Politics

The chairman of the Cameroon GCE Board has announced that the proprietors of confessional and Islamic schools are calling on their students to come and sit the GCE examinations at their respective centres.  

So far there has not been any independent confirmation from the proprietors.

Pr Peter Alange Abety made the announcement on Saturday after an in-camera council meeting of the board meant to examine the administrative and management accounts of the year 2016 as well as the degree of preparedness for the 2017 session the examinations.

“Were are very happy to inform the general public that schools run by Catholic, Protestant and Islamic denominations have assured us that they are preparing to call back their candidates, who will come back to their institutions and write their exams,” Pr Alange Abety disclosed.

The two-week postponement of the examinations as declared by the Ministry of Secondary Education is unchanged, said the Registrar of the GCE Board, Monono Ekema Humphrey. While the practical phase comes up on 15th May 2017, the written phase begins on 12th June 2017.

Certain changes will be observed on the individual timetables of the candidates. Afternoon papers will be taken at 1 p.m. instead of 2 p.m. due to what the board calls “security reasons”.

“Most afternoon papers will begin as from 1 p.m., no longer 2. This is for security reasons, and that exams should begin early enough in the afternoon and close quite early while it is yet day to give candidates time to go home and join their family early enough,” Mr Ekema disclosed.

Pr Peter Alange had earlier expressed concerns over the credibility of the 2017 GCE certificates should the strike continue. He was speaking in March 2017 during an extraordinary council session of the GCE Board.

In the meantime, the Minister of Secondary Education will make a tour of the two regions of Southern Cameroons to evaluate the state of affairs of the examinations organized by his ministry. Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe’s tour starts on 8th to end on 11th May 2017.

Schools have been very inactive in Southern Cameroons since the start of the Anglophone Struggle in November 2016.

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Rita Akana

07.May.2017

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If Biya so desires, one billion BIRs as well all the soldiers can run through the streets of the entire Southern Cameroons as he did yesterday with a handful of misfits and misguided fellows tagged as soldiers.

Yesterday our satellite Television, the Southern Cameroons Television will ridicule and drag the rotten regime into stinking mud. Gone are those days of intimidation and false bravado by these poorly trained and Ewondo Tribal cabal tagged Soldiers. How I wish they saw the hand writing on the wall and unconditionally released those kidnapped from Bamenda and taken to Yaoundé's dungeon,Kondengui?

Today they are stupified and downcast and there is no exit route any longer for them. They never forsaw this kind of humiliation and stiff risistance from those they thought unwittingly as "les anglofools" du Cameroun.

Our new mouth piece and guarantor of our voices and fire fighter against the false propaganda released from the infamous Cameroon Radio and Television that the Regime has over the thirty long years and still counting to pour saw dust into the eyes of the good people of Cameroon. Today our liberation is at hand and nobody can stop it and we no longer want any Federation with la Republique du Cameroun.

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Rita Akana

07.May.2017

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The University of Buea has started a crucial first semester examination session after which the majority of the students have been out of the classroom for over five months now following the unrest in West Cameroon.

The examinations which kicked off on Friday are witnessing ‘an encouraging turn-out’, claimed the vice-chancellor of the University of Buea

“The exams are going on very smoothly. The number of students who have come out to do their exams is impressive,” Pr Nalova Leonga revealed.

Pr Leonga went further to urge students who had not yet shown up for the examinations to react as soon as possible.

With the state of affairs, Continuous Assessments (which are always obligatory) will not be taken into consideration, disclosed the authorities.

But a source on the ground (in Buea) has countered most of the claims, stating that the turn-out was not that impressive, and that most of the students were not very happy with the questions.  Our source said students were shocked to see that the questions covered nearly the entire syllabus.

During normal circumstances the first semester examinations are taken either in late January or early February. Second semester examinations come up next month for most, if not, all universities in Cameroon.

Since the start of the Anglophone Problem the majority of students in West Cameroon have been away from the classroom. As the University of Buea takes this bold step, we wonder what will become of the second semester evaluation and the type of knowledge and quality of certificates students will obtain.

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Rita Akana

07.May.2017

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The recent wave of manifestations in Cameroon is a clear indication that there is a problem in the system. The wounds and scars of the people are conspicuous enough for the blind to see.

The latest in a line of protests in Cameroon is the announcement by the Cameroon Doctors Trade Union of its unflinching commitment to carry on with a strike action that has been coming on and off for several months now.

Several months back teachers took to the street in Yaoundé to claim unpaid, accumulated salaries worth several billions of francs CFA.

We may not have to talk about the Anglophone Case again. It speaks for itself.

 A few days back the producer of jingles for the lone state-broadcaster was at the Ministry of Communication to demand accumulated unpaid money. That is enough for us to get into the core of the matter, we guess.

There is every indication that our country is moving towards a chasm.

How can we explain the fact that in a country where health care is still a mighty concern, medical doctors should complain of underpayment or early retirement age? And what is more shocking is that these people who spend seven years to learn how to take care of our fragile health are crying when other members of society are living a very lavish life.

A student at the Advanced School of Administration and Magistracy starts earning at least CFA 100,000  per month while in school. After two years they are integrated directly into the public service.

Besides students from ENAM, we have their counterparts from the International Relations Institute of Cameroon. Students from the Department of Diplomacy are being paid while they are still studying. As if that is not enough, their integration into the public service is more than 100 per cent guaranteed. And it does not end there. But let us limit ourselves to that point.

On the contrary, teachers, especially primary school teachers, have to carry their cross like Jesus during training, and sometimes, after graduation.

How can we explain this divide? That medical doctors study for seven good years without any pay and after graduation some of them earn less CFA 200,000 in the public service; that students from  higher teachers training colleges across the nation should go through a three-year course and still wait for integration or for their salaries when students from other corps start putting food on their table as early as possible; and that some trained primary school teachers should still be home after completing training several years ago.

It is high time the powers that be looked into the situation and shook down the roof of the old establishment.

We have nothing against the students from those well-placed institutions. Instead we are simply calling for equity in society. If we are poor, let everybody feel the poverty, and when we are better-of, everyone should have their own share.

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Rita Akana

07.May.2017

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France is facing a second and final round in its presidential election. The winner has the daunting task of reviewing policy on Africa as the former colonies still play a significant role in French national life.

Frances's presidential candidates are all too well aware of the importance that their country attaches to Africa and the former colonies. In the middle of a domestic election campaign, Marine le Pen visited the West African state of Chad and Emmanuel Macron went to Algeria. 

Views on the whys and wherefores of France's Africa policy differ hugely. Incumbent French President Francois Hollande maintains that Frnace does not intervene in Africa to pursue its own interests, nor does it seek to change the rules of African politics or bring about regime change.    

"France supports Africa because we believe it has great potential," Hollande said. 

France's presence in Africa is focused largely on its former colonies. During painful process of decolonization in the 1960s and 1970s, "La Grande Nation" never lost sight of its own interests. Use of the French language in the former French territories remains obligatory. There are still two currency unions in existence - the West African CFA franc and the Central African CFA franc - to which a total of 15 African states belong. Currency reserves are held in France's central bank. It is open to dispute whether the CFA offer greater advantages to France or the African states,            

Strong links

French corporations such as the construction company Bolloré, the oil giant Total and the telecoms group Orange maintain a massive presence in the ex-colonies.

Stefan Brüne, an expert on Franco-African relations at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin, believes nonetheless that French influence in Africa may be waning slightly, but it is still very much in evidence.      

"There are still strong links between Paris and the former colonies,"  he said

French companies import commodities from many West and Central African countries, such as uranium ore from Niger and Gabon or cocoa from Ivory Coast.  About 9,000 French soldiers are stationed in those countries. Their mandate is to fight terrorists and train African troops.

Philippe Hugon, a French Africa specialist, believes the emphasis in French engagement in Africa is shifting  

"France is now less involved in trade, finance and investment, but it is maintaining its influence on monetary policy and its military presence," he said. 

However, the French are facing growing competition. China has established close ties with many African countries and the United States has been also displaying greater commitment to Africa in recent years. 

Growing EU role

It costs France a lot of money to maintain its role a as major player in Africa. Military interventions are not cheap, neither is the development aid which France dispatches to Africa. France has its own domestic economic problems and is therefore finding it increasingly difficult to finance its African operations. Another factor is that the 28-nation European Union, of which France is a member, is becoming more active in Africa. The impact on France's own national policy on Africa could be profound, said Stefan Brüne.                    

"It would mean that part of the Parisian political elite would lose the means to exert influence and I do not think that they would be prepared to accept that," he said.

Several presidents and presidential candidates have promised to reform France's policy on Africa and to move from a position of dominance to that of a partner among equals. In practice, however, such promises have changed very little.     

African politicians, meanwhile, can be heard telling their citizens that their respective countries need to be less dependent on France, the former colonial power. One recent example was President Alpha Conde of Guinea-Conakry, who currently holds the presidency of the 55-nation African Union.        

"We are still closely associated with former colonial power. Let's cut the umbilical cord," Conde said defiantly.

But two weeks later, Condé visited Paris and thanked President Hollande for doing so much for Africa.

Macron on Africa

Emmanuel Macron, the shooting star of the French election campaign, has been giving the impression every now and again that he wants to change France's policy towards its former colonies. During his trip to Algeria in February, he said that colonialism was a part of French history, a crime against humanity and truly barbaric. "We must face up to this part of our history and apologize to those who were at the receiving end," he said.

His remarks were greeted with cries of indignation in France and he quickly backpedalled, returning to a more traditional interpretation of France's Africa policy.

DW   

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DW

06.May.2017

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(They prevented the teachers' strike from being called off until sustainable solutions were arrived at)

No Struggle Of This Magnitude Happens Accidentally.

It Is True The Scnc And Others Have Been Fighting At Home And Abroad Tirelessly For Over 20years. Non Of Their Efforts Have Touched The Cpdm Ruling Government As The Hold Up By Anglophone Teachers. This Was Not Accidental

If Lawyers Are On Strike For 5 Years The Head Of State Will Not Even Mention It In His Speech. With Great Majority Represented From The Village Level, Teachers Became Relevant In The Strughle. Whenever The Teachers' Trade Unions Wanted To Call Off The Strike. Mr Penn Terence Now In Detention Mobilised Teachers And The Call Off Was Made Difficult. With The Great Efforts Of Chiatoh Richard, Teachers Were Assembled In A Great Unbreakable Network Expanded By Both. That Has Sustained The Stike. If The Teachers' Strike Was Peacefully Called Off, Then We Could Have Had No Anglophone Uprising. Please. When You Visit. Aknowledge This To Them.

Mr Penn Terence And Chiatoh In Quarter One And Quarter Three Of Respectively In Kondengui Are Unknown Heroes Of The Struggle. Their Great Passion Brought Them Into Confrontation With High Placed Authorities Who Have Send Them To Kondengui Where They Face A Death Sentence. They Merely Represented The Aspirations Of A Majority Of Teachers. Release Them And Others.they Can Negotiate On Behalf Of This Struggle!

Teachers Are The Salt And Light Of The World!

Activist Chris Bongam  writes:

PENNTERENCE KHAN(The Senator).

You are a Great guy, a HERO and a Man who stood for the truth, by the truth and for the people. You sacrificed your profession (teacher and VP of CCAST Bambili) just to fight for the people of Southern Cameroon/Ambazonia.
Biya and his cohorts lay ridiculous charges against you and many others, looking for non-existent evidences to try to justify their claims on your arrest and others. They have failed, will continue to fail untill all of you are set free.
WE THE PEOPLE OF SOUTHERN CAMEROON/AMBAZONIA STAND BY YOU, FOR YOU AND WITH YOU.
Biya can not do anything to you guys down there in KONDENGUI. Southern Cameroonians are watching and will soon explode. Time is running out. Stay cool and remain blessed.

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Rita Akana

06.May.2017

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