Senior citizen comrade Mwalimu George NGWANE In his paper: Because we were involved (Reflections on the All Anglophone Conference ten years after) said ” Whether the Anglophone problem is considered a forgotten scar of our collective memory or an open sore of our collective survival, it will continue to prick the conscience of the Cameroonian body-politic”. Indeed, he is right. As we move closer to the 2018 Presidential elections, some politicians are fast realising that the Anglophone people could be an important block to win the Presidential elections. They are therefore leaving no stone unturned.

This is true with Prof Maurice Kamto who over the weekend declares that once he is elected President of the Cameroons Republic, he will solve the Anglophone Problem ( See the top of the Sun Newspaper attached).

 

Prof Maurice Kamto earlier resigned from the Biya regime as Justice Minister Delegate to form his own party called the Cameroon Renaissance Movement, CRM party. It was revealed that he has never been part of the CPDM Party.

BaretaNews earlier explained that there is no genuine change in the Cameroons without resolving the Southern Cameroons question or what I call the Anglophone Problem. Therefore, it is very important to BaretaNews that a Francophone running for the highest office in the land understand this problem and he is making it central to his campaign agenda.

But first, what is the Anglophone Problem? Is it lack of jobs? Developmental projects? Appointments? Marginalisation? Is it only the Anglophones who have problems in the Cameroons? BaretaNews earlier wrote extensively on this and said the Anglophone problem is neither of the above. The Anglophone Problem is unique and compared to no other problems in the Cameroons. The Anglophone problem is a Constitutional problem. It is a constitutional problem because a certain people with a distinct way of life and culture called Southern Cameroonians voted to join another group of people called Eastern ( French Cameroon) based on certain terms which have not been respected. The problem is an identity problem. Recalled that in 1972, President Ahmadou Ahidjo against the spirit and letter of the constitution pushed through a new document that abolished the federal system, renamed the country the United Republic of Cameroon, and granted the president greater powers. After assuming the presidency, Paul Biya again in their assimilation style pushed through a revised Constitution in 1984. This document changed the country’s name to the Republic of Cameroon- the name French Cameroon had at independence on 1st January 1960 thus completing the colonization and assimilation of Southern Cameroons.

Therefore, any politician running for the top office must look at the Anglophone problem at this angle- the constitutionality of the Union needs to be fixed. It is good that Prof Maurice Kamto is a legal guru who leads the Cameroon Bakassi case with Nigeria and won. If Kamto understands this problem at this angle then tries to call all parties on the table then it would be a good shot for the Anglophones. BaretaNews have stated that though by all natural rights, it is just fair that an Anglophone is the next President of the Cameroons. However, any Anglophone who does not understand the Anglophone problem and does not make it central to his/her campaign is NOT fit for the top job.

It should be noted that on July 2015 Maurice Kamto who was speaking to Diaspora Afrique Television, Diaf-TV, on the sidelines of a CRM European tour complained against the marginalisation of Anglophones. He said “I don’t understand why they are giving a deaf ear to the plight of our Anglophone brothers,” . He said his party – the CRM has an action plan for Cameroon which should address such concerns.

BaretaNews wishes the former Minister good luck and hopes his party looks at the Anglophone problem in line with the constitutionality of the union then a major service must have been done to the Anglophones.