Communal Liberalism : The Head Of State Speaks Out!

Any book publication opens the way for criticism and observations. Coming from the President of the Republic is even more so, especially at a time when national attention is geared towards an important electoral consultation, like that of 12 October, 2025. While other contenders are busy with political campaign and propaganda, the general expectation would be that President Paul Biya joins the race with rallies and meetings. But true to his self-mastery, methodical and purposeful analysis of situation, the Head of State has rather opted to give the nation another version of his masterpiece which has not only guided his vision of governance, but aptly laid the foundations for a modern Cameroon that captures the challenges of the moment and cast a firm eye in the future. As he puts it in his interview, this is not about the moment: “Communal Liberalism transcends the scope of an election campaign.”    
Speaking to Cameroon Tribune in an exclusive interview, the President took the opportunity, as the author, to give insights into the revised and refreshed version of the book that forms the basis of his political ideology. A philosophy whose relevance and timeliness are evident, but which, according to Paul Biya, still deserves to be updated to better reflect the current context. And as he himself points out, this is by no means an opportunistic new edition on the eve of the presidential election on October 12. The depth he gives to his concept of communal liberalism goes far beyond electoral propaganda. Granted, there are no coincidences in politics, but beyond the election campaign, Paul Biya is putting the fruit of his reflections and his ideas for action for the Cameroon of tomorrow back in the limelight.  

 
“My Political Thinking Is Essentially Dynamic”
Paul Biya, President of the Republic.
  
Mr President, a new version of your book, “Communal Liberalism” has been published; may we know why you have revised your book, which was first published in 1987? 
I chose to republish my book for a number of reasons, some of which I will mention here.
Firstly, my political thinking is essentially dynamic. Without yielding to the pressures of being trendy, it is in an ongoing dialogue with our times. Accordingly, I deemed it appropriate to take another look at the current issues at stake and the challenges of globalization, the digital revolution, environmental protection, consolidating democracy and security, gender empowerment, greater youth engagement in public life, and fast-tracking Cameroon's emergence drive in peace, unity and democracy.
Secondly, in our society, there has been an ever-growing collective and individual quest for meaning. In response, I am proposing Communal Liberalism as an appropriate answer to the fundamental issues of our national identity, that is faced with the flaws of globalization, to ethnicism and clanism; to our democracy, the entrenchment and consolidation of which remains an ongoing challenge; to our living together, of which social justice is a pillar requiring constant strengthening; to our development, which hinges on capacitating all and sundry, as well as equal opportunity; and to Cameroon's role and standing in Africa and in the world.
Thirdly, the success of the previous edition of Communal Liberalism generated much feedback and comments which I have factored in so as to deepen my thinking and continue the dialogue with Cameroonians on building and consolidating a society of collective and individual fulfilment, shared progress, enjoyment of all rights, assertion of the cultural and historical particularities, communing around shared ideals, values and models, and exalting work ethics, social justice and excellence.

Many Cameroonians would have expected but another publication, why did you republish an already renowned book instead of writing a new one?
The real issue here is the relevance and topicality of Communal Liberalism for Cameroon’s development, to face present day challenges, to meet the expectations of Cameroonians, the demands and hopes of our fellow citizens. Furthermore, while indeed Communal Liberalism is a benchmark for many of our compatriots, it remains that knowledge thereof needs to be increased in the light of national, regional and global changes. In these times when meaning is lost and there are increasing questions about our future, it is important to have solid benchmarks, better still, a compass that can help us find our way, in other words, the direction of our action towards progress, national unity, security as a whole and, democracy: that is what Communal Liberalism means.
More than a mere republication, it was a rewriting of Communal Liberalism, taking into account the new context; the outcome has been a deep dive into my ideas and my proposals for our country. What we are referring to is the consistency and deepening of reflection devoted to Cameroon’s development, to the welfare of its citizens without discrimination, to the fulfilment of its youth, to the dynamism of its private sector, to the transformation of the State and the public sector, to the shaping of destiny by the people and for the people.

That gives us the opportunity to want to know from you the philosophy behind is Communal Liberalism. 
Communal liberalism is both a thought and a practice based on the wisdom of our traditional societies and the realities of the so-called modern world, to achieve the development of Cameroon and of the human being based on the principles of freedom (political and economic), solidarity (all for one, one for all and all for all), social anchoring and the interaction between freedom and solidarity. It is dynamic thinking dedicated to achieving human security, i.e. political security, economic security, environmental security, health security, food and nutritional security, cultural security, legal security,...