United States Independence Day

Thursday July 2, 2009

Your Excellency the Vice-Prime Minister of Cameroon, Minister of Justice and Guardian of the Seal, Your Excellencies the Ministers of State and Ministers, Colleagues, Ambassadors, and Heads of International Organizations, Administrative, Traditional and Religious Leaders, Distinguished Guests, Fellow Americans, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good afternoon.  Thank you for joining us, and welcome to the 233rd anniversary of the independence of the United States of America. 

Today we celebrate not just the independence of our nation, but also the growing strength and depth of the relationship between the American and Cameroonian people.  This year we have chosen to also celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln, who is pictured on the pagnes and other decorations you see here today.

Abraham Lincoln embodied the “American dream” – the idea that even a person of the humblest origins can become an agent of change and a successful, productive member of our society.  Born in 1809 in a one-room log cabin in the Kentucky wilderness, Lincoln lived a childhood marked with hardship.  Although he had only 18 months of formal education, he was an avid reader and educated himself throughout his life. 

One of Abraham Lincoln’s most enduring contributions to the political fabric of the United States is the concept of the “team of rivals.”  When forming his government after his election, Lincoln appointed three men who ran against him to the most important positions in his cabinet: Edward Bates as Attorney General, Salmon P. Chase as Secretary of Treasury, and William Seward as Secretary of State. 

Speaking of elections, last year Americans went in great numbers to the voting booths to participate in a seminal moment in our history: the election of Barack Obama, our 44th president.  We can all see the spirit of Lincoln animating the Presidency of President Obama.  His successes against adversity stirred hope and optimism in the entire country.  Like Lincoln, upon his election, President Obama has appointed political rivals to his administration: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, his former opponent for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination, and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who served under the administrations of several Republican presidents; even his Vice President, Joe Biden, was an opponent in the primary elections.

Of course, it is difficult to work with one’s rivals, to engage with those who do not always share our views, but Lincoln understood the value of the competition of ideas.  Because he loved his nation, Lincoln was willing to work with his former rivals, to set aside personal ambition for the good of the country.

In a functioning democracy, citizens partner with their leaders to take action when change is needed.  Citizens define the change they wish to see and participate as a partner with government – often as another “rival” helping to define national priorities.  When citizens decide not to engage, they surrender their ability to influence their government.  Whether they are afraid of reprisal, scared of being unpopular, or too focused on selfish interests, citizens who ignore their responsibility to their country give up their opportunity to affect the course of their nation’s history.

From the birth of our country in 1776 to the presidency of Lincoln and the administration of President Obama, the United States has stood strong, even as our own democracy has evolved, in our efforts to promote the respect of democratic principles here and elsewhere and to protect and extend the liberty that we believe is the right of every man and woman.  Lincoln’s enduring vision of a “government of the people, by the people and for the people” lives on to inspire us to this day. 

As the people of Cameroon have continued on their own national journey of democratization, they have had no more constant ally than the United States.  We remain committed to working with the Government as it seeks to strengthen Cameroon’s democracy and to engaging with the full spectrum civil society, from non-governmental organizations and the press, to business and religious organizations.  

Our engagement reflects our long history of friendship and exchange with Cameroon.  Our commercial ties are strong.  The U.S. is the single largest investor in Cameroon, and Cameroon’s exports to the United States doubled this year, fostering more investment and creating new jobs and opportunities for U.S. and Cameroonian businesspeople.  With official government assistance and, increasingly, through the efforts of private Americans, the United States supports environmental protection, efforts to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, initiatives to strengthen good governance, and security cooperation.  Every year, more and more young Cameroonians are pursuing their higher studies in the United States.  When they return to Cameroon, their contributions are invaluable.

Our Peace Corps is building cultural bridges and strengthening development throughout Cameroon.  We were pleased to facilitate the Greentree Agreement that brought about the final return of the Bakassi Peninsula – and I congratulate Cameroon and Nigeria on the peaceful resolution of this dispute.  We will continue to partner with Cameroon, we will remain a steadfast partner and a good friend, but we can only do so much.

Many people ask what we are doing to “help” Cameroon.  That, to me, is the wrong question to ask.  Another president, from Massachusetts – as I myself am – made the famous declaration, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”

This powerful statement applies not only to American patriots, but to those of every other country as well!  In this spirit, I urge those who come calling for the Embassy to remove this obstacle or solve that problem to ask themselves first, “What can I do to help my nation recognize its potential?”  I know there are challenges, obstacles, problems and set-backs.  Cameroon is not perfect; no country is, my own country is certainly not.  The important progress in any nation’s development is always hard-fought and hard-won. 

Abraham Lincoln, Rosa Parks, Barrack Obama.  The road was not easy for any of them, but history remembers them for what they accomplished despite the challenges they faced.  They and others are testimony that the Obama Campaign’s motto of “Yes, We Can,” has been an animating theme throughout American history.  Millions joined with Martin Luther King Junior to sing “We Shall Overcome.”  Lincoln’s oratory and the Declaration of Independence were imbued with that same spirit.

Cameroon is a country rich in resources, diversity, and ingenuity, and I have every confidence to say to Cameroonians yes  you can and yes you will rise to meet the challenges of today’s world.

The U.S. looks forward to accompanying you, the people of Cameroon as you continue on your journey of democratization.

Thank you again for joining us to celebrate our National Day and the continued friendship between our two nations.