The Anglophone problem is a constitutional crisis for our nation as much as minority civil rights have been taken care of in the South Africa and the USA's constitutional framework with strong independent institutions especially the judiciary.
Do not be fooled, the guys in Yaounde are not interested in strong federated states. Why? Since 1996 constitution documented decentralized regions nothing has happened in 20 years. If this watered down governance structure is not implemented or at least activated immediately, why would anyone believe all these enhanced demands from the lawyers and teachers will ever be agreed to?
If you believe the same, I submit that the world will end tomorrow also.
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On 27 Nov 2016, at 18:29, SAM ESALE invictusam.leadershipro@gmail.com [camnetwork] <camnetwork@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Brethren,"A candid, frank and truthful history is necessary for any Liberation struggle to survive." Kima Tabong, 2016.Dr. Joachim Arrey has made his point very succinctly, and whether we agree or disagree with his conclusion that "all that glitters isn't gold," it is still an imperative for Anglophones in general, and the people of the Southwest Region of Cameroon in particular, to consider his intelligent argument or analysis with the highest degree of seriousness.It is also important to remember that most people who have argued against the extreme idea of Secession in Cameroon, do recognize the existence of the "Anglophone Problem." Yet, within that context, they clearly see another fundamental problem which has been consistently ignored or brushed under the proverbial carpet, by protagonists of "Cut-n-Run" or Secession. There is no reasonable Anglophone who can successfully paper over the cracks of the less talked about "Northwest-Southwest Divide." That would be dishonest. The History of West Cameroon is documented, with records of the "Divide" in question, just as much as the History of La Republique has records of the "Anglophone Problem." To deny the existence of the "NW-SW Divide" is akin to the disingenuous behavior of Paul Atanga Nji, who went on Public TV to claim that the "Anglophone Problem" is just a figment of our imagination. One has to be extremely ignorant or dishonest to hold such a point of view.Brother Kima Tabong mentioned VAKUMA in his short and brilliant piece. To those who are not familiar with the acronym, it stands for Victoria-Kumba-Mamfe. During the period of the West Cameroon government under Prime Minister Dr. John Ngu Foncha, Southwest intellectuals or "Elite" considered "separation" from Northwest, on grounds of economic, social and political injustices. The relationship between both groups was marred by numerous incidents of corruption and abuse of power. That is a historic fact which some here have chosen to ignore, in their calls for Secession."All that glitters is not gold."It is important to walk in the moccasins of the man from the Southwest Region of Cameroon, by knowing the true history of West Cameroon during the Federation. It will be foolish to not pay attention to the "cautionary" observations by Dr. Arrey and others, who have a better understanding of that History, especially if you are from the Southwest Region of Cameroon. Do not be fooled again.Ask yourselves this questions:Who championed the decision to switch from the Federation to The United Republic of Cameroon?Who was Prime Minister of West Cameroon at the time?Who was Speaker of the National House of Assembly at the time?Answer these questions and you'll arrive at the same conclusion as some of us, with only two choices left at this turning point in our history.1) Stay in the current political dispensation, only if the government agrees to the terms of "self-government" for all 10 Regions of the country, by the decentralization of all institutions of government and/or administrative units.2) Roll back the clock to Federal Republic of Cameroon, while maintaining the Regional decentralization component in (1), to prevent the recurrence of the "NW/SW Problem."There is a "Northwest-Southwest Divide," just as much as there is an "Anglophone Problem" in Cameroon. And no one who knows the History of Cameroon will disagree with that. The "Anglophone Problem" can be resolved by either of the two choices above. And if that is true, then why do we have to listen to the calls of Secession that could land the man, women and child from the Southwest Region, in a much deeper hole or from the "frying pan into fire.""All that glitters is not gold."Happy Sunday.Love,Rev. Sam Esale
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On Nov 27, 2016, at 9:55 AM, Tabong Kima bakebe1@msn.com [camnetwork] <camnetwork@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Mr. NgwaIt is either ignorance of the history of Southern Cameroons/West Cameroon or plain intellectual dishonesty when you castigate Mr. Denis Tambe and claim that the northwest/ southwest divide is a creation of Ahidjo. Ahidjo did not create it as you think; he exploited it. It began in the 1950s long before Ahidjo and the francophones had anything to do with our politics. Do you know about Walter Wilson Mesumbe's call for VIKUMA? Do you know how many people from the present southwest were thrown in jail by the Foncha government because of political differences. I think Joachim's caption that all that glitters is not gold is very apt. A candid, frank and truthful history is necessary for any liberation struggle to survive. Fabrications and half-truths of a past that never was is a sure recipe for failure.Tabong Kima
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On Nov 27, 2016, at 7:23 AM, Divine Rhyme hittback@yahoo.com [cameroon_politics] <cameroon_politics@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
Hello Dennis Tambe,Just by you commenting on this matter and identifying the Southern Cameroons as North West and Southwest, you are completely off the tangent in discussions about what is going on in Cameroon today. You are completely ignorant of what the problem is all about. If up to this moment you are still too blind to to have noticed that the politics of the Republic of Cameroon under the CPDM government did all it could and continues to do so to weaken us by creating illusions of some kind of rivalry inside of the Southern Cameroons then you have a long way to understand Cameroon politics and you should better be ashamed of yourself.I am not sure you want to be reminded that while there were very large chunks of administrative units in the Republic of Cameroon they felt it was a necessity for Southern Cameroons to be split into two provinces. What of the Eastern province at the time, The Center South, The North? Each of these vast areas could be split into five Southern Cameroons, but yet Ahidjo found it imperative that the Southern Cameroons be split in two. That is when CNU politics started indoctrinating Southern Cameroonians that there was a difference between the North and S West provinces -as they then decided to start calling us - and one wants to deprive the other of the scarce goodies from The Republic of Cameroon. People like you easily bought into such mischievous politics and unfortunately you are still being manipulated. There is no rivalry and the mostly young lawyer and teachers spearheading the struggle today are not concerned with that illusion anymore. You just like me and many people from the forest as well as the grassslands region of the Southern Cameroons trust your fellow citizens from either side so much that for over one hundred years there hasn't been a single case of any one group anybody ever complaining that a neigbour from up north or down south did something to him or her because of their ethnic origins -NEVER. You from the coastal lands trust your fellow citizens from the grass fields so must that for over half a century that you have accepted him to be your treasurer through the Credit Union and you have never once complained of misappropriation of your money in his keeping. How else do you want people to manifest brotherliness and love for one another? Do you want the colonizer and his CPDM government be the one to tell you that? Stop being naive and childish. Forget about that yout CPDM induced mindset and lets move on my brotherJonathan Ngwa
From: "Dennis Tambe dbtmamfe@hotmail.com [camnetwork]" <camnetwork@yahoogroups.com>
To: cameroon_politics <cameroon_politics@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, November 27, 2016 12:08 PM
Subject: [camnetwork] Secession : Not All That Glitters Is Gold (Dr Joachim Arrey).
Secession: Not all that glitters is goldBy Joachim Arrey, Ph.D
The past month has been a challenging time both for English-speaking Cameroonians and their government. The urge to have many issues facing the English-speaking minority in Cameroon addressed by the government is gradually turning into a call for secession. Of course, English-speaking Cameroonians have suffered different forms of indignities at the hands of their Francophone government. The policy of assimilation and total destruction of whatever legacy the British had left behind to the citizens of the once southern Cameroons has left many English-speaking Cameroonians in total confusion.For many decades, English speaking Cameroonians were required to attend the country's lone university where knowledge was imparted to students in French. This implied English-speaking Cameroonians whose knowledge of French was, at best, approximate had to study in a language that had not been their academic language from birth. Many Anglophones simply skipped university because of this policy of self-destruction. Only those whose parents could afford to pay exorbitant fees in countries like the United Kingdom, the United States and Nigeria had the devil's luck of having a good university education. There were a few who actually succeeded in the erstwhile University of Yaounde, but to say the least it was an uphill battle. For many of such graduates, their language skills have been seriously compromised and theirs has been a kingdom wherein they only play second fiddle to their French-speaking colleagues. It is abnormal for English-speaking Cameroonians to occupy certain strategic positions in the country. They cannot lead any strategic ministry. It is tacitly forbidden for them to be a minister of finance, minister of defense and minister of foreign affairs. It is hard to think of an English-speaking Cameroonian who has occupied such a position in forty years. Of course, it is rare for an Anglophone to be a director of any state corporation if a French-speaking colleague is around however less qualified the francophone may be.Cameroon is not the only country in the world wherein people with different linguistic backgrounds have been made to live in a single geopolitical entity known as a nation state. Canada, Belgium and Switzerland have had to go down this treacherous and bumpy path. But rather than ruin the rich cultural heritage that comes with having many linguistic blocs, these countries have carefully turned their challenge into a worthwhile experience. This does not imply there are no issues. In Canada, some Quebecers are permanently shaking the ship as they keep on calling for an independent state. But such calls are on the decline as many young Quebecers see a bright future in a strong and prosperous Canada. Canada's federalism empowers the provinces and territories to take decisions that can bring peace and stability to their people. Educational policies are decided by provincial political authorities and even the existence of natural resources in one province or territory cannot constitute a bone of contention as the resources are mined for the good of the entire nation. That is why the country has an equalization fund and the wellbeing of Canadians is at the centre of every government policy. This also applies to Belgium and Switzerland and in the event of a conflict, the authorities are always prompt in their efforts to find long-lasting and satisfactory solutions. After all, there is no life without problems, but what should make a difference is the manner in which the stakeholders lay such matters to rest.But in Cameroon, the marriage between Anglophones and Francophones has not really been a bed of roses. The Anglophone educational system has undergone dramatic changes that have only helped to leave many English-speaking Cameroonians desperate and hopeless. In many parts of English-speaking Cameroon, it is normal to have a Francophone as a mathematics and/or a technology teacher in some technical colleges. For end-of-course exams questions to be set, they are usually first drafted in French and later translated into English and in most cases, the translation is not done by professional translators. This has accounted for the heavy drive away from technical education in English-speaking Cameroon. Of course, sometimes you have expressions like "béton armé" translated into English as "armed concrete". This makes no sense to an English-speaking kid with little or no knowledge of French. The right translation will be "reinforced concrete". This has helped to confuse many students and many have missed their destinies because of such confusion. If you think the confusion in technical colleges is bad, why not try hospitals in the English-speaking part of the country where sometimes even medical doctors in hospitals where at least 99% of patients are heavily Anglophone, are unfortunately Francophones. This unfortunate state of affairs could lead to the death of many unsuspecting patients. Of course, accidents have occurred but in a system where there is no official autopsy policy or where there are no vital statistics departments, such accidents never get reported or investigated. Would it not be normal just to give the people the professionals who can express themselves in the language the people understand? Is it necessary to play with the lives of other people just because a point must be proved?Of course, the trigger of the current demonstrations is the fact that many judges and magistrates in English-speaking parts of Cameroon are Francophones. Lawyers in the North West and South West regions of the country are required to make their submissions in French in order for the French-speaking judges and magistrates to rule on some very critical issues. This is not only ridiculous but frustrating for a people whose knowledge of French is at best rudimentary.The injustice cannot be quantified and it cannot be swept under the carpet. While the frustrations are justified, it will be necessary for English-speaking Cameroonians who have taken to the streets to keep things in their right perspective. The organizers of the demonstrations must also ensure that extremists do not hijack their effort to bring peace and justice to their people within a strong and united Cameroon. Over the past few days, there have been calls for a secession as the government in Yaoundé remains indifferent to the people's plight. Of course, secession looks like an attractive proposition, but let Anglophone Cameroonians not forget that not all that glitters is gold. A secession will solve the linguistic problem, but it will never address the unjustified and unnecessary rivalry between North Westerners and South Westerners. If secession were the appropriate solution to political challenges, South Sudan would be a strong and prosperous nation today. On the contrary, South Sudan has been rolled back into poverty by at least one century because of the fierce rivalry between the major tribes that fought for secession from Sudan. Anglophones can obtain most of what they want within a united Cameroon if they remain united and determined. The government's inability to rein in this demonstration is proof of the fact that the authorities themselves are out of steam, after all, if the commander in chief is old and tired, the foot soldiers will surely spend more time sleeping and eating the crumbs that have been given to them. Anglophone Cameroonians must understand that this struggle is not against the ordinary francophone. It is a struggle against a government that has sought for decades to sustain a divide-and-rule strategy put in place by the French even before the two Cameroons agreed to be a single entity. Anglophones should avoid shooting themselves in the foot by considering the ordinary Francophone as the enemy. Mixing up things is a good recipe for failure. It will be appropriate to remain focused in order to achieve the common goal.
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