THE ANGLOPHONE PROBLEM:
(Towards A Lasting Solution)
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By ShuSheey Barrister Joseph AKUWIYADZE
The marginalization of Anglophones in Cameroon started immediately Southern Cameroons got independence “by joining ‘La République Du Cameroun”. Barely three years after ‘unification’ Anglophones started suffering marginalization from Francophones wherefore Professor Bernard Nsokika Fonlon wrote to President Ahidjo in 1964 complaining about the Marginalization of Anglophones in Cameroon.
This means that contrary to what some people claim, the “Anglophone Problem” is 56 years old!
Those who initially claimed that there is no Anglophone problem in Cameroon (probably out of ignorance or bad faith) are now the ones singing every day that there is an Anglophone problem in Cameroon. Admitting the existence of the problem is not enough at this time because a lot of water has passed below the bridge. What efforts have the Government made towards solving the problem?
It would appear the only effort so far made by the Government towards solving the Anglophone Problem is the creation of the “Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multi-culturalism”. Unfortunately the Anglophone problem is far above the competence of this Commission in that it is a Constitutional Problem. The creation of the Commission is a mockery to Anglophones in that it has, inter alia, to identify the various problems within the over 250 ‘cultures’ in Cameroon as well as receive complaints about the marginalization of one official language in favour of the other. The Anglophone Problem is not a language problem!
It is a problem of the identity of a people, the people of Southern Cameroons who (voluntarily?) came into a union with La République Du Cameroun, in 1961, to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon. As I said before, the Anglophone Problem is a Constitutional Problem.
Let me not belabour the point with the various Constitutional Coup D’états against Anglophones in Cameroon but if we must continue in the highly trumpeted “vivre ensemble”, then we must look at what went wrong with our Constitution since 1961.
I have listened to the President and Communication Minister talk about the “non-negotiable” nature of our Constitutional provisions (especially as concerns the form of the State) as if it were the Ten Commandments of God handed down to us by Moses. Unfortunate indeed!
The 1996 Owona “jealous” Constitution (like other earlier Constitutions) is man-made and it has been amended several times by man. What has suddenly made it sacrosanct when the same Constitution is still to be fully implemented twenty one (21) years after it’s elaboration and/or amendment?
The Head of State who is guarantor of the Constitution was elected by the people. If the same people are crying for a constitutional amendment as a means of solving the many problems plaguing Anglophones in particular and Cameroonians in general, the Head of State has no choice than listen to the people who gave him the mandate to guarantee the protection of the Constitution.
By not facing the Anglophone Problem squarely, the Government has created a stalemate wherefore a good number of Anglophones are for outright severing of ties with “La République Du Cameroun” while others believe that a return to the 1961 arrangement could foster the “vivre ensemble”. What then is the way forward?
I have had sleepless nights pondering on what suggestion I could make towards solving the standoff between the Government and disgruntled Anglophones.
We all agree that the way forward can only be through dialogue. The vast majority of Anglophones put forth three (3) pre-conditions for dialogue to resume:
1. Reinstate Internet connection in the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon.
2. Unconditionally release Agbor Balla, Dr. Fontem, Mancho Bibixy, Justice Ayah Paul Abine as well as all other persons arrested because of the current crisis.
3. De-militarization of West Cameroon.
On the 20th of April 2017, Government satisfied the first condition ~ reinstatement of Internet in North West and South West. If Government were to satisfy the other two conditions and dialogue resumed, then my proposal will be the following:
1. In 2018, a Transitional President should be elected for a Transitional Period of three (03) years within which the various relevant structures should be put in place.
2. A Constitutional Conference should be organized wherefore Anglophones will meet in an All Anglophone Conference (AAC III) and choose their representatives thereto.
3. The said Constitutional Conference should adopt a return to the two (02) States Federation of East Cameroon and West Cameroon as was the case from 1961 to 1972, with greater autonomy for the two Federated States, governed by two Prime Ministers.
4. A Rotating Presidential term of office of five (05) years renewable once. That is, when Francophones rule for ten (10) years, Anglophones will equally rule for ten (10) years. The Conference will define a Francophone and an Anglophone. Since two Francophones have ruled from 1961 till date (56 years), the Presidential Elections after the Transitional Period should be an Anglophone affair because, without the Rotating Presidency, it is very likely that in the next 56 years, the President of Cameroon will still be a Francophone.
I believe that if the above safeguards (and others) are put in place, Anglophones may see reason, to put on hold, the outcry for the restoration of the State of Southern Cameroons.
A stitch in time saves nine!
ShuSheey Barrister Joseph W. AKUWIYADZE,
Kumbo ~ West Cameroon
30 comments
How can we in for dialogue with someone who have once said the form of State is not negotiable? That not withstanding yes they will accept federation as they did between 1961 and 1972 then dissolved every thing.History will repeat itself take care
If la Republic’s gov’t have some intellectual advisers then they should probably use this suggestion to their advantage because this may be the only opportunity for LRC to stay with us Ambazonians. The sooner they meet these terms and call us for the dialogue the better.
How can we go in for dialogue with someone who have once said the form of State is not negotiable? That not withstanding yes they will accept federation as they did between 1961 and 1972 then dissolved every thing.History will repeat itself take care
Remember the suggestion for dialogue clearly states our demand” An Anglophone President to lead the country for at least years renewable” without which we stick to cessation.
Remember that is the same thought we had in the early 1960s before we were dragged into this nonsense of colonial slavery bro. So I think it’s better to sacrify and end this mist once and for all. I am a student and am ready to lost even 10 yes for freedom and hope. Did those in South Africa, Ghana,Nigeria etc die because of no education? At last what happened?. Freedom.This just another way of us dumping ourselves again. Let’s reason out not to cry again tomorrow. This is the only chance to correct those mistakes of the past.
The time for dialogue is over; how can you negotiate with people of bad faith. To me, all the treatises about opening dialogue with the despotic regime of LRC is sheer waste of time. We have literally crossed the Rubicon; let the struggle for restoration and separation continue unabated. Freedom has never been attained anywhere in the world on a platter of gold. We have to earn it by fighting for it. There is no other way out. We have already sacrificed so many of people in the hands of the Biya sadistic regime. What else do we need to show that the regime is not interested in meeting us half way? If we don’t take the initiate and fight for our freedom and dignity, the world will not step in to help us. Look at what happened in South Sudan, East Timor and elsewhere and be the judge.
@Takor: i feel u bro, but are u ready to fight, like seriously? i dont think we are ready to shed blood, because LRC has shown they are ready to shed our blood.
Dear Takor Enow,
the only way forward is through dialogue. Whether there is going to be separation or Federation it wi;; only come through dialogue. Even if the UN came in to fix the situation, they would still use dialogue. And when there is dialogue both sides must be willing to compromise and come to the middle. You may want separation and LRC want a unitary state. The middle ground is Federation. We also need to educate ourselves on diplomacy and international relations. There are things that foreign diplomats are not allowed to do in international politics.
My point here is that everything must still go through dialogue whether peacefully or by force.
Cheers
@Ni Jack great job explaining, this has always been my position. We are wasting our people resources, time and life for no reason. I’m very happy to read from people like you, instead of war mongering people. Stay bless!
Ni Jack, dialogue was possible when there was no bloodshed, but not now given all we’ve seen while majority Francos watch with glee. Will you dialogue with anybody who doesn’t respect agreements? You mentioned Federation as middle ground, what happened in 1961? Did lrc keep its side of the bargain? What make you think lrc would respect a federation of today? Some are proposing a federation of 4 states, whereby sw will join litorial etc , this is a joke and definitely not what we lost people for. It is time to solve this issue for good by going our separate ways.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=mark%20bareta This is why only negotiations is possible now. Such images shall live with us forever and the need to retaliate against the known culprits shall be there too.
@JohnNgasah
Very true bro, if we make a federation with LRC, history will repeat itself again. we make up just abt 20% of the pop, francophones are too proud. they know this country belongs to them. We come from nigeria, according to them. Secession is better, let them live us progress, merde!!!
Yes, brother LE WIXI, am ready to fight. I took several courses in US National Security in graduate schools opened only to US citizens and in military studies as well. Believe you me, if called upon, I will offer strategies that will destroy LRC’s military forces and installations in Southern Cameroons, as well as carry the fight to Yaoundé, their capital city. What’s more, the geographical terrain in Southern Cameroons is ideal for such strategies. Does anyone, for example, remember how the Israeli army encircled the Egyptian Third Army in the Sinai Desert during the Yom Kippur war of 1973, when the Egyptian military launched a surprise attack and captured that Peninsular, but the Israelis recovered from the attack and plotted and executed a strategy that encircled the said Egyptian Third Army and cut it off from its main supply route? We might need a large force to root out and even destroy the francophone forces in Southern Cameroons, but a well planned and executed strategy would do the job.
Bro Takor Enow,
The difference between us and the Israelis is that they already had a well trained army with superior strategies. We will need to begin from square 1 to train soldiers that can match the level of the B.I. R, who are considered even stronger than the regular army. Don’t also forget that LRC has many soldiers who have been trained in the US and also in Israel. It will take us a borrowed army from other countries or many years to train soldiers strong enough to defend our population and even launch an attack. Otherwise we need superior technological weapons that LRC does not yet have and cannot defend themselves against.
Let us identify and accept our strengths as well as our weaknesses before thinking of using force.
Hummmm; most of those trained military in LRC are fro! the BSC as well. though there had been a calculated strategy to gradually eliminate senior anglophone militia , we mayu not also underestimate the strenght of a determined small army which is well organised like the would be BSC Defense Force.
Please let us not over mystify this LRC army as if they are unbeatable. We can and we will eventually defeat them especially as the battles shall be in our territory. they can only be strong in their own territory. We master our terrain.
Look at this Clown called @Takor Enow, who do you try to impress here? What a Dreamer, what make you believed that taking some courses in NSA qualified you as a military? This is why the whole world if laughing at you.
For your information just about anyone to include foreigners can take classes in National Security. Do you believed that every CIA agent is US citizen? By the way NSA has nothing to do with military, they are specializing in a discipline known as signals intelligence (SIGIN). Please if you want to show off try to educate yourself first.
Some Southern Cameroon don’t just get it. It impresses me that some of us do still see these people as humans.
Some of the African tribes that collaborated with Europeans and sold other Africans to slavery are exactly the same once enslaving, colonizing, oppressing, dehumanizing, raping other Africans tribes today and selling the whole continent for free.
Evil demonic self-hating Africans.
Only people that are evil tries to negotiate with evil for they carry evil in them. Once I see evil, I put it where it belongs or go far away for it. I don’t dialogue or negotiate with it. Southern Cameroonians who are not for this struggle and are not supporting it are just as evil as those in LRC doing this to us, no excuses.
With all the legal documents and facts we have on our hands we still want to ask them for something.
Some Southern Cameroonian men are so psychologically weak. scared, castrated, even cry babies are better. I keep questioning my self how can we prove to our women and children that we are men when all we do is run around and ask, ask, ask like dogs. This is a mental illness.
When did they asked or dialogued to take over out nation?
When did they asked or dialogued to rape, are still raping our mothers and daughters,
When did they asked or dialogued to disconnect or reconnect the internet.
All these asking and wanting to dialog only shows fear and weakness. Even domesticated animals will either run or fight for the life once they realize they are about to be killed. They never stay there and ask for dialog.
To hell with LRC and lazy ass Southern Cameroonians. If a military confrontation is necessary then we take the time, prepare very well for it and take it to LRC frontally, it is our right.
I am sick and tried of this shit of talking, asking, wanting to dialog with devils. Devils don’t dialog, they don’t talk, they do evil.
Some of us must come to the realization that we are mentally sick, totally dysfunctional.
(Someone rape your mother and you got to them and ask for dialoged)
Everything I see in front of my face right now in reality tells me clearly, everything nation that has power, has it is not because they asked for it, dialogued for it, but because they worked damn hard for it, fought for it and took it.
Those who asked, dialoged for things to be given to them just as our forefathers did after fight for their independence are exactly those suffering. How in the hell could they fight for our independence and then throw it away? I don’t just get it.
We of this generation must know better, let us don’t make the same mistake again and repeat history.
Malis thank you for this reasoning “To hell with LRC and lazy ass Southern Cameroonians. If a military confrontation is necessary then we take the time, prepare very well for it and take it to LRC frontally, it is our right.
I am sick and tried of this shit of talking, asking, wanting to dialog with devils. Devils don’t dialog, they don’t talk, they do evil”
Only evil responds to evil and the best response to a military subjugation like this is best metted with a challenging military from the Southern cameroons
Our parents made this errow to joint LRc and today our blood is crying in the ground.
Our ancestors who took us in to this satanic union are still regretting in their graves today; if we refuse to break this curse now we shall also be regretting in our own graves as this dragon (LRC) with it cultic power will keep killing our children as we are being killed now. our blood to them means nothing.
The only simple solution to this problem is a brutal war.
I want SC to take control of its territory.
How much bloodshed are we willing to shed in order to get our territory back? Would you be willing to sacrifice 1 million southern Cameroonian lives to get the territory back? That is the number of people of defenseless people LRC would kill in order to maintain their control.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY’S STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AND KNOW YOURS AS WELL BEFORE YOU START ANY WAR.
Courage alone is not alone.
consider their alliances. Who will be supporting them and who will be supporting you? How will you maintain supplies of food and material.
Remember what happened during the Biafran War. The border between Nigeria and Cameroon was blocked by the Cameroonian government so that Biafra cold not get continuous supply of food. In the end more Biafrans died of starvation than even from bullets. Let us make sure that Nigeria would support us in case we need help.
How many deaths would it take before the United nations comes in to intervene.
I however agree that we must use some forceful way to make the land ungovernable for LRC but we must think and double think before starting a fullscale war.
War is very very expensive. so know how you will raise the money to fund the war because if you don’t do so you would end up in deeper shit than when you started.
I don’t think that whatever level of training the LRC military has attained can hold up well in a real fight. I call them jack booted thugs, and that’s precisely what they are. People who can brutality abuse unarmed, innocent civilians are no soldiers in any respect. That should tell us that they are not well trained and disciplined, and moreover, view the people of Southern Cameroons as their enemies. Again, how can any one in their right mind, want to negotiate with people of bad faith and are pruned to mendacities? Anyone Southern Cameroonian who continues to trust the francophone to be reasonable has not learned anything for the 56 years that we have been subject to bondage and servitude.
You don’t compromise virtue with vice. We have begged to be their brothers but failed. Do you beg someone to be your brother.
We can’t continue in this shit. So if some evil minded one is torturing you you should just give up yourself for tofture in the name of having no army or defence mechanism. Enough is enough. The time for dialogue was long over. Human beings cannot dialogue with devils.
Hell no, total separation period.
Arms and we drive them out.
No one can leave with these people, not even their own selves. You see how they are doing everything to stay with us because they them selves can not live all by them selves.
I say NO to LRC.
Very good thinking. Job well done @Barrister Joseph.
HAHAHAHA GAME BECOME VERY DANGEROUS
RED DRAGONS PROMISED TO SHOOT MEMBERS FAMILY OF TANPANG IVO BECAUSE HE COLLECTED MONEYS BUT DON’T TRANSFER TO THEM TO KILL OURS CHIEVES; PARENTS ….
LAST WEEK I WAS SPOKEN HERE THAT ;YOU ARE PAY YOUNGS TO KILL TOMORROW STOP PAYING THEM ;OURS OWNS FAMILY WILL PAY THE BILL. WE ARE WAITING MARK KAKA SOMMATION
I AM FROM SW AND CAMEROONIAN
We the people of SC will decide what we want. And we all know it same as yde know it. We will live free as Ambalanders or die. Fun the struggle bullets have to rain, the talking time is over the barrel has to speak. Once beaten twice shy. Never again.
@Ni Jack
thanks, You are the only one talking sense here
I as a francophone do not believe the kind of hate i feel here toward francophones – and this coming from people who are educated and who have learned history of the world baffles me .
You go to francophone inclined web site like cameroon-info.net and you get a clear balanced view and even an outright rejection of the regime of yaounde , condemning what is happening in nw/sw –
but what do you hear here ?
This is shameful
Despite all going on in nw/sw -you have not heard a single anglephone in a francophone region complaining of any attack of some sort – but the same cannot be said of nw/sw where somes fools here are manipulating the population on the groud to push the francophones out of the regions.
This is unbelievable .