Sycophants in the Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement, CPDM today met in Buea with party regalia. They organised themselves to have a so-called unity march so as to drain the ongoing Lawyers and Teacher’s strike action. The government of Paul Biya dispatched 8 Ministers who arrived Buea to water down the struggle under CPDM platform. The delegation was lead by Jean Nkeute. The delegation will leave for Bamenda on Thursday, the people of Bamenda have already sent warning bells that no such rally will take place in Bamenda.

However, the good news is that the people now get it. They cannot fool the people anymore. If the regime thinks that they are sincere in their actions, they would not be transporting CDC workers from Pamol and Tiko to Buea against their will and under duress. These Ministers are doing all to fool Biya and the international community that things are moving on well. The Southern Cameroons people now know that any so-called Unity march will remain a sham and can never be taken seriously- not by the “Anglophone” people and not by the international community.

It was indeed good to hear that Buses meant to transport CDC workers from Tiko went back empty. The workers refused entering. They stood with the people and the struggle. However, out of panic, the Bus went to Likomba bridge Tiko where CPDM officials were paying 2000 frs instantly to those who wanted to go. It failed again. The people now get it.

Meanwhile, as the Prime Minister Yang Philemon was in Buea castigating the leaders and begging parents to send their kids to school, his representative Prof Paul Goghomo was in Ayaba Hotel with the leaders negotiating with them. BaretaNews was told the meeting ended in a deadlock. The Strike action will continue.

It should be noted that Catholic Bishops in the Ecclesiastical province of Bamenda today issued a public statement begging the teachers to go back to school. They praised the government for initiating dialogue and requested the teachers not to be political. BaretaNews in a statement this morning condemns the position of the Bishops because they failed to look at the real issues. Their statement was another tool to continue the reign of President Paul Biya.

It is now very imperative for the teachers to realise that the people need a combined leadership which brings representatives from the Lawyers, Teachers, Trade Unions, Civil societies, Political parties in Anglophone Cameroon, Diaspora etc to present one policy document and enter into constructive dialogue with La Republique Du Cameroun. Let the teachers and Lawyers stop fooling themselves that this fight is only academic and legal. It is no longer the teachers nor Lawyers strike but the people’s fight and what the people are saying is that they need a leadership which drives them towards a referendum so that they can make a choice of a Federation or Independence. BaretaNews is again calling on these leaders to understand that the people have invested so much in this struggle and it is time personal egos are left aside. The leaders need to bring themselves to a common platform. This struggle is a struggle for the collective survival of Anglophone Cameroon.

Mark Bara