President Paul Biya has promised to make use of the Cameroonian defense forces to suppress the “criminal activities”of separatist fighters in the crisis-hit North West and South West regions.
Addressing his fellow Cameroonians Tuesday December 31st, 2019 in his traditional end-of-year speech, Biya expressed dissatisfaction with the attitude of separatist fighters who are bent on disturbing the lives of their kith and kin in the two English-speaking regions despite the measures taken to appease their anger.
“The criminal activities of armed groups continue to disrupt public, economic, and social life in these regions, yet various measures have been taken in recent months to reason with these youths, most of who have been brainwashed. They have been called upon to lay down their weapons, and social reintegration prospects have been offered them,” President Biya said.
Disclosing that their move is unacceptable,the Head of State promised to use the army to suppress the criminal activities of those who persist in disturbing the peace of
those regions.
“For those who persist in going down the wrong road and continue to use violence, we will have no other choice than to combat them in order to protect all our fellow citizens.
Our Defence and Security Forces will,once again, perform their duty with restraint, but without weakness.” Paul Biya warned.
He acknowledged that the Anglophone crisis is one of the most “urgent problems” to resolve in Cameroon, reason why some moves have been taken to seek solutions to
the crisis.
Amongst these moves, he cited the Major National Dialogue which ran from September 30 to October 4 in Yaounde at the end of which amongst other recommendations,a special status was requested for the two English speaking regions of the country.
Following is the head of state’s new year message to the nation on 31 December 2019 in its entirety :
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Fellow Cameroonians,
My dear compatriots,
Last year, under the
same circumstances, I reviewed, before you, the situation in three key areas of
the life of our country.
Together, we noted
that the security situation in our North-West and South-West Regions was still
a cause for concern despite calls for insurgents to lay down their arms.
Accordingly, finding a solution had to be given priority.
We also observed that
our economic growth was improving, but needed to be strengthened to stay on the
path of emergence.
Lastly, it was
demonstrated that social progress in Cameroon is not mere rhetoric. This major
complement to our democratic system is making great strides in its various
components, namely education, health, employment, etc., although obviously,
there is still room for improvement.
How have we fared one
year on?
1. Concerning SOCIAL
PROGRESS, our objective remains to improve the living conditions of our fellow
citizens and, ultimately, eradicate poverty.
This is a huge task
requiring significant financial resources. The budgetary allocations devoted to
it are substantial, and, of course, depend on the level of government revenue
that is also contingent upon the soundness of our economy, which I will be
addressing in a moment.
In any case, note
that the efforts made over the last few years in this domain will be continued
and, if possible, stepped up.
2. Regarding OUR
ECONOMIC GROWTH, I think I can safely say that it is fairly satisfactory,
albeit constrained by an uncertain global context, among other things.
Much effort has been
made recently to improve this situation under the Economic and Financial
Programme concluded with the IMF. Our growth has picked up again, inflation is under
control, budget and external deficits are contained and our public debt remains
sustainable.
The Government’s 2020
Economic, Financial, Social and Cultural Programme, which was presented
recently before the National Assembly, is consistent with this trend. It is
based on a 4% growth assumption, which is expected to keep us on the path to
emergence by 2035. Moreover, our draft National Development Strategy for the
2020-2030 period seeks to achieve the same objective.
I wish to avail
myself of this opportunity to thank our foreign partners, including the IMF
which I have already mentioned, the World Bank, the African Development Bank
and the French Development Agency, for their budget support and assistance to
our structural reforms.
Does this mean that we
may now rest on our laurels? Of course not. Our goal remains to become an
emerging economy by 2035. However, what with the unstable global context and
the tensions that are jeopardizing trade, we may need to redouble our efforts
to maintain our country on the path of sustainable economic recovery. I believe
we can do it.
We must consider such
recovery an overriding obligation that will mobilize all our energies.
Accordingly, it requires not only improving the living conditions of
Cameroonians, but also ensuring the peaceful exercise of democratic rights.
3. Lastly, the
SECURITY SITUATION IN THE NORTH-WEST AND SOUTH-WEST REGIONS
Without a doubt, this
is one of the most urgent problems at the moment. The criminal activities of
armed groups continue to disrupt public, economic, and social life in these
regions, yet various measures have been taken in recent months to reason with
these youths, most of who have been brainwashed. They have been called upon to
lay down their weapons, and social reintegration prospects have been offered
them.
For those who persist
in going down the wrong road and continue to use violence, we will have no
other choice than to combat them in order to protect all our fellow citizens.
Our Defence and Security Forces will, once again, perform their duty with
restraint, but without weakness. I wish to reassure them of my full support and
high esteem.
Earlier on, decisions
had been taken to convince our compatriots in the two regions concerned of
Government’s willingness to devolve to local authorities the powers that would
enable them to play a greater role in managing local affairs. It had also been
confirmed that provisions were to be made to fast-track the promotion of
bilingualism and multiculturalism.
Furthermore, it is
worth noting that the Nation at large showed support for Government’s policy by
expressing, in various ways, solidarity with the populations who suffered the
abuses and atrocities of armed gangs.
However, aware of the
long period of time required to implement planned reforms, and in a bid to put
an end to the hassles and suffering of our compatriots in the North-West and
South-West Regions, I decided to open, as from end-September – permit me to
quote myself – “a Major National Dialogue that will, in line with our Constitution,
enable us to seek ways and means of meeting the profound aspirations of the
people of the North-West and South-West Regions, but also of all the other
components of our Nation”.
I dwelled on this in
a message to all our compatriots on 10 September 2019. I had the feeling that
the initiative was largely approved by the national public and various
international organizations, including the United Nations and many friendly
countries.
The “Major Dialogue”,
which was preceded, as I indicated, by various peace offers to the insurgents,
accompanied by the release of hundreds of detainees, was effectively held from
30 September to 4 October 2019. It brought together a wide array of
representatives of Cameroon’s civil society.
Today, I wish to
thank all those who kindly participated in the dialogue, and congratulate its
organizers, in particular the Prime Minister, Head of Government.
It seemed to me that
for participants, this marked a great opportunity for communion whereby they
expressed their attachment to peace and national unity.
I noted with
satisfaction that all Cameroonians welcomed many of the proposals made during
the Major National Dialogue.
Accordingly, on 10
December 2019, a bill on the promotion of bilingualism and multiculturalism was
passed by the National Assembly and the Senate. It provides for equal use of
English and French in all our public institutions. I am convinced that the
effective implementation of this law will strengthen our country’s bilingual
nature.
Furthermore, on 15 December
2019, a bill to institute the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities
was tabled before our two Houses of Parliament, namely the National Assembly
and the Senate, for consideration in an extraordinary session. Thus our Members
of the National Assembly and our Senators passed a law with decisive
breakthroughs in our decentralization process, notably regarding the status of
local elected officials, the functioning of local assemblies and the allocation
of additional, substantial financial resources to regions.
Concerning the
North-West and South-West Regions in particular, the special status granted
them takes into account the specificities of the Anglophone education
sub-system, Common Law and traditional authorities.
My dear compatriots,
As you can see, a new
Cameroon is taking shape; a Cameroon that is adapted to present times and looks
to the future.
To get to where we
are, we encountered many hurdles, and as in the past, together, we overcome all
of them.
In this seven-year
term of Great Opportunities for Cameroon, the Major National Dialogue has paved
the way for our country to resolutely embark on the path to peace, national
unity and progress, which are values that have always made our country great.
Fellow Cameroonians,
My dear compatriots,
Before concluding, I
would like to say a few words about our democratic system.
When the conditions
were right and, together, we laid the foundations of democracy in our country,
I was aware that the road would be strewn with obstacles. This actually happened,
but we have been able to make remarkable progress.
Unfortunately, a
minority, in Cameroon and abroad, seem to have forgotten the rules that govern
life in a democracy. Needless to recall that the sole arbiter in a democracy is
the sovereign people. When the sovereign people make a choice through free and
fair elections and the results are proclaimed after review of petitions, such
results must be recognized and accepted by all.
Neither the social
media nor news outlets can change the outcome of an election, talk less of
illegal protests, violence and personal or hate-filled attacks. Remember, I
once said “Let’s talk, let’s not fight”. Such is the behaviour of the citizens
of a democratic country.
Participation in the
democratic life of one’s country requires compliance with its rules and joining
political parties which carry out their activities within the confines of the
law. This will be tested during the upcoming 9 February 2020 municipal and
legislative elections.
Security measures
have been taken to ensure that all our fellow citizens countrywide exercise
their voting rights. Where necessary, such measures will be ramped up.
Therefore, I urge all Cameroonians who are registered on the electoral roll to
go and vote, bearing in mind that they will be electing the men and women
who will translate
into reality the reforms desired by the Cameroonian people, notably
fast-tracking the implementation of decentralization.
Regarding the
excesses of some of our compatriots of the Diaspora, whether or not they still
have Cameroonian nationality, I believe they should, out of patriotism, refrain
from using negative language against their country of origin. One must respect
one’s fatherland, its institutions and those who embody them.
My dear compatriots,
Together, let us make
Cameroon a land of great opportunities for economic and social development in
peace and unity.
Happy and Prosperous
New Year 2020 to everyone!
Long Live the
Republic!
Long Live Cameroon!
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