Politics
The Prime minister of Cameroon has allocated 10 billion fcfa to local councils across the country. Contained in a release signed Thursday in Yaounde, Philemon Yang says the money is to enable these decentralized structures carry out development projects for the 2017 financial year.
The text which falls in line with the decentralization process transferring resources and competences is coming amidst social tensions in the Anglophone regions at the heart of which is the governance system.
The head of state, president Paul Biya enacted a decree in 1996 making the country a unitary decentralized state but government is yet to fully apply the decree more than 20 years after.
Critics are questioning whether 10 billion will be enough to meet developmental needs when councils themselves can't raise finances.
5 billion will come from the ministry of finance for the day to day running of councils, while the rest will be provided by the Ministry of economy, planning and regional development.
The functional budget will take care of the salaries of Mayors announced since 2015 but still to be a reality.The 10 billion francs is a partial transfer of funds according to the 2004 decentralization laws.
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- Rita Akana
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It was a sunny day in Douala and people were going about their normal activities as I drove into Bepanda from shooting in Limbe. Suddenly there was commotion in the place, as I wound down to find out what was happening, I heard cries of indignation and before I could ask passersby what was happening, my eyes beheld what in other spheres would have been a sacrilege of the first order; a statue of one of the venerated architect of our statehood, John Ngu Foncha was being dragged along the streets by a policeman looking angry that someone dared to honour someone who ought to be placed on the "slaughter" of history.
That day, I understood what it meant to be regarded as an "enemy" in a house you believe to be your own. That incident did not make me a militant for for change or for Anglophone renaissance, it simply strengthened my resolve not to be on the wrong side of history. It made me understand the need not to be on the fence when it mattered most to be in the fray. I knew from that moment that even in God's Kingdom, the "Red Line" had been crossed.
I am sorry if I appear to be taking so much of your time, but it may be nice of you if you follow me through this journey. It is 4,30 am where I am battling with my health and I have been winning this battle against sickness because of hope; the joy to see that what only ten years ago seemed a forlorn dream is about to happen in my lifetime; that Anglophones are nearing the finishing line.
The events of the past two days, the unfortunate and astronomical rise of conspiracy theories meant to cast a shadow on that lofty dream sent me into tears all night, but at this moment, the tears are gone. The reality is here; that the hour just before dawn is the darkest! Darkness does mot give up to light without a fight; that is why Christians hang on the Biblical quote which says tears will last an entire night, but joy comes in the morning.
We are all Wrong
The stone throwing and insult trading going on right now should have have been expected. If Simon Peter could deny Jesus Christ his master whom he so loved three times in just one night, then we should be allowed to make our mistakes. And shamefully I also got caught in the fray, in fact we are all wrong. A lot of us may even be the true authors of what we are accused of, but we must remember that it took Jesus- God to rebuke the devil who had exploited Peter's weakness to tempt his master. Thus the famous phrase " get thee behind me Lucifer". Jesus rebuked the devil and not Peter.
No wonder, one-time US President, Theodore Roosevelt once said "He who makes mo mistakes, makes no progress". The mistakes we have all made these past few days have shaken the foundation of our unity so violently and all of us can now see that our house is still on sandy soil. This should be God's perfect plan to let us heal our land, takeaway our imperfections and drain off the bad blood so that we enter into the new country more united and more resolute to do good to one another than it would have been the case.
All of Us are Winners
When you see a man eat and drink and then tells you " God is a fool", do not hate him, do not chastise him, just seek to understand that he is undergoing a transformation. It has got right to the point where that which we hold sacred is in the market place and no one can tell for sure today with whom lies the truth; we shall all be winners in this if we put down our arms and think of the common good of all. Let the healing process begin now and end no more. We must he's ourselves first before calling on others to do same. Wherever you are and whatever you were planning to do to hit the "other" camp, put down your arms and try rather to contribute in making peace. That is how we shall all emerge as winners.
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- Rita Akana
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CATTU Executive Secretary, Consortium Leader, Tassang Wilfred releases video relieving Mark Bareta and Tapang Ivo of their duties as interim Consortium leaders.
He says the decision came about after a broad based consultations that was carried out amongst the consortium leadership on February 20th 2017.
The decision was published in a communique that was released on that same day,February 20th 2017.In the communique,the authority of the leadership of the Consortium was reaffirmed with, Mr Tassang Wilfred, and Barrister Eyambe, current President of Meme Lawyers
taking over the running of the affairs of the Consortium until when the arrested leaders who are currently under detention are liberated.
The second major decision that the leaders took,was a reschedule of the Ghost-town days.Mr Tassang said, the consortium is henceforth demanding the people of Southern Cameroon s to respect Ghost towns only on Mondays, beginning as from Monday, 27 February 2017.
Below is the communique from the Consotium:
Consortium Advisory Board Reconstitutes Exco, Hails Interim Team .
Members of the Advisory Board of the Consortium of Anglophone Civil Society Organizations, CACSC have completed a series of consultations and meetings aimed at stabilizing the organization once more to enable it attain its objective of taking the people of Southern Cameroons out of slavery and servitude.
At the end of the discussions that involved all the executive members and advisers not detained, with the exception of George Ngwane who never took his appointment and Barrister Bobga Harmony who resigned his position as shown on Release NO. 3 of the 13th of December, 2016, the Board Members evaluated the grounds covered by the interim team led by Tapang Ivo Tanku and Mark Bara since they were designated on the 17th of January, and congratulated the duo for a job well accomplished.
They particularly expressed satisfaction at the wonderful role played by the two officials, given that they served as an interface between the public and the Consortium leaders, most of whom were underground, with two others in detention.
On account of the brilliant record established by the two young men who showed proof of so much sacrifice for fatherland; the Members of the Advisory Board unanimously agreed to exceptionally appoint them into the Communication and Strategies Department, although the Consortium is run by heads of affiliated civil society organizations operating in Southern Cameroons. Board Members also decided on the creation of specialized departments and committees within the Consortium to facilitate the work of the executive body.
To render the Consortium stronger and bolder in carrying out its activities and in line with the standing orders of the organization, Board Members empowered the two executive members who are available; Barrister Eyambe Elias Ebai- Deputy Secretary General and Mr. Tassang Wilfred Fombang- Programs Coordinator to run the structure and foster the people's struggle, lobby for the release of our leaders, children and all other Southern Cameroonians abducted so that together we can guide Southern Cameroonians cross the finishing line.
They noted that henceforth it is the signatures of these two that shall engage the responsibility of the Consortium.
The Consortium reiterated its resolve to work towards unity with all other organizations seeking the liberation of Southern Cameroons by peaceful means; we do not stand for violence and armed confrontation, but shall push through with civil disobedience and other forms of peaceful protests internationally recognized.
The Consortium Board Members frowned at the revelation that some well known individuals hacked into the organization's newly created Facebook account; Consortium Southern Cameroons, changed the password and left a divisive and heinous message intended to embarrass the leadership. They directed the creation of a new page by name; Consortium Sucam.
Finally, the Members of the Advisory Board warmly congratulate all the people of Southern Cameroons who are sacrificing enormously week after week to keep the struggle alive. They promised not to let anyone down, but to go all the way until we achieve the restoration of the Southern Cameroons Statehood.
God is with us!
For the Consortium.
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- Rita Akana
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If there is one English expression Cameroon’s Minister of Communication and the Government’s Spokesman, Issa Tchiroma Bakari, seems to have fallen in love with, it is “hidden agenda”.
Hardly a day goes by without him, in his usual chatty, garrulous, and loud-mouthed manner, mentioning it, either in private or in public. And, from the way he talks, it definitely haunts his dreams as well.
To him, anything that the Anglophone leaders in captivity have ever done has had a “hidden agenda” to it. When asked why the government would hold talks with the civil society leaders and trade unions of the Anglophone sub-system of education, and then turn round, capture and imprison them the next day, his answer was that the said individuals had a “hidden agenda”, which, from every indication, his government has been unable to decipher.
Imagine a whole government with all the intelligence machinery at its disposal not being able to figure out what this famous “hidden agenda” is! Their repressive machinery is perhaps torturing the poor captives in their jails, hoping to extract from them the code to the said “hidden agenda”. But has there ever been a hidden agenda? How can people who have never made a secret of their political convictions, which they sing from rooftops to whoever cares to listen, be said to have a hidden agenda? Take the word ‘secession’, for example, which seems to punch sleep out of the eyes of the members of the ruling oligarchy in this country.
When has it ever been a “hidden” word? In fact, I know people in this land, hard-core secessionists, who have militated for secession from Francophone Cameroon from the dawn of our independence. Some of them were rewarded with long years of imprisonment and are now deceased (Albert Mukong, “a prisoner without a crime”) and others, after being released from jail, preferred the calm dignity of life in a foreign country to the constant acts of humiliation in a land that should rightly have been theirs (Gorgi Dinka, among others). But the majority of them are right here at home, militating for, and openly clamoring for Southern Cameroons’ divorce from this ‘marriage’, which God himself had put asunder from inception, to quote the well-known journalist, Epie Ngome (“Mr. Rambler”). Driving them underground, as the government in its panic, has just done, is definitely not the solution.
Give them space in the sun (their own “Lebensraum”), listen to them, or just ignore them. That is better than the repressive methods currently in force. When their repressed, pent-up frustration does erupt, it might not be so easy to contain its volcanic intensity. Many Anglophone historians have been categorical in asserting that by knocking off one of the two stars from our flag and then unearthing and dusting the name his country bore prior to unification, that is, “La Republique du Cameroun”, President Biya had effectively led his country out of the union of the two countries. In other words, La Republique had seceded of its own volition from the union. Anglophone secessionists are using such historical evidence to militate for the restoration of their “home land”, Southern Cameroons, the land of their forefathers, the ‘land of promise’.
They have proclaimed their convictions from rooftops and in the public square before the recent sledgehammer fell on them. Another word that is, strangely enough, being bantered around as an item on the “hidden agenda” is ‘federalism’. Why a form of government that had served as a foundation stone of our union is now being decried “as null and void” is puzzling, to put it mildly. Cameroon had a federal system of government, which Ahidjo killed and his successor Biya buried but which, like the now legendary ‘cubes of sugar’, has refused to dissolve in buckets of opprobrium.
There is no hidden agenda here either. Proponents of a return to a federal system have also been making their voices loudly heard in the different media outlets inside and outside the country – the suspension of the internet connectivity to the two Anglophone regions of the country notwithstanding. So where does the hidden agenda come from?
Another word which the government itself has bantered around for years but which has proved to be nothing short of a hollow gong, is ‘decentralization’. There are people even among Anglophones, and I believe it is their democratic right, who believe that ‘decentralization’ of the administration is the way to go. And if the said ‘decentralization’ is what we have seen over the years, then one can only wish them ‘good luck’. I believe since Mr. Tchiroma’s government itself claims to be working on ‘decentralization’, the said word is no longer hiding in any agenda. Whatever the case, people with ‘hidden agendas’ are those who are not bold enough to openly express their political convictions. I don’t see that happening among Anglophones today.
Where then is Minister Tchiroma’s “hidden agenda”? The answer is blowing in the wind
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- Martin Jumbam
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Mark Bareta, interim leader of the Anglophone Consortium in Cameroon reports that the Consortium has been reliably informed and confirmed that the DO of Tiko in the South West region of Cameroon, ordered the mass arrest of Southern Cameroonian minors yesterday at a local Market in the city. The consortium reports that the DO with police officers stormed the Tiko market, arrested and chained all minors who were at the market selling and helping their parents. The DO was furious that these minors were helping their parents instead of going to school. The corrupt DO and his officers went ahead asking for 25.000 CFA from parents before releasing these minors. As we write, these minors are presently under detentionl in Buea, the regional Capital.
The consortium vehemently denounces such provocative actions from the Cameroonian administrators and calls for the immediate release of these minors. Actions as this only push the good people of Southern Cameroons to the wall. We are told parents in Tiko are already mobilizing. While we call for calm, we expect all these minors to be released before things take another turn.
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- Rita Akana
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The opening of the 2017 Judicial year was chaired by the president of the Supreme Court, Daniel Mekobe sone yesterday, 22. February 2017 in Yaounde.The theme was on jungle justice.
He regretted that Cameroonians are losing confidence in the law and prefer to carry out jungle justice instead of seeking redress in courts The president of the Supreme Court during the opening of the 2017 judicial year has denounced violence and strike actions in the anglophone regions of Cameroon, as well as the fact that children in the North West and South West regions are scared of going to school.
He observed that cases are poorly judged and lawyers don't take the interest of clients to heart.He warned that those taking the laws into their hands will be dealt with He lauded government efforts to solve the anglophone lawyers worries with the translation of the Ohada uniform acts to English and called on the head of state to take appropriate measures to end the crisis rocking the judiciary sector.
The judicial year opened with the noticeable absence of the 4th attorney general, justice Ayah Paul Abine who is currently under detntion in Yaounde.The supreme court president,Mekobe Sone evaded the issue in his address.The event comes admits social tensions in the anglophone regions, that has grounded courts in the area, leaving litigants in a state of confusion.
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- Rita Akana
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Subcategories
Biya Article Count: 73
# Paul Biya and his regime
Explore the political landscape of Cameroon under the rule of Paul Biya, the longest-serving president in Africa who has been in power since 1982. Our Paul Biya and his regime section examines the policies, actions, and controversies of his government, as well as the opposition movements, civil society groups, and international actors that challenge or support his leadership. You'll also find profiles, interviews, and opinions on the key figures and events that shape the political dynamics of Cameroon.
Southern Cameroons Article Count: 549
.# Southern Cameroons, Ambazonia
Learn more about the history, culture, and politics of Ambazonia, the Anglophone regions of Cameroon that have been seeking self-determination and independence from the Francophone-dominated central government. Our Southern Cameroons section covers the ongoing conflict, the humanitarian crisis, the human rights violations, and the peace efforts in the region. You'll also find stories that highlight the rich and diverse heritage, traditions, and aspirations of the Southern Cameroonian people.
Editorial Article Count: 885
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