Recently we saw the success put forth by the Bamenda traders, everyone seems to be hailing, but honestly, I am embarrassed at the outcome of the Bamenda protest earlier this week. Don’t get me wrong, the people made an effort, stood up for themselves, and turned the table of oppression around for themselves and even if they were not 100% satisfied at least they made progress. And that’s what is embarrassing.

THE TRADERS MADE PROGRESS BY MOUNTING A PEACEFUL PROTEST. So it works???? A problem that has lasted a couple of years with the coming of Vincent Ndumu as Government delegate was handled by a simple match with less than 70% participation? (Yes just about 70% of traders came out, imagine 80, 90, or even 100%)

So how come we have 34-year-old problems still pending? Why are Cameroonians so religious when it comes to Biya? Yes religious, you wear his face on party “ashwabi” to seek political favour. You hang his picture in your every public space. You act like he is infallible, some politicians say he a divine leader ordained by God, yes they say that that’s why they call him “natural candidate. (That devil is a liar)

Yes, especially the Anglophones who are clearly the biggest losers in this 34years of economic stagnancy at best. Our big brains are held as political prisoners, (See Fonjindam! Well maybe he too was too much of a ” worshiper) resources are exploited (C.D.C, SONARA, it’s even a French acronym on our oil???) and our chance to a happy life is seized from us and we keep ” worshiping” Biya when protest actually works in our land? I’m embarrassed.

Even the common lawyers successfully overruled an abusive penal proposal which sought to protect give immunity to public servants thereby forfeiting our duty to hold them accountable for their actions in office. I believe a little more would have overruled the controversial tenant criminalization ( which goes against OHADA laws, whatever happened to the rule that says international laws are binding over national laws in their areas of jurisdiction) and criminalization of “aggressive begging”. Only in Cameroun.

Now that we know protest makes a difference, what’s holding us back from taking on the next aspect of bad governance in a massive protest? What’s stopping those anti-Biya drummers from the long awaited highly anticipated ” BIYA MUST GO” protest? Is it Religion? I see high ranking SDF or PAP figures flanking Fru Ndi or Ayah Paul, some resign. That’s a sign of democracy at least though in the bitter form. But the only time big boys on the Biya team resign or retire is when they are relocating to Kundengui. I’m a Christian but I’m not religious, I don’t place my pastor above God, or above myself. It’s my desire to help me that makes me want a pastor at all. So if I’m not helping my spirit I’m not needing him. I leave! I understand he is human and makes mistakes. I don’t defend his errors because if I do I become an accomplice and I’m not helping him or myself. If Biyarism is a religion then we are doom. But if it’s not, and I know it’s not, then let’s drop the religious attitude and mount a massive protest that can effect real change for the layman in the street. As you can see, it works, and even if it doesn’t at the start, remember continuity is the secret of impact. I rest.

By Cham Formoukum for BaretaNews.