By Ewane Mbwoge Charley*
This story addresses
itself particularly to the treatment of Southern Cameroonians (Anglophones). It
contains general principles which are transcendent, and which in effect can be
extrapolated relative to humankind in general.
In dialectics of
Cameroon history it is evident that the wheel of change has never moved as fast
as the contemporary Southern Cameroonians would have wanted. The tempo of
events has defied all conventional wisdom. In a circumstance such as this, it
becomes incumbent on us to make sure the elements of change are for something
demonstrably better, so that the Anglophone men and women in Cameroon can be
put on an ever enlarging escalator toward a bigger, better, and richer future.
If southern
Cameroonians are human beings, then they have to be treated with respect and be
given equal share of the national cake. If Paul Biya and his regime feel Anglophones
are not human beings or are inferior to the francophone folks, then they must
be relegated to the group of sophists whom Socrates spurned, saying: “you do
not know your own nature”.
It can hardly be
over-emphasized that the task of every nation is that of harmonizing,
humanizing, and civilizing the deepest impulses of a people. Modern Anglophones
in Cameroon have become prisoners of their social, political and economic
system of the Cameroonese and are fast losing touch with the deeper meaning of
life. This social, political and economic machinery provides a colossal
apparatus of domination perpetrated by the Biya regime on Anglophones. The Biya
regime has been manifesting inconsistent personality, moral hypocrisy,
increasing cruelty, and deafness to the cries of millions of poor Anglophones.
Perhaps, nowhere is
this image of modern Anglophones more dramatically revealed. There, the members
of one race, as per the Foumban conference, have used the good services of the
other races living in the same Republic to construct an economic, political and
social apparatus enviable according to modern standards, but which excludes
Anglophones from its benefits vast numbers of people of the same Republic,
people still down and hopeless, reduced to beggars. What is more, Anglophones
are not granted their full human rights,they are subjected to arbitrary arrest,
the case of Mola Njoh Litumbe, Tole tea estate workers, Southern Cameroonians
in prisons, occupy inferior positions in the Republic, and are subjected to
many repressive laws which have for the culminating point the governmental
policy of domination.
Marginalization is
the most sophisticated type of consciously organized tribal discrimination
promulgated in Cameroon by the Biya regime. According to this policy,
Anglophones are suppressed and oppressed. They are treated as inferior and
exposed not only to cruelty and brutality, but to contempt and blatant
injustice in a land which is their birthright. Often they have been told to “go
back home” by members of the Biya clan, or “Yaounde is not your capital” or
“enermie dans la maison”.
On the 4th
of February, 2011, I attended a CPDM meeting at the Fako section secretariat in
Buea, in preparation for the 9th October presidential elections in
2011. The meeting was chaired by former Minister of special duties at the
presidency and current chairman of SONARA, John Ebong Ngole. What I gathered
from that meeting was the fact that it is the very Anglophones who are
degrading themselves and who are letting the entire race down. The issue on the
table was the mafia they would play in order to win the elections. An argument
then erupted between the former Mayor of Buea, Mbella Moki Charles and the
paramount chief of Bafaw, chief Mukete. The argument was about; where
Unification celebrations would take place. Chief Mukete wanted the celebrations
to be taken to Kumba while Mbella Moki wanted it Buea. Chief Mukete pointed out
that he wanted it in Kumba because he has his businesses to protect and would
want to showcase what he has as business, but Mbella said Buea is the capital
of South West and the celebrations must take place in Buea. He then pointed out
that when the 50th anniversary of the military was celebrated in
Bamenda, why was it not taken to Banso? The argument went to a point that chief
told Mbella that he is not even up to his grandson. Mr. Ebong Ngole stepped in
as the argument was about to go off hand and ordered them to stop or he calls
the nkunkuma at etoudi. This therefore tells you how our so called elites have
let the Anglophone race down by stooping so low because of politics of the
stomach
After more than 50
years of cohabiting with Francophones, Anglophones ought to be share in the
possession of the country not as second class citizens. It would be an
understatement to say Anglophones lack the knowledge or wisdom to stand up
right. I think we have a bunch of cowards as elites who have stooped so low for
many decades and who continue to so.
The sooner the “business” of “Marginalization”
against Southern Cameroonians is finished, the more humane Cameroon would be.
This is because whenever a human group fails to measure up to the requirements
of living peacefully and fruitfully with its neighbours, humanity is the poorer
for the anomaly. This therefore is a wakeup call for all Anglophones both at
home and the Diaspora that unless there is peaceful change, Southern
Cameroonians will resort to violence and proclaim an independent republic of
southern Cameroon. We are a peaceful race that’s why we have always had a
peaceful approach to this issue, preferring to negotiate rather than destroy,
to talk rather than to kill.
NB:*
Ewane Mbwoge Charley is People’s Action Party (PAP) Communicating Secretary and
Mmember of its strategic team.
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