Being an open letter to all Anglophones by
Canada-based Anglophone Cameroonian, Joachim Arrey (Ph.D)
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| Dr. Joachim Arrey, says no to war |
Dear Fellow Anglophones,
I am writing to advise that while the
demands of the English-speaking minority in Cameroon are legitimate, it must be
borne in mind that seeking to achieve everything in a short period of time
could be counter-productive.
We
must always be mindful of the origin of the strike. After several unsuccessful
attempts by Anglophones lawyers to draw the attention of the minister of
justice to their plight, the regions men of law decided to take their case to
the streets. The objective was to ensure that their submissions be made in
English as that is the language in which the can comfortably express
themselves.
The
transfer of French-speaking magistrates to North West and South West regions
has been a tough challenge to the lawyers and their clients as most of the
French-speaking magistrates and judges have little or no knowledge of the common
law system.
This
unfortunate situation has been compounded by the fact that some important
documents only exist in French whereas Cameroon is supposed to be a bilingual
country and its legal system bi-jural.
The
lawyers were later joined by Anglophone teachers who also have legitimate
demands which are known to every Cameroonian. These issues can be addressed if
the government shows a lot of good faith. Some of these issues can be addressed
in the short term while others will require time. It will therefore be
undesirable to think that all the issues on the table can be addressed in a
couple of days or months.
While
most of the demands of the Anglophone minority are legitimate, and their
demonstrations are born of pent-up anger, it will be advisable to avoid
extremes that will lead to unnecessary bloodshed.
In
recent days, there have been calls for the total independence of Southern
Cameroons. Some demonstrators have been calling for secession which others have
been asking for two-state federation. There are also talks of fund-raising
efforts currently taking place to finance guerrilla warfare. In Houston alone,
it has been reported after a meeting for just a few hours some FCFA 45 million
was raised to finance the war effort. Other American and European cities with a
heavy concentration of Anglophone Cameroonians have also been raising funds to
that effect. But how realistic is such a decision?
While
Anglophones have been clear victims of injustices and marginalistion, it must
always be clear that some of the issue facing Anglophones also affect
Francophones. Raising money is not a bad idea, but this should be done with a
different objective in mind. Such resources could be used to help those wounded
during the strikes with their medical bills. In my view, it is unrealistic to
think of an armed conflict in our country when it is clear that we can achieve
a more decentralized system that will enable each region develop according to
its pace. Cameroon can still be a 10 region federation; a federation wherein
the people elect their own governors and play a significant role in the running
of their country.
Of
course, the current political dispensation has failed. It has brought untold
hardship to both Anglophones and Francophones. It will be better for us to think
of working within such a federation to make a significant difference rather
that think of an armed conflict that is easy to start but difficult to end. The
continent is replete with examples of conflicts that easily started but have
been going on for decades and these conflicts have robbed many generations of
their happiness. In certain cases like in Sudan and South Sudan, many lives had
been lost and there is no end in sight.
Don’t
get me wrong. I know what it means being marginalized. I schooled and worked in
Cameroon. I have been a victim of discrimination in the civil service, but I
strongly hold that like Canada and Switzerland, Cameroon can successfully run a
bilingual system that can bring joy and happiness to everybody. The ongoing
demonstrations and strikes should be against a government policy that has
retarded the progress of our country and not against the ordinary Francophone
who has been reduced to a sorry spectator of events in his own country.
I
understand many Francophones have not shown sympathy with the Anglophone cause.
I know many even refuse to acknowledge that there is an Anglophone problem. But
I also hold that it is incumbent upon Anglophones to carefully and skillfully
package their message and market them to Francophones. They must stop spreading
the rhetoric of war and secession which are sowing fear in the minds of even
the most sympathetic Francophones. All Anglophone have to understand that there
are lots of issues and war has never solved any problems. Some of those issues
can be addressed in the short term while others will only be dealt with over
time.
While
government officials are yet to propose any solution they are at least
acknowledging that there are some issues that must be addressed. While all the
demonstrations seem to lack clear leaders, I will suggest that we empower our
striking lawyers to represent us in any discussions with the government.
However,
the team may include other people who think they have the requisite expertise
to bring about peaceful and long-lasting solutions. Anglophones Cameroon does
not lack experts in any field. The only unfortunate thing is that most of these
experts live out of the country. Many had to escape the frustration created
back home by the Yaounde government that worked very hard to disunite the
country.
It’s
never too late to mend. Our country can be fixed. Anglophones and Francophones
can work together to build a better Cameroon. Anglophones and Francophone have
an interest in keeping Cameroon united and indivisible in a federal system.
Other people have succeeded to build attractive countries out of their double
and triple heritages.
Cameroonians
can learn from them and if we all keep an open mind, our country will emerge
from its own ashes like the proverbial phoenix.
We
don’t have to kill each other to rebuild our country. Let’s learn from others
who have already made such unfortunate mistakes.
Sincerely yours.
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