Consortium Reject President Biya’s Divisionary Tactic

In a deceitful and regrettable attempt to rubbish the integrity and legitimacy of the ongoing winning West Cameroon struggle, and the Consortium’s unshakeable stance for a two-state federation, Cameroun’s President Paul Biya has signed a decree creating a National Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. The decree purports to push for the respect of our national languages — English and French — and to promote various distinct cultures.

By every logical implication, the decree is of bad faith. It is a lame walk to promote equality in the use of English and French languages and showcase the numerous cultures he seeks to present to his commission.

You see, Mr. Paul Biya, our original problem has nothing to do with language. Do not reduce it to that cheap level. Our major problem is against more than half of century of your gross marginalization since we opted to join Cameroun in 1961. It is worthless for our children to go to school because it schooling does not guarantee them a better life after in Cameroun or West Cameroon. All top schools are reserved for a certain ethnic group, culture, and regime-type.

Let us cite a few like ENAM, EMIA, ENS, ENSETs, CUSS, etc. Recently, CENAJES in Bamenda recruited only two West Cameroonians in 132 candidates. We cannot swallow nor churn out your vomit. It is enough!

This comforts Mr. Biya and his cronies in their well-known position that West Cameroonians are only a tribe within the dubious and dying “unitary system.” The budding commission is not created in the interests of West Cameroonians. It is meant to strengthen his power grip and enlarge his base of privileged slaves. As it has always been the case, the state propaganda tool, CRTV, immediately went on to air the views of corrupt officials who have been fighting against our winning struggle by offering bribes and prescribing failed intimidation tactics.

In fact, CRTV interviewed Cameroun officials who’d said from the start that all was well.

Take a closer look at his so-called commission and you will see that all members have to be handpicked by Paul Biya. He is the only one who can veto the decisions of his commission. Our problems today are created mostly by President Biya himself through decrees that only distance West Cameroonians from equal development, growth and employment opportunities.

His commission does not represent our interests and should not mediate our problems. In the past, other commissions of his’ like the elections governing authority, ELECAM, did not guarantee free, fair and transparent elections? None of his commission members are credible. They bow to his dictates because they are appointed through undemocratic channels.

Another body that readily comes to mind is the National Anti-Corruption Commission whose hand-picked members are drowning in very fat salaries. Even people whom the commission indicts for stealing billions of FCFA are still being rewarded with bigger jobs in the same regime by the same Biya who ignores the findings of the body he created.

Yet, they always turn a blind eye to high-level corrupt practices. The commission is a toothless bulldog and cannot bite its master, Paul Biya. So, the new commission will report to the President in the same way and he shall do whatever he cares with the report and we shall continue to be treated like sub-humans and slaves in our own land.

It is unacceptable and regrettable.

For all these reasons and much more, we must reject his evil strategy of divide, rule, and ruin. We are united to win the revolution against the failed “unitary” system of government. A system that does not work for us is against us. West Cameroonians will only begin to dialogue with him when he sees the need to forcefully understand that the least we can concede to is a two-state federation, our unchanging goal.

Let Mr. Biya know that nearly 80 percent of West Cameroonians want their right to self-determination, citing a recent and largest online survey to simulate the 1961 referendum. Time is running out.

That said, the Consortium is delighted to take this opportunity to congratulate the people of West Cameroon for the religious respect of the ghost town operations this Monday. We must do same on Tuesday. Our ghost towns run every Mondays and Tuesdays alone until 23 February 2017 as earlier prescribed. No school should resume and there is turning no back because we are UNITED. VICTORY is around.

As long as our Consortium leaders remain in detention, there is no reason to ever listen nor abide by anything from Mr. Biya and his followers. Our leaders called the strike and will be the only ones to ever end it during a public press conference after their official release from detention.

God is always by us
For the Consortium
Mark Bara and Tapang Ivo