My dear compatriots,
I decided to comment on this issue even though I made it a point before not to comment on what others argue with a blinding emotion.
One thing is clear. The system in Cameroon is an oligarchic system, albeit its Beti domination. It is neither a Francophone nor Anglophone backed system, but rather a French backed system. The custodians( those who benefit from the system and preside over its survival)who are a minority are criminals to the Cameroonian soul, and they are to be found amongst Anglophones , Francophones, Bamilekes, Dualas, Betis, Foulbes, and in fact all the ethnic groups in Cameroon.
My problem with the Anglophiles who also happen to be Francophobes is that they try to excuse any wrong that an Anglophone does even if his/her action was self-centered, against the interest of the collective Cameroonian dream or was in the interest of the system.
The noblest thing that ever happened to Cameroon was the realization of one its dreams---reunification. And it is on reunification that a great nation could have been built through a Cameroonian national ideal of union-nationalism that honours the memory of close to a million Kamerunians from French Cameroun who lost their lives during the campaign for reunification and independence against the French and their puppet Ahidjo, and that cherishes the patriotic and union-nationalist efforts of Kamerunians from British Southern Cameroons who voted for reunification and made the first phase of that dream of a New Cameroon a reality.
Pundits acknowledge the fact that the western powers and the UN bear a great deal of guilt for the chaos and deception that was the hallmark of Kamerunian (Cameroonian) statehood evolution in the 1960s, which led to the institution of a mafia of a system in the country that emerged from what was British Southern Cameroons and French Cameroun). Cameroonian union-nationalists had demanded reunification and joint independence under the auspices of the UNO and under a mutual agreement (by French Cameroun and British Cameroons) on the nature of the new and independent Cameroon. Gaullist France defied that and granted French Cameroun independence under their puppet Ahmadou Ahidjo, thereby further sidelining the historic UPC that commanded the support of most French Camerounians; meanwhile Britain, USA and the UNO kept quiet, thereby acquiescing in the deception for the sake of “Fighting communism”, (France had convinced them that the leading party for reunification---the historic UPC---was communist.)
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/28/world/how-france-shaped-new-africa.html
The vast majority of Anglophones and the vast majority of Francophones (Cameroonians on both sides of the River Mungo) are victims of this system, and collectively, we are victims of a conspiracy that took no account of the interest of Cameroonians. Britain and France treated Cameroon as a conquered enemy territory after World War One and never felt comfortable with Cameroonian reunification because it spelt of nostalgia for German Kamerun.
The francophone Cameroonian intelligentsia is aware of that, but I see a deliberate effort, especially by our young Anglophone Cameroonian intelligentsia, to ignore that reality.
I felt proud as a union-nationalist when the majority of Francophones were in unison with their Anglophone brothers in supporting the SDF under Fru Ndi, hoping to at last realize the objectives of the Cameroonian dream and reunification, and honor the memories of those who died fighting for it and those who voted for it.
No people are collectively evil and no people are collectively good. What the world has seen are people with the evil disposition who hijack their nations and give it a bad name. That is the case of Cameroon and those people speak English and French. I see a blind attempt by our compatriots who disregard the noble aspects of the collective Cameroonian history to give a bad name to a whole section of our population. Yesterday, it was more of anti-Anglophone utterances by minority Francophones of the system (ignoramuses,xenophobes, thieves and unscrupulous politicians) and today it is anti-Francophone rhetoric by a minority for a Free Southern Cameroons who are blindly dishonoring the majority of French-speaking Cameroonians who want change. It is as if they are unconscious of the fact that they are messing up the collective efforts of Cameroonians ( Francophones and Anglophones in alliance) to dismantle the anachronistic French imposed system, bury it once and for all and realize the dreams of our forefathers for a New Cameroon that would take us to the future.
Many myths have been built around this issue; and the custodians of the system and those who reject the Cameroonian dream have said much lies to aggravate the distrust by those who had little regard for the nobleness and promises of the future New Cameroon. It is even a waste of time to get into that. Our only bargain with our future rests with us coming to terms with our true history and our collective dreams. That means working together to get rid of this system. I feel the pains because Anglophiles played the biggest role in making the SDF the lame duck that it is today. In fact, the biggest betrayal to SDF’s role as the force to realize the Cameroonian dream and the objectives of reunification came from self-centered anglophiles who deliberately or foolishly caused disarray within the SDF ranks.
This website below shows you countries in the world. Countries that are worst off are not worst off because they were former British, French, Portuguese, Spanish or Dutch colonies. They are worst off because they were hijacked by people with the evil disposition. Take a look:
http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/eco_pop_bel_pov_lin
Cameroon: France’s Dysfunctional Puppet System in Africa
by Janvier Tchouteu
