When Tragedy strikes and lives are lost, men of God are invited to pray and not Political Men to campaign” (Dr. David Makongo)

I have received so many phone calls and messages from very concerned parents who lost their children (some of whom I have personally paid school fees through University and initiated sustainable projects to provide jobs for unemployed graduates in our communities). It hurts me because I lost four young men and women to the “famous mile 29 killing machine,” and therefore, today I must respond to these calls and break my silence.

There is a press release circulating in whatsapp groups in which all elected officials of Fako have been invited to attend an ECUMENICAL service on Sunday 27th August in Bongo Square Buea at 3PM “for the repose of the souls of the victims of the recent road accident which occurred at mile 29 near Muyuka”.

Some people have asked me if this is a real church service intended to pay respect to our faithful departed or a CPDM political rally organized as a response to the call for a day of national mourning by the Southern Cameroons Governming Council early this week that was well respected by our populations? No matter what the right response to the above queries could be bellow is my genuine take on this.

When tragedy strikes due to government’s negligence and reckless disregard for human life and safety, no one should allow that same government to exploit their pain or score cheap political points.

Why should our people still be mourning our sadly departed children and government agents instead of finding solutions to prevent further deaths on mile 29 in Yoaunde rather start exploiting the sad situation for their own political blessings in FAKO?

No one out there needs to have a PHD in Political Science in order to understand the hidden agenda behind this ECUMENICAL SERCICE IN BONGO SQUARE? No one should even need a Class Seven Leaving Certificate in order to be able to fully comprehend that in genuine ecumenical service we invite men of God to pray for the souls of our faithful departed and not political men to heal the wounds of the mourning “elected officials”, “elites, ” “sympathizers” and “well wishers.”

If you have a conscience, how would you feel if you sacrifice your hard earned money like I have always done to our Fako community to render public service by paying school fees for the needy youth without discrimination while those elites and politicians who represent them in Congress and collect money for micro projects on their behalf don’t care about their joblessness and wait only to exploit their death for their own political gains? You won’t feel Ok. You will stop their exploitation.

You are all right, those of you out there who have suggested that all parents who have lost their sons and daughters in this mile 29 tragedy refuse attending this political rally. You are right to feel that this rally is organized to exploit our departed sons and daughters. I urge parents and families of our departed not to collect any donations from politicians aimed at helping you bury your children. If you do you will be signing your own death warrant too.

Your departed sons and daughters are watching from the mortuary or spinning inside in their graves in protest against this political ecumenical serice. So, regardless of your financial situation today, mourn your children with your own tears and bury your children only with what you have and not with donation you do not have!

You sent your children to the Univerity hoping that these same politicians would help find them jobs but they did not. And out of frustration and stress most of them joined the choir group that has perished in mile 29. Where were this politicians when your kids needed them?

Anyone who collects money from politicians or exploits the tragedy of these unfortunate children will never again know neither spiritual peace nor social harmony. May the souls of our faithful departed rest in perfect peace. Amen.

Dr. David Makongo