Politics

urning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world...

It is in these terms that Chinua Achebe starts his epic novel, Things Fall Apart, written in 1958. It is, in fact, an excerpt of the poem by W.B. Yates, “The Second Coming”. Chinua Achebe’s novel is more or less about the transition from colonial Nigeria to independence, viewed through the life of Okonkwo, an Igbo wrestler.

Cameroon is itself at the crossroads of a transition and, whether we accept it or not, the signs are glaring. A population, of which 70% is under 30 years and worried about its tomorrow, is slowly choking under the stranglehold of a group of oligarchs whose only worry is about today and their self-preservation, totally oblivious to the inevitable nature of change: that today is tomorrow’s yesterday, and tomorrow always comes.

The scary fact is that, in less than a year, those who govern us have effectively leveraged the diversity of Cameroon into a tool divide our nation. By preventing citizens – Common Law lawyers and Anglophone teachers – from exercising the basic right to demonstrate which is enshrined in our Constitution, they set off a spark and today, months later, we find ourselves in a situation where things seem to be falling apart. We are now divided between secessionists, federalists and those seeking decentralization. We are divided between Francophones and Anglophones. We are divided between North Westerners and South Westerners. We are divided between Bamilekes and Betis. We are even divided between Ewondos, Bulus and Etons; between the Bamouns and the Bamilekes. The non-homogenous nature of regions makes them tailor ready for division. You find the Mbam in the Centre Region, the Bassa in the central region, people of the Sawa origin in the southern region, people of Sancho in the Menoua Western, and so on. Muslims and Christians in the north live together as one and seeds of discord are sown at convenience. The list goes on. This is the delicate balance on which our country sits. If we are to survive and thrive, we must listen to each other and constantly engage in honest dialogue about the future of Cameroon. Any form of arrogance and reckless discrimination, regardless of the nature, instigator or perpetrator, can only threaten this delicate balance.

The visit of the prelate from Douala who is the head of the Episcopal Conference was either ill-advised or ill-conceived, or maybe even both. So here we are; the church that was the rock and only survivor of this quagmire with the chance to be a moral voice and a strong mediator is now weakened by the perception that it too is now divided. The “Eglise Evangelique” has also gotten its taste of the virus of division favored by a climate in which we now tend to concentrate on what divides us than on what we have in common. The Bishop of Bafia was found dead on the shores of the River Sanaga, a couple of days after his car was found on the Ebebda Bridge over the Sanaga. The strange thesis of suicide was immediately proclaimed even before the body was found. Now it is clear from the declaration of the Episcopal Conference, that the venerated Bishop was the victim of a callous crime. So, whither are we bound?

As regards what is now known as the “Anglophone Problem” (I always use this appellation with hesitation because I have never understood whether it means the Anglophones have a problem, or that Anglophones constitute a problem, and if so for whom?) certain measures have been announced as an answer to the complaints that were put forward by the teachers and lawyers. The simple fact is that an academic year has been lost, lawyers are still on strike, many Anglophones have been forced to escape into exile and others remain in prison. Internet that was disconnected was brought back after 93 days and an outcry that was echoed over the whole world against such a collective form of punishment. We emerged from the saga with a world record of the longest-running Internet blackout – a record in which some have taken pride as proof of power, with some even expecting the deprived regions to feel grateful for the reconnection.

Anglophone prelates from all the oldest churches of Cameroon (Baptist, Catholic and Presbyterian Churches) have now been dragged to court. An unfortunate atmosphere has been created in which being an Anglophone now constitutes the first indices of being a secessionist, a troublemaker or a potential terrorist. I speak with the certainty of one of those who have been so classified. That is what it has come to, for those who worry for the country, seek equality equity and dialogue. That is what it has come to, a situation in which, when one makes concrete proposals after factual and reasoned analysis of the facts, one can be branded a potential enemy of the nation. If the ever-increasing trend of bad governance is not reversed very soon, we will wake up in a country that none of us recognize. The first step will be to reverse certain unfortunate results of the knee-jerk approach we have had in response to the outcry of our Cameroonian brothers and sisters. National healing is the primary guarantee for national dialogue.

So what should we do to start the healing?

On the Matter of Ongoing Criminal Proceedings:
It is generally accepted that the release of all those arrested will boost the goodwill and pave the way to dialogue. The law actually allows for this. As regards the detainees and the different trials going on in the Military Tribunal Regions as well in the courts in the Anglophone regions, against citizens, clerics and prelates, it is important to recall the provisions of Article 64 (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code which states:

“The Procureur General of a Court of Appeal may, by express authority of the Ministry in Charge of Justice, enter a nolle prosequi, at any stage before judgment on the merits is delivered, if such proceedings could seriously imperil social interest or public order.”

This provision of the law describes the exact situation we are in. It is applicable to the ordinary courts. An equivalent provision exists for the proceedings instituted before the Military Jurisdictions. This is section 12 of the Law No.2008 of December 2008 Organizing Military Justice Anyone talking about peace and reconciliation in good faith should immediately resort to these provision, to put a halt to the current situation, which is accelerating the country’s glide towards division and conflict. I remember assisting my brother, Batonnier Bernard Muna, in drafting the Amnesty Law that was proposed to the then Secretary General of the Presidency of the Republic of Cameroon, Mr. Sadou Hayatou, for the attention of the Head of State. It was sent to Parliament and adopted in the interest of peace and reconciliation. A telex message was even sent from the Presidency congratulating Bernard for his patriotic spirit. Today, here we are, Cameroonians, asking for this. International organisations and NGOs have joined the chorus. We should heed these calls and save our nation from further division. Those who sought refuge in arrogance and repression must certainly realize that this is choking the country.

On the Matter of Common Law Magistrates and Judges:
I have read that a Common Law section has been opened at the School of Magistracy and that exams will be scheduled. It is good that concrete solutions are being proposed, but we can and should go further than that. The above action will take at least four years to start producing results. The law does already provide us with a solution that that will produce almost immediate results and cause us to start conforming not only to the Common Law training but also to the Common law culture and tradition: Section 14 of Decree No. 2004/080 from the 13th of April 2004, lays down a procedure for lawyers and other categories of trained jurists to be integrated in to the Magistracy at different grades depending on their years of experience. This is the Common Law tradition. Some lawyers with revered experience and with reputations for moral rectitude could be selected to become judges.

Not only would this provide an almost immediate solution, but also, it would be applying the Common Law tradition whereby a large number of members of the judiciary are recruited from the private Bar. To date only one person seems to have benefited from this tradition. That is the late Chief SML Endeley who started out as a Barrister before becoming the Chief Justice of West Cameroon. A reminder of this fact was the strong showing of the Bar at his historic funeral in Buea.

In a country where there is a total lack of trust towards a government that is long on promises and short on delivery, there are many who do not see any of the proposed measures bearing fruit anytime soon. Instead, they are viewed as yet another ruse – another dilatory tactic. Decentralization is contained in the 1996 Constitution, and over twenty years later, the Regions yet have to elect a President. A measure that was promoted as the equivalent of a federation in 1996 has since 2004 been watered down to a structure in which elected officials are under the control of political appointees. Even in that watered down form, 13 years after, nothing has happened. I am afraid that in the present climate, any attempt at decentralization under the current legal framework will not address any of the substantial issues that are now being raised.

On the Matter of the Lost Academic Year:
If all the measures outlined above implemented, to show the government’s good faith in addressing the issues at hand, further steps can then be taken to address the interrupted school year. Specifically, intensive courses could be offered over the long vacation, along with a special second session of all the exams that have been disrupted. The start of the next academic year may even be slightly delayed, but we would have gone a long way in making amends. I hear there is an African proverb which says “when an adult falls, he stand up looks back; and when a child falls, he stands up looks forward”. The way to peace, dialogue and unity cannot be paved by the arrogant use of power and retributive justice. Even after 27 years of suffering, Mandela harnessed the wrath of a downtrodden people, who had witnessed the subjugation and murder of their own by an imperious few on the basis of race. In this present juncture the powers that be, have to decide on which side of history they choose to take their place.

I will conclude with a few lines on the Commission for Bilingualism and Multiculturalism. The biggest problem in policy nowadays is enforcement. Given this fact, anytime an institution is created with only advisory prerogatives, we might as well forget about the capacity of such an institution to be a tool to assist in the resolution of pressing issues. The Committee will have to provide advice, which can be accepted or rejected. Even if such advice is acquiesced, it must be followed by policy development, which in turn would need to be implemented effectively. If we are taking over 21 years, and still counting, to implement settled Constitutional provisions, we are kidding ourselves when we point to this Commission as the solution to any of the current issues. If you add to this equation the nature of its mandate, then we might just begin to understand the nature of the farce.

The time wasted weaving this web of division in which we unfortunately find ourselves distracts us from other seething issues that must be considered with the same amount of urgency.

First among these is the problem of the management of landed property in our country. The preamble of our constitution affirms, “The State shall ensure the protection of minorities and shall preserve the rights of indigenous populations in accordance with the law”; we should remember that according to article 65 of the same constitution, the preamble is part of the constitution.
The opacity in which the mining of minerals is managed in the Eastern Region of Cameroon in total absence of any discernable governance principles is saddening. The consequence of this on the lives of the “indigenous population” will come to haunt us. The management of lands in Kribi is not accompanied by any policy that is aimed at protecting the indigenous populations. The management of the returned land in Fako from the CDC to the rightful indigenous population is fraught with all manner of mismanagement. In the Extreme North a war is raging on perpetrated by a group of terrorists and bandits attempting to pass for religious fanatics. All international assessments have concluded that, the dire economic situation of the population has exposed them and they have fallen prey to the enticements and threats from these charlatans who unsuccessfully try to hide under the cover of a respectable religion.

As we tread forward, we must be ignited again by the spirit of a time when our country was poised for true greatness and distinction, not in spite of our differences, but precisely because of them. A time when the synthesis of Anglophone and Francophone cultures meant that we would be able to draw on the best of both parts. A time when we were convinced that we would be more competitive on the global stage because we could do business in the world’s major languages. A time when we knew that, even through our music, we would be able to appeal to many more. To borrow words from one of our founding fathers, Um Nyobe (also at a time when Cameroon was at a crossroads), the first step in moving Cameroon forward is by actively combating tribalism, and creating a system that is based on the best each of us have to offer. It is time for better governance that is in tune with the ideas and solutions proposed by those who love this country, and not one that seeks to silence the voices that disagree with the status quo. It is never too late to do the right thing.

In Chinua Achebe’s “Things Fall Apart”, he makes a savvy use of proverbs from the Igbo people. One that comes to mind is: "the lizard that jumped from the high Iroko tree to the ground said he would praise himself if no one else did”. Like the lizard, some are marching all over the country, monopolizing the public media in self-praise, while everyone else watches in complete stupefaction. They see that the center can no longer hold because things are falling apart. However, it is not too late to change our course.

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Akere Muna

11.Aug.2017

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Canal Two reports of New controversy which has sparked up concerning the discovery of explosives in Mbengwi. The Douala based TV Channel reports that  one of its Correspondent is in Mbengwi and is reporting that the home where the explosives were allegedly found(seen in these pictures) is the home of a certain retired gendarme officer who is now blind and not the home of Dasi Alfred( seen in the picture above)as reported by govt. Inhabitants in Mbengwi are categoric: The weapons  exposed on TV doesn't belong from their locality. Plus they are questioning why the officers of law and order didnt invite the press or a neutral body to witness the raid and seizure of the explosives. However Governor of the Northwest, Adolphe Lele Lafrique says the arms caché were found in Mbengwi and is calling for vigilance. Affaire a suivre!

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Rita Akana

11.Aug.2017

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OPEN LETTER NO:3 TO PRESIDENT PAUL BIYA

Dear President Biya,

It is with great honor for your high office that I come back to you with my third open letter in connection with the Southern Cameroons quest for peaceful resolution. It is sad and very conceening to observe that some ungrateful close confidants of yours want to see you dragged in the mud with a bloody nose before you leave Etoudi. I therefore urge you to dribble them and organize a peaceful referendum in Southern Cameroons. You could make a new legacy for yourself if you can peacefully and voluntarily organize a referendum to allow the people of Southern Cameroons decide whether or not they want to stay with LRC or go their own separate ways?

The Southern Cameroons plight is deeper in Cameroon than it seems on the surface abroad. Your collaborators are lying to you again by insinuating that North West and South West Regions are stable. And that if any instability, then it could only come from the outside. Big lies. Ghost towns (“Country Sunday”) are not abroad. You live with them right there in North West and West Regions.

It is surprising, therefore, to so many people how they managed to persuade you to abandon the problem back home and send the most untrustworthy people abroad to tell lies such as; there was no lawyers strike to a very knowledgeable and wise diaspora population in South Africa, Belgium, Canada, USA, UK and also to mislead and misguide the U.N. As your emissaries came to the UN for explanation that is how the U.N. sent them back to you with diplomatic rebuke “to start inclusive dialogue to address the outstanding root causes of tensions” in the Anglophone regions, uphold human rights and hold those responsible for administering justice to “high standards.”

What are the root causes of the Anglophone problem? <ANNEXATION>

Dear Mr President, it is important for you to note that despite its shortcomings, the U.N. has always viewed itself as a community of values.

-The ANNEXATION of Southern Cameroons is a violation of these values;
-The kidnappings, torture and raping of Southern Cameroonians are in violation of these values;
-The unwarranted arrests (of Dr. Balla, Justice Ayah, Dr. Fontem, Mr. Mancho and all other SC in LRC jails), illegal detentions and Nuremburg style trials without due process of the law are in violation of these values;
-The shutting down of internet and militarization of Southern Cameroons are in violation of these values.

It is equally important for you to know that if we must avoid blood shed, in addition to following recommendations of the U.N.

1. Instruct government to release everyone in jail without conditions to diffuse tention and to start real “inclusive dialogue with freed leaders and the interim government of Southern Cameroons.
2. Organize a referendum in NorthWest and South West Regions to allow the people decide for themselves which way they want to go? Conduct this test and apply the will of the majority to avoid unforeseen circumstances for the country.

Mr. President, though I’m not a prophet of doom, if there is anything I can guarantee you with this writeup, it is the certainty of the fact that the union between Southern Cameroons and LRC has broken down irretrievably. True!

Fellow Southern CAMEROONIANS, in an overwhelming majority have followed their conscience to separate and start the task of building the new independent State of Southern Cameroons. There’s no turning back, Mr. President!

The above is in line with Resolution 1514 of the U.N. which provides that when the union has failed one people can separate if it is the will of the majority.

Thus, organizing this referandum through peace and dialogue could go a long way in saving part of your legacy to the total bewilderment of some of your deceitful allies and ungrateful employees who are betting Or plotting for your shameful downfall.

Only those who have lived in the bowels of the beast know it from the inside!

Yours very sincerely

(Dr. David Makongo USA, Senior Negotiator & Legal Consultant)

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Rita Akana

11.Aug.2017

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Our people are so hungry for freedom and so anxious to get to Buea that they are not savoring small victories on the way there and they are growing increasingly deaf to the kind of diplomatic lingo that rebukes colonial regimes like Yaounde. The meeting yesterday at the UN HQs in New York with Deputy Secretary General Amina J. Mohammed was one of those small victories on the way to Buea. As the leading diplomatic organization in the world, the UN was not going to put an exclamation mark at the end of its rebuke of the Biya regime. It came very close to pelting Prof. Ghogomu and team with rotten eggs. Thanks to the hard work that our people have done in preceding LRC to the UN with the truth, the lies Yaounde hatched for this delegation failed to convince. The readout of the meeting published by the Office of the Spokesperson has two very important messages for the colonialists in Yaounde:

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Rita Akana

10.Aug.2017

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The anglophone civil society consortium has called or the suspension of Gohst Towns next week. The suspension was made public in a press release which was published on their Facebook page on August 8, 2017.

Below is what is stated in that press release:

It has come to our knowledge that the 15th of August 2017 is the feast of Assumption; the Day Catholic Christians believe Mary the mother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ascended into Heaven body and soul.
Consequent on that, we, members of the Cameroon Anglophone Civil Society Consortium, CACSC have unanimously agreed to suspend ghost town operations scheduled to run from Monday the 14th to Wednesday the 16th of August 2017. We pray all Catholics and Christian Faithful in general to use these days and intensify the ongoing Novena, so that the Lord may make haste to deliver us according to His Word.
It is our fervent believe that all and sundry understand the purpose of our ongoing resistance; it is not possible to seize your freedom and be able to control your own destiny without sacrifice. We all understand how difficult it is, but we must go all the way. Some of our compatriots have already paid with their lives, while others have offered their freedom and the rest their comfort off the motherland. We must negotiate this defining bend with even greater determination; the kind of determination that will tell the world that we are effectively in total control of our land.
We are hereby calling on the peace-loving people of Southern Cameroons to arm themselves by stocking their homes with as much foodstuff as possible. This phase will require a lot of sacrifice and we are urging you all to scrupulously respect the directives that will be dished out in the days ahead so that we can all stay safe.
As we resist in fasting and prayer, let us remember our brothers in the underground bunker at the SED. Information reaching us indicates that Patrick Ndangoh who sent out the video showing their terrible conditions has been beaten to near death with wounds all over his body. An additional reason for our renewed call to sacrifice!

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Rita Akana

10.Aug.2017

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At least three suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers blew themselves up in Cameroon on Wednesday morning, killing only themselves and no one else, but sending another message that their insurgency was far from being over.

The suicide attacks took place between Djakana and Kalguiwa in the country’s far north, reported Cameroonian newspaper, L’Oeil du Sahel.

This attack comes after series of bombings by Boko Haram in the past few days left dozens of people killed and thousands displaced. At least 2000 Cameroonians have paid the supreme price since 2014 by Nigeria-based terror group.

The latest deadly attack occurred overnight August 5 and August 6. At least eight children were killed. That attack left parents in tears and triggered anger against Amnesty International, the international human rights group that issued a report recently accusing Cameroonian security forces of torture.

Simon Ateba News did not receive that report because Amnesty International although working in Africa prefers to send its reports to Western, white people owned-media. Protests for such racist behaviors against Amnesty International by this newspaper were met with disdain and silence.

In an interview received by Simon Ateba News, the Mayor of Kolofata, one of the most hit towns in Cameroon’s far north, blasted Amnesty International for looking the other way when Boko Haram massacres innocent Cameroonians but blatantly lying against Cameroonian security forces when the terrorists are murdered.

He was reacting to an attack carried out by Boko Haram in the night of August 5 and August 6. At least eight Cameroonian children, some as young as seven years old were killed.

The Mayor said Amnesty International should tell Boko Haram to respect the rights of innocent children.

“I would like to inform Amnesty International that there was a terrorist attack overnight August 5 and August 6, 2017 in the department of Mayo Sava in the district of Kolofata. That suicide attack left eight young Cameroonians dead,” the Mayor of Kolofata said in French.

He read the names and ages of the victims. The youngest was seven years old and the oldest was 13 years old.

“Following this tragic event, the mayor of Kolofata would like to inform Amnesty International which pretends that the rights are being violated, that in carrying out their ignoble task, the suicide bomber also died”.

But Amnesty International had said it was not against the killing of suicide bombers but the arrest, torture and murder of innocent Cameroonians in the name of fighting the war against Boko Haram.

Security forces often raid homes without warrants of arrest, often based on unfounded allegations. These behaviors have been widely condemned even in Cameroon.

But with Amnesty failing to cooperate with local newspapers and focusing on white or western media, authorities seem to be succeeding in painting Amnesty International as an organisation that supports terrorists.

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Simon Ateba

10.Aug.2017

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