Those who died in Bamenda on May 26, 1990 were not for the cause of an independent state from the North West and South West provinces. They were not Southern Cameroon advocates.
John Smith wrote above that, "Ricardo and Co should know that should there be a referendum today, only the refugees from the LRC may vote no. All Anglos even Inoni will vote yes."
Therefore, if we have to take from John Smith and co, the so-called refugees from LRC who made up some of the deaths of May 26, 1990 were automatically against splitting the country up. In that case, they were for a future new Cameroon as union nationalists against the evil system, and they rejected the political actions of Ahidjo and Biya from 1958-1990.
Hypothetically, take it that I am an advocate for an independent Southern Cameroon and at the same time, I am a realist. What are the likely scenarios?
1) An independent Southern Cameroon could be better off "in the long run" than being a part of the present day anachronistic system of Cameroon. But that could be the case if it is a smooth ride to independence that harnesses all the developmental or positive forces in that region and the goodwill of the rest of Cameroon and the largesse of the international community like the case of Eritrea which became a part of modern-day Ethiopia after the defeat of its colonial master Italy and its incorporation into the former Abyssinia. Or another case is the former Portuguese colony of East Timor that was invaded and occupied by the former Dutch East Indies colony (Indonesia). If it is not a smooth ride, it would end up like people-depleted and unrecognized states such as Somaliland, Abkhazia, Trans-Dniestr, and Nargony Karabakh etc that are more miserable than before.
Besides, an attempt at armed conflict is likely to end up in defeat and likely international trials of war crimes because those likely to lead an armed-struggle are the hate-filled and not the progressives. There would be massacres, ethnic cleaning, plundering, rapes etc. These are the hallmark of wars in Africa. Even if the armed conflict ends in victory for the secessionists, it would be after a long-drawn conflict that would devastate the country and create scars that may never heal. Angola, Bosnia, East Timor, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tajikistan Guatemala, Nicaragua. Cambodia etc are still trying to recover from their civil wars; processes of recovery that take decades.
2) Accepting the status quo is another option. Cameroonians of all shades, ideologies, religions, tongues and regions do not accept that adoption because it is a slow suffocation of Cameroon and the people.
3) Changing the system. That is the safest bet and third scenario. History, time, the inevitability of change, logic and humanity and humanism stand for that option. It is less costly and makes the exponents better human beings because it advocates working together to make a better future for our children. However, exponents of change cannot achieve that with divided ranks. We need to harness the things that bind us together, foster the national idea, nurture our strengths, recognize our common threats and work on improving our weaknesses.
My position over two decades has been the same. A federation for Cameroon, a Cameroon federation that respects the country’s linguistic entities and ethnic affiliations that would comprise regions and provinces, where the central government would use the original Cameroonian concepts to advance the nation; where the Cameroonian ideal would be applied to bridge the difference in development of her Anglophone and francophone regions, build a genuine bilingual ethos, and revive a unique Cameroonian identity from the different ideas and actions of the adopted French and English cultures as a model for a future Africa that is united. This federation of regions comprised of autonomous provinces would be one where the rights of minorities – both indigenous and nonindigenous – are respected. The New Cameroon federation would institutionalize democracy, liberty, freedom, economic development, social harmony, unity and a shared sense of common purpose. Through a progressive and strong democratic central government committed to protecting Cameroon's biculturalism, while at the same time promoting its bilingual character, the new Cameroon would be the vanguard in the drive for the economic union and political harmonization of Africa.
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year my dear compatriots.
That is true for the rest of Africa as well
ReplyDeleteInteresting that this article is dated December 2005. Your foresight deserves respect. More importantly i hope you now realize that this problem is not likely to disappear by being ignored or postponed. Societies settle after settling their differences. Unfortunately your examples demonstrate that when communities disagree over fundamental issues, major steps, I insist major steps need to be taken to prevent out right war. If not it is the escalation to war itself that will lead to peace after a certain mutual respect is gained as both parties will realize that in war, especially in civil wars, there are no winners. Southern Cameroonians are not scared of conflict anymore because maybe their dignity will have to be realized and won only in blood. If not they have to accept their place as second class citizens.
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