large sections of most developing countries -typically the lowest income populations- are disenfranchised, lacking political participation and voice. In fact, studies have found that greater economic inequality yields greater political inequality, thus creating a vicious cycle where the poor cannot use the political system to improve their economic situation…

This suggests that e-government can strengthen democracy by contributing to increase political participation among the poor.Unfortunately this is where we get stuck. Empirical data shows that participation is not typically an important part of e-government programs in poorer countries even though they are the ones who most needed it.

Next, she outlines the importance of openness and transparency.

In spite of many good examples of open government/ transparency, the fundamental change in mind-set that is required for a truly open government has not really taken place anywhere. In order for this to happen, each civil servant will need to relate in a very different way to data that he/she produces.

…In this process, as much data as possible should be released, withholding only confidential and personal information. To achieve this, more investment would be needed in building a better search engine and modifying social networking apps for government.

Finally, she identifies collaborating amongst diverse groups and accountability:

Although closely linked, transparency/openness and collaboration alone will not bring about accountability. Holding public servants and politicians accountable for their actions requires a robust civil society, strong judiciary and legal framework, a free and active press among other factors. However citizen watchdogs, human rights organizations, non-profits and others that track governance related actions and data can certainly use technology to demand accountability.

Case study: Uganda

Uganda’s government began working earnestly with ICTs in 2006, when the Ministry of ICT began overseeing e-government programs across state-run institutions. The country’s private sector took off some years ago, but the government is still implementing a framework to drive e-Government infrastructure initiatives, like creating communication networks and file sharing amongst all 28 ministries. The government’s strategy also includes providing access to communications, which it hopes to accomplish through school-based training.

If I had to generalize, I’d say the Ugandan blogosphere is largely unimpressed with the government’s efforts in the ICT realm. (If you have anything to say on Uganda’s effort, please reply below.)

Kato Mivoule, from Uganda, writes Mivule Tech-Africa and blames the political culture of the government.

Despite the IT infrastructure, Uganda is still reeling back and forth from forces of corruption that are in no doubt hampering the would be robust ICT industry in East Africa

…from nepotism, favoritism, power fights, mismanagement, greed, ICT in Uganda is yet to deliver, especially when it comes to helping the poor in Africa alleviate poverty,diseases, and illiteracy… Current ICT Leadership in Uganda’s ICT ministry are so full of themselves that all they are concerned with are contracts for themselves and bogus middleman IT companies that would rake in profits to their bank accounts… The people of Uganda benefiting from ICT is still a dream…

This post is admittedly a little old (from November 2008) but the issues remain relevant. It comes from Lilian, who writes From Uganda To You:

A presentation from the Ministry of ICT just confirmed my fears about their ignorance or complacency about IG issues. The presenter was just limited to the role of governments in IG yet what we wanted to hear what the Ugandan government has done as far as Internet governance is concerned. To make it even worse, he could hardly even talk about the three main bills (e-signatures, cyber crime and e-transactions). He simply put it that they were being tabled in parliament for “approval” and knowing the way in which our parliament operates, this may take forever to be finalised!

She points out that Uganda has an internet penetration rates of less than five percent, but the number of people accessing online through web-enabled phones is quickly increasing. “Looking at these figures, I’m not exactly hearing what the government is/has done to make IG a success in Uganda.,” she writes.

Right now, I’m seated in an Internet cafe and I’m wondering how safe it is for me to work from here! That is in terms of protection of my information. All I know is that the Cyber crime bill is is waiting Parliament’s approval. So between now and then, I do not know what happens in case someone hacked into say my email account (just in case I forgot to logout) and used my private data for their own use.

[The bills remain under consideration.]

A comment from BSK argues.

That is pretty serious; i hope those people do really show some seriousness soon. Otherwise, such things as growth of ‘e’ and ‘m’ commerce (particularly given that we soon will have functional mobile money transfer systems in the region) are going to be affected big time, and the expected surge in use in the next few years could be fertile ground for all sorts of scam and fraudsters. I agree, we probably be seeing more of the mobile web, especially in the next 2 years with expected falls in bandwidth costs, and uptake of wimax and 3G.

Test Case: Kenya

E-government services on the Government of Kenya’s webpages are easy to access and, it seems, to use. Kenyans may search jobs online, track the status of their national ID and passports. Students can locate exam results and follow up on their higher education loans. Business people can submit tax returns online and apply for specific permits and reports online. Finally, anyone can log a corruption complaint through an anonymous feedbox.

Many of the services provided, the government claims, can be done online or through SMS messaging.

The blog from Jellyfish Cool Man reports that the government is even expanding its efforts, including publishing ministry procurement details and digitizing health records. What makes this task easier is that most middle-class Kenyans are already online.

…all [these] developments indicate a country intent on modernizing it’s activities. The desire for this is driven by the need for efficiency, eradication of corruption, need for socialization and most importantly a voracious need for information which will greatly boost literacy levels and hopefully lead to innovation and a more civil society. Kenyans need to have a positive attitude, realize that they have a beautiful country, intelligent people and sufficient natural resources which they can utilize to provide a high quality of life equivalent to any advanced nation on Earth.

Kenya offers an interesting case study because some of the most interesting political watchdogs don’t come from the government. Rather, the country’s robust civil society has begun using technologies to keep watch on issues like corruption and government procurement, not very different from United Kingdom-based groups trying to hold those in power accountable.

Kenya’s governments have long tried to shake off corruption allegations. The group Transparency International currently ranks the country 147 out of 180 in its index tallying the perception of corruption, sharing space with Russia, Syria and Bangladesh. (Uganda is 126.)

Recently US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience in Kenya although the government in Nairobi is slow to act, people should not give up complaining about corruption via social marketing sites like Twitter and Facebook.

The group Mars Group Kenya has exposed a number of high-priced and high-priced scandals on its “Leadership, Governance and Accountability” portal during the last few years. The group began in December 2006 to help publicize its reports on government corruption, hoping its website and forum would become a place to debate and publicize the importance of governance issues.

Recently it has found itself the target of claims it is trying to destabilize the government and Parliament proceedings regarding espionage charges.

Nonetheless, the group has friends in Kenya’s blogosphere. A Nairobian’s Perspective calls the group Kenya’s online ombudsman.

…True to its adage “watching out for you” Mars Group Org has been relentless in ensuring it watches out for Kenyan Civil Liberties and freedom.The website frequently publishes reports on corruption such as Ndungu Land Commission Report, Kroll Report, extracts from Wiki leaks,Githongo's Dossier on Anglo Leasing etc…The blog also has an interactive column where members of the public air their opinion, media clips are uploaded,a cartoon column gives corruption a human face, and of course subscribers get regurlar email updates.Mars group is right on -on its spotlight on corruption. While very little is known/atleast available online with regards to Mwalimu Mati [the group’s director] one thing is certain ;he is a true defender of public interest Kudos to him!

“The reality as you know it on the ground in Madagascar is characterized by fatigue that is felt by the people of Madagascar, people who are hoping the crisis will come to an end. A crisis to which, after all, they are the hostages. Whereas the socio-economic situation in your country is getting worse day by day. The people of Madagascar deserve better destiny and that depends completely on you”

This sentiment seems to be shared by a large portion of the blogosphere who focused their attention on the other challenges affecting Madagascar. Several provinces are currently plagued by the cumulative disastrous effects of a severe drought, the toxic spill of a ship wreck that poisoned the livelihood of thousands of fishermen and the ecological disaster of illegal logging of the rain forests.
(Update: A power sharing agreement was signed by the 4 political movements over the week-end (BBC) where Madagascar will be led by 3 co-presidents. More analysis can be found on this political breakthrough on Reuters and Madagascar Tribune (fr) )

The ecological scandal of the Gulser Ana toxic spill

The Gulser Ana was a Turkish freighter transporting Phosphate that sunk off the coast of Madagascar, spilling toxic waste in the process and killing migrating whales and causing illness among the fishermen community. Although the disaster has been reported in a few media recently, the ship started to sink two months ago as Malagasy bloggers signaled on their blogs back in early September.
Tomavana wrote on his blog (fr):

En plus d’écarter le drame écologique du Sud de l’île des actualités nationales, la controverse politique autour de ces nouvelles nominations pose la question du suivi de ce dossier sensible

Joan asks simply: “Have you heard of the Gulser Ana ?”. In the comment section, Capt Collin Smith explores the possible causes of the grounding:

The only explanation which can exculpate the Captain and Officer of the Watch of this vessel is mechanical breakdown. Anything else is human error, and therefore incompetence, if not recklessness. How can a ship go aground in perfect visibility if the OOW and Captain are paying attention and properly trained? [..] Another practice to save money. The Captain and OOW should have been arrested when they got ashore, and held.

Mialisoa reports on her blog that (fr):

les habitants « souffrent de problèmes respiratoires, et de maladies cutanées et diarrhéiques ». Car non seulement ces personnes ont été exposées aux déchets toxiques, mais le nettoyage des zones polluées s’est fait sans vêtements de protection et sans équipements adéquats

The lack of report early on in the media prompted this reaction from Tomavana on twitter:

“@fanjakely j'ai l'impression que les habitants Sud #Madagascar sont des malgaches de 2nde zone. J'entends nos beaux discours mais nous sommes pas #Solidaire”

Ship wreck via http://mialisenfout.hautetfort.com

Unfortunately that was not the only source of worry in the region.

Severe drought

Rain has been very scarce in the Southern region. According to the Guardian, the unseasonal dry weather caused by climate change (10% increase in temperature) has prompted a severe drought and warning signs of famine for the past six months. Tovoheryzo Raobi Jaona explains how climate change has affected the south (fr):

“Avant, il y avait une sécheresse tous les dix ans. Or, depuis 2000, il y en a eu quatre”

Féroce Remanongona, an elected official goes further as to say (fr):

Nous prions le Grand Dieu que le cyclone passe chez nous. Même s’il détruit nos maisons, c’est mieux que subir la sécheresse

This is a powerful statement when one recalls how the recent cyclone devastated the majority of the region.

The Panos Insitute recently published a series called “Pushed to the Edge” about the effect of climate change on the Malagasy population in the Southern region. Here is a testimony from the report by Bruno:

I noticed that the weather had changed from our usual predictions, and the rainy seasons were starting very late… Not only was rice production affected, but also sweet potatoes and cassava. It was getting hotter and hotter, which made planting cassava challenging… When I harvested it, I discovered that the roots had become smaller, compared to my previous harvest. In terms of rice, I used to collect three to four large baskets and now I can harvest only one small basket. The change is so obvious that it makes me ask the question, “What is happening to the climate?”

A recent academic paper for the American Political Science Association by Richard Marcus illustrates the challenges of water resource management in the Ambovombe-Androy region. The paper states that

“Rural communities are suddenly faced with having to pay exorbitant costs for water. They are ill-prepared to carry out their municipal functions and unable to raise the level of user-fees or community taxes necessary to fund infrastructure development”

Stephane, a blogger from Foko Madagascar attended the UN conference on climate change in September and blogged about the challenges facing developing countries like Madagascar.

Finally, a resolution to condemn the plundering of natural resources in Madagascar has been introduced by Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) at the House of Representatives. Illegal logging of precious woods from the rain forest has been increasing with the political turmoil. Courier International and l'Express de Madagascar also reveals that the government allowed for exportation of precious rosewood in late September (fr). More details on the illegal logging of the rain forest are available here (fr) .

Paul Biya's message to his compatriots stressed the importance of the country's peace and stability in a generally turbulent continent as a major achievement. But Voice of the Oppressed did not quite fancy this argument:

Without much to showcase to languishing Cameroonians, Biya had no choice but to hide under the canopy of inert and sometimes illusive concepts like peace, unity and democracy to present as his hallmarks for the past 27 years, as if a hungry man knows peace or the thwarting of the constitution to enable him rule ad infinitum was a democratic precedence.

The fact that he highlighted the deprivation of basics like food, health, shelter, and education to a majority of Cameroonians, confirms the intensity of the failure of Biya and his Stale Deal policies. He just didnot want to belabour the points on persistent power cuts, water shortages, bad roads and dilapidating infrastructure, which are characteristic of his failed policies, aggravated by the extreme egocentric manner in which he and his associates embezzle state funds

However, Christopher Ambe Shu in a post on the blogzine –the Entrpreneur – thinks it is unfair to dismiss Mr Biya’s 27-year stay in power as wasted years because “his successes in the political, social, economic and diplomatic domains are there for any person of good faith to appreciate”:

Politically, to begin with, when he assumed the presidential office on November 6, 1982, the country was a one-party system. Democracy was barely practiced within the party. But in March 1985, he transformed the lone party – the CNU - into CPDM, introducing democratic reforms within the party. He reintroduced multi-party democracy in 1990, against protests from some learned Cameroonians.

Today, Cameroon has over 200 political parties, with citizens free to belong to any of their choice or even to form more. With the multiplicity of parties came greater freedom of expression. Cameroonians under former President Ahmadou Ahidjo did not actually enjoy freedom of expression.

Since 1992 elections - notably presidential, municipal and parliamentary - have been organized for Cameroonians to democratically choose their leaders and representatives. It is true complaints of electoral fraud and rigging have been alleged by mostly loser-opposition parties such as the SDF, but the Supreme Court has always adjudicated on such complaints.

As if to buttress Christopher's views a Cameroonian who claims to a supporter of Mr Biya's ruling Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement (CPDM) party, posted some of the President's achievements since 1982 as a comment on Gef's Outlook:

“When president Biya took over in 1982, the coffers of the country were depleted. Thanks to his reasonable foresight and sharp economic acumen, Cameroon pulled herself from the grim situation majestically. In the BEAC regional block, we have the highest standard of living. Citizens of neighboring countries flock to our shores because the country is economically buoyant.

(5)President Paul Biya took over the leadership of Cameroon with very few all the year roads. But today, even the most far off lands like Akwaya are being dis-enclaved.

(6) On the diplomatic front, President Paul Biya used his great diplomatic prowess to secure an invaluable piece of real estate for the country, the Bakassi Peninsular. This is wonderful. He has instructed his legal team which, I am a member to sue the Biafras, for the return of the Obudu Cattle Ranch as well. We go for peaceful solutions even though we are tough as the lion.

(7) Cameroonians are freer and more secure within and beyond their borders than before. This is a real achievement.

But his views were countered by Louis who had a direct reply for the President:

“Dear Mr President,
I do appreciate your efford as president of the Republic of Cameroon. But your effords have consistently been proven not good enough. 27yrs of leadership is more than enough time for Cameroonians to be smiling instead of knocking heads. Your leadership and management skills are way below the bottom line of a development framework. Mr president, we all love our country more than you are telling us in your letter to.
All what we want is a leader who can motivate us by applying the values of leadership, management and governance. A leader who can build the “yes we can” spirit among us. Many cameroonians living abroad including myself are very willing to come back home and do something remarkable and benefitial for the country, but lawlessness and insecurity are big hindering factors.
Sorry Mr president but leadership and governance has been proven not to be your descipline. Give up men! If you really love us, then consider this crucial moments as the perfect time to sacrifice power for the happiness of your fellow citizens.
Thanks
Lou »

Present day Cameroon was created in 1961 by the unification of two former colonies, one British and one French. The country’s official languages are English and French but over the years many voices among the minority Anglophones have accused the Francophone majority of marginalization and this has since led some Anglophones to call for a separation of the country.

The debate over Paul Biya’s letter on Gef’s Outlook mutated into passionate, (sometimes) harsh arguments exposing the latent Anglophone versus Francophone quagmire in the country:

Reacting a comment describing Anglophones as nonentities Rene Mbuli commented thus:

Mr Alain Dipoko I have been following your interventions on this network with keen interest and I must commend your consistency in backing the FAILED REGIME of Mr Biya and his veteran team of incompetent, corrupt and uninspired officials. How i wish your intelligence and dedication could be used for a much better course like the Independence of Southern Cameroon which devoted SCNC members like us are reflecting and battling upon. As a devoted supporter of the Anglophone cause , i must tell you that Anglophones are not “nonentities” and we are not being “tolerated” by the regime.We are actually the regime's nightmare. The desire by the Biya regime to ignore the Anglophone problem is a silent tactic to limit the rippling effects of its recognition.
The above presidential address sounds like a broken CD. In order words, its a deja vu version of the 1985 in-glorious memories and a lamentable attempt to recoup the disintegrated particles. We are sorry for this dying dictator who tries to gain currency by selling dreams of what he still hopes to do , while on a dying bed. As a piece of advice . which probably could help the rest of the Francophone people who are tired of their Beti brother but who lack the bile to air their views like the Anglophones; Biya needs to start making a balance sheet of his confused years in power and try to groom a successor who will do the image cleansing instead of hoping to squander more years at the helm of La Republic du Cameroun.

Alain Dipoko responded as follows:

Mr. Mbuli Rene, why are you people so evil? Why do you take delight in showing ingratitude? Mr. Biya has ruled Cameroon with diligence and conviction. We are a respected country every where in the world. You are able to write fine English better than an African Americans in America, the richest country in the world because, schools are free in Cameroon and they are not in the US. What else do you want?

You express yourself openly than Americans do in America because the Patriot Act forbids them to do so. What do you really want? I have written a letter to the leadership of the SCNC, that moribund, focus less, and mundane assembly of TrollVille illusionists trying to sell the Federal System to them but I am yet to receive a feedback.

Let me warn you Mr. Mbuli, you the Anglos are stretching our patience. Did you hear what happened in Guinea? You want that to happen to your wretched lives here? It is easy to do it. We are sick and tired of these ungrateful brats. Let me make myself absolutely clear, if you the Anglophones don’t like it here then go to the Biafras. You shall spare us the inconvenience of squandering our money on ungrateful sycophants like you.

Paul Biya is Cameroon's second President. Cameroon's parliament in April 2008 passed a controversial amendment to the constitution scrapping limits to the terms in office. This means Biya can run for a third term of office in 2011. He succeeded late Ahmadou Ahidjo who resigned on 4 November 1982 after nearly 25 years in office.

Cameroon’s foremost blogger Dibussi Tande chose to take visitors of Scribbles from the Den down memory lane with video images of the peaceful handover of power that was quite uncommon in Africa at the time.

In his video address available on www.dymovskiy.ru and YouTube (part I and part II [RUS]), Aleksey Dymovskiy is calm and meticulous. He talks about diminishing police honor, bribes, corruption and low pay that poison lives of many police officers in Russia.

I think many people will understand me. I want to work but I am fed up with fictional plans when we are forced to investigate crimes that don’t exist. I am fed up with fictional plans when we are told that we need to imprison certain people. I am fed up with staged crimes designed to put some people in jail.

Continuing with his revelations, Dymovskiy admits putting an innocent person in jail under the pressure from his supervisor:

The director of the Department of Internal Affairs awarded me rank of a major, which I received in May, because I promised him to put an innocent person in jail. I’m not afraid to say that. I understand that it can be punishable. But it is the truth and I admit that.

Dymovsky also appeals to Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin urging him to investigate those problems and put an end to the widespread corruption in the police.

The video hit a “viral” stage within hours after its publication with several hundreds of thousands of clicks on YouTube. It was widely covered by the Russian mainstream media and discussed on the countless blogs. It is one of the first examples when Russian citizens successfully deploy new media platform to draw attention of the government toward hot issues in the country.

The novelty of “citizen video addresses” in Russia is best indicated by a cautious comment from one of the most popular bloggers in the country dolboeb:

A monologue with enormous force. I won’t be surprised if it turns out to be a viral marketing. The character is too out-of-this-word.

Another blogger marchenk writes:

None of us is an angel… I wouldn't admire him [Dymovskiy] as an honest policeman and the lover of the truth (he admits himself that he received the rank of major for putting an innocent person in jail). […] However, sincere respect for bravery. There are honest police officers after all. Because of them, it makes sense to push forward police reforms.

I hope to God his publicity gives him protection and honest consideration of his situation.

On Sunday, November 8, Rashid Nurgaliev, the Russian minister of internal affairs, announced the audit of police forces in Novorossiysk. Meanwhile, Dymovskiy has been fired “for libel and actions that damage the honor” of the police.

In his interview to Russian radio station “Ekho Moskvy,” Dymovskiy said he had been followed and was considering sending his family to Moscow for security reasons.