We have seen a document from some 4 Francophones Education trade unions calling for a protest in French Cameroon on November 25th. Their letter states that the Minister of Higher Education must also listen to their problems they submitted since 2012. I think this is a major distraction to take away the steam of the Anglophone struggle. This is my take

Now, do not get me wrong. It would be a nice thing to see Cameroonians from the ten regions protesting to take Paul Biya down. However, the eviction of Paul Biya is not a panacea to Anglophone problem. Even if an Anglophone assume the office of the Presidency, if he/she does not understand the Anglophone problem, he/she would not be able to solve it, most especially as France is the initiator of the Unitary State. In fact, France advised Ahidjo to deal away with the Federal structure so as to have a total grip of Southern Cameroons. Paul Biya just continued in the same light. Let us not be fooled that a change in the Presidency or leadership will solve the Anglophone Problem. It goes beyond that and only the Anglophones in a show of Unity and defiance like how we are doing could result in a solution.

Therefore, the planned protest by the Francophone trade union is a ploy and a distraction coming at a time the Anglophones are ready to ground the educational system. It is a diabolic move to give the impression that all regions are having problems and not only Anglophones. In fact, they want to reduce the Anglophone problem into a Cameroonian problem. The communiqué from these 4 Francophone Trade Unions does not in any way show solidarity. In fact, the spirit of the letter instead mocks the struggle the Anglophone trade unions are trying to present.

The Anglophone Problem is unique. Like I have been saying it is a constitutional problem and giving separate solutions to the teachers or Lawyers would not give a lasting solution. Only Federation could do so in this modern time. Trying to reduce the Anglophone Problem into a Cameroonian problem is wrong. The Cameroonian problem includes unemployment, lack of roads, poor health care, poor educational facilities, teachers’ salaries, lack of infrastructures at universities, corruption, marginalization of ethnic groups in different sectors etc. These problems affect all Cameroonians from all 10 regions and that is where the Francophone Trade Union comes in. The Anglophone Problem is compared to none, it has got to do with how the Union was founded and any solution must go back to the Pre 1961 talks. It has to start from there.

Conclusively, while I acknowledge the right of these trade unions to protest, but they are not doing it in solidarity so as to force the government to react to the Anglophone Problem. If these Francophone trade unions ordered a strike action based on the fact that, one section of the country cannot be going to school while the other does not and therefore in solidarity, we are shutting down, this could have been very ok, but not doing so and recalling grievances made since 2012 is a cheap ploy to tilt the national discourse into a Cameroonian thing.

Thus, my conclusion is that this is a political ploy taking advantage of the Anglophones to distort the whole meaning of what the fight is all about.

This is my take and so do I submit
Mark Bara

God is still saying something.