A bad law is still the law

*Greeting Steemit Family

This is something I try to remind my friends often, "A bad law is still the law." It sounds simple, but it carries a heavy weight in our daily lives. Whether we agree with it or not, the laws and decisions that govern us continue to shape our reality. Even when they feel unfair, outdated, or completely disconnected from the people they affect.

As citizens, we do not have the obligation to go against a law just because we believe it is bad. For many communities, especially in the English-speaking regions, this phrase hits differently. Over the years, we have witnessed laws being introduced or implemented without proper consultation, without real understanding, and without consideration for the lived of the population. Some of these laws created more tension than unity, more silence than dialogue.

Yet, despite public frustration, debates, or resistance, those laws remained in place. People still had to adapt. Those who opposed them often found themselves caught between survival and principle. That’s the complicated truth, even a bad law has power not because it is right, but because it is enforced. Every system will always put in place the laws that help keep it in power, often with little consideration for the population.

But the story does not end there. The real question is, Should a bad law stay forever?
History shows that societies evolve when citizens speak up, when leaders listen, and when laws are re-examined with honesty and courage. Cameroon is no exception. The laws we follow today were made by people, voted in parliament. And because they were made by people, they can be changed through proposals, dialogue, civic pressure, institutional reform, and collective responsibility.

Saying "a bad law is still the law" should not be an excuse for silence. Instead, it should remind us that while we respect the rule of law. We also have the right and the duty to challenge laws that harm more than they help.

A nation becomes stronger when its laws serve justice, protect dignity, and reflect the reality of its people. Until then, we must keep pushing for better laws, fairer systems, and leadership that values the voices of its citizens.