Editorial: Good, but not enough

There were several outings last December 3 to mark the international day for the handicapped.

Data from the national Institute of Statistics, corroborated with facts from the other government services overseeing such matters, indicate that there could be close to three million Cameroonians suffering from one form of inability or the other with about 2.5 million really identified as those suffering from acute challenging situations.

That the entire nation devotes a day to address the plight of the handicapped is already a good sign of the determination of the public authorities to go beyond merely showing concern, but to ensure that, as per the constitution of the country, every citizen should be seen to live up to expectation in terms of rights and obligations. Too often, we only look at the obligation side of our existence as citizens, without knowing that what ordinary or able-bodied citizens do requires that those with physical challenges put in much greater effort to accomplish the same feats.

Government attitude towards the nation’s handicapped people has obviously changed, but too painfully to translate a radical change in attitudes. All too often, public policies are really a reflection of the way and manner handicapped people are perceived right at birth. In our various villages, the birth of a handicapped person is immediately seen as a bad omen, a signal about difficult years to come.

Handicapped people never really have their way up the social ladder and the few who have made it have rather been the rare examples and not the result of a determined policy. One can even say it has been thanks, largely due to the resilience of a few handicapped people - armed to brave all odds, and who have made it in academic pursuits - that is responsible for the turnaround observed today.

One cannot talk of outright government neglect because in a number of areas, handicapped people have been entrusted with responsibilities even at the most unsuspecting levels although we are yet to see high-profile senior personalities carrying out government business. Their presence would rather be seen as justifying the presence of the handicapped, rather than an indiscriminate attempt to impose an equal-opportunity system in which handicapped and able-bodied can compete freely with merit only to the one who can deliver.

Many visitors to Cameroon are first of all struck by the scarcity of facilities for the handicapped in public places such as airports, train stations, hospitals, post offices and even government offices. Recent government directives to improve on the situation are still too timid in execution, meaning that it would take more than just written letters to the various entities and take more engaging measures to ensure that our nation is all inclusive; that in which all its citizens have the same rights and obligations.

Our handicapped people are still complaining too much each time they have the opportunity to talk in public and the recent commemoration of their day last Wednesday gave an opportunity to hear how bitter they are about the way they are treated in the country. One can understand them; they who, for the most part, take initiatives to improve on their life situations without having to count on government help which is discussed more within the confines of government air-conditioned conference rooms than see policies executed on the ground. Government will, of course say it is doing enough; but from the field situation, that is not good enough.