There have been rumours about a cabinet reshuffle in Cameroon for a long time now, but the “monarch” neither seems to be under pressure to change his collaborators nor willing to reverse the current unfortunate trend of events.

The monarch is used to functioning as a typical government machinery which needs to be jolted into action by external factors and this has been the trend for some four decades and this could account for some of the sluggishness in the civil service, in particular, and the country, in general.

As the president’s collaborators age, it is imperative for him to replace them with some experienced and humble hands that have been working quietly and honestly in the system.

Cameroonians need youthful, energetic and selfless hands to ensure the country weathers the many storms many around the world have said will hit Cameroon like a ton of bricks after the current president, Paul Biya, bows to the inevitable.

Of course, age is just a number, but when age is accompanied by illnesses, the actors must be humble and courageous enough to exit the political scene in a very honorable manner.

Age has a way of robbing humans of their vitality. It deprives them of that enthusiasm that is a characteristic of many young people and it is that enthusiasm and energy which drive young people and spur them to achieve a lot for their families and country.

It is, therefore, not an error when many Cameroonians hold that a new political class should emerge in Cameroon if the country has to be prepared for a future that will be very challenging for people who are showing signs of senile decay.

Of course, there are many young, determined and ambitious Cameroonians who are willing and ready to put their time and energy at the service of their country, but many argue that the current political dispensation makes it hard for them to jump into the political arena where they can demonstrate that they have what it takes to help put Cameroon on the right track to prosperity and sustainable development.

But even within the ruling CPDM that has been indicted of so many crimes and sins, there are still some young, competent and hardworking Cameroonians who have kept their noses to the grindstone and if given the opportunity, they could make their country proud.

As a cabinet reshuffle looms large on the Cameroonian horizon, many forces of evil are at work to ensure that the good and competent young men do not make the president’s list of ministers.

The Cameroon Concord News Group has noticed that some shady characters, working under the cover of darkness, are at work and they are using all the tools available to them to sling mud at anybody who has made hard work his hallmark.

A voice note recently sent to the Cameroon Concord News Group London office has been indicting the Assistant Secretary General at the Presidency, Elung Paul Che, of crimes that have never been reported or documented.

Through its Yaoundé correspondent and other sources, the Cameroon Concord News Group have conducted a thorough investigation of the allegations and it has not found any evidence of such malfeasance.

The Cameroon Concord News Group is not just a platform that reports negative things. It also brings out the hidden good news when it finds it and Elung Paul Che’s honesty is worth reporting.

Before being appointed in 2015 as the Minister Delegate to the Ministry of Finance, Elung Paul Che had held numerous positions and interviews with those who worked with him revealed that he always demonstrated a rare form of honesty that kept many wondering, especially as corruption spreads across the country like wildlife.

Not many Cameroonians will see money and be indifferent to it. But Paul Elung Che shocked many people in the Southwest region when he was the Assistant paymaster in the Southwest treasury in Buea. He exhibited the same discipline and rigor when he was the paymaster general for the Northwest region in Bamenda and the Southwest region.

Many Cameroonians are honest people, especially when money is not involved. Bring money where Cameroonians are working and their discipline takes French leave of them. But Elung Paul is different and has always demonstrated that state property is not his property and that it must be properly managed and this has earned him great admiration and promotions.

After having served without blemish as the paymaster general in both the northwest and southwest regions, he was promoted as the Acting Director of the Treasury in Yaoundé, and later as the Director of Treasury.

Hard work pays off and Elung Paul knows this only too well. After having distinguished himself at the state treasury, he was appointed Director General of the Treasury, Finance and Cooperation in the Ministry of Finance; a post he held till 2009.

Four years later, he was appointed as the Director General of the Hydrocarbons Prices Stabilization Fund (CSPH) in 2013. From CSPH, he became a Minister in 2015, while still serving as the Director General of CSPH.

With such a brilliant career and experience, it is worth mentioning that Mr. Elung Paul Che could be one of those young, competent and hardworking ruling party members who still inspire hope.

It is, indeed, rare to find such civil servants in the country’s current civil service. The Cameroon Concord News Group investigation has proven that Elung Paul Che has never been linked with any corruption scandal.

The investigation has also proven that he has many enemies in the system because of his carefulness and honesty. He is being fought by many regime insiders who accuse him of seeking to be a “clean fish in a dirty ocean”.

A source in the Ministry of Finance hinted the Cameroon Concord News Group correspondent in Yaoundé that many people in the finance ministry fought him so hard when it was rumored that President Biya wanted to appoint him as the Minister of Finance; battles which have left him psychologically bruised. However, he remains unbowed and determined to make his contribution to the country’s development without disappointing his friends and family.

The source added that his detractors did all they could to ensure that he did not become the country’s finance minister, adding that “a good player will never lack a team and Elung Paul was appointed to other duties.”

Many people at the finance ministry accuse him of being too strict and too ‘clean’ for their liking. Yet, regardless of how murky the Cameroon waters may be, those who place themselves above the corruption that has become the country’s cancer, will always be noticed and it was because of his clean records that many Cameroonians, especially the francophones the Cameroon Concord News Group talked to, thought that in addition to his dynamism, he could one day be a good Prime Minister for the country.

By Joachim Arrey in Canada and Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai in the United Kingdom