Fanning NW-SW animosity:

SW elite fire invectives, accusations at “graffisetlers”

Meeting in Buea under the canopy of what they called the “SW Forum”, some elite of the SW region, comprising essentially of CPDM regime loyalists, accused North Westerners resident in the SW, of master-minding, spear-heading and mentoring the violent strikes and ghost towns in the region. The SW elite said North Westerners must stop their nefarious scheme to overrun the SW if they must continue to live peacefully in the SW region.

By Boris Esono in Buea

Senator Peter MafanyMusonge, the Political godfather of SW region

In what observers have described as provocation and fanning hatred and animosity between the two sister regions of NW and SW, the “Living Forces” of the SW region (whatever that means), have heaped the blame for the ongoing unfortunate and regrettable events in the SW on those North Westerners who have elected permanent residence in the region.

                Meeting in Buea Thursday, 2 February 2017, for what was called the “SW Forum”, the elite of the SW catalogued invectives, accusations and hate messages which they rained on their brothers and sisters from the NW region.

    Convened at the behest of the incumbent political leader and god-father of the SW region, Senator Peter MafanyMusonge, speaker after speaker at the forum took turns to stigmatize the settler NW population of doing everything to manipulate, intimidate, marginalize, teleguide, control and dominate South Westerners in their own homeland.

                The SW elite fired a grim warning at their NW brothers, saying if they don’t refrain from perpetrating their nefarious machinations in their host region then they may force South Westerners to use every means available to send them away.

                Taking the floor to examine the political evolution of the SW region especially given the challenges that are rocking the region in recent times, HRH Dr. AtemEbako, traditional ruler of Talangaye village in KupeMuanenguba division, noted that the SW is a separate and distinct region that has always stood for and still stands for a one and indivisible Cameroon with 10 decentralized regions.

                Chief Dr. Atem said the elite of the SW distance themselves from the ongoing teachers and lawyers strikes and the ghost towns operations which he said are master-minded, spear-headed and mentored from the NW and by North Westerners. He said the strikes have caused immeasurable human and material damage to the SW, something which South Westerners can no longer tolerate.

                The firebrand medic and chief, known for his bold, no-nonsense and straight talk, accused North Westerners of ever trying, albeit, without success, to transfer the political capital of the former West Cameroons from Buea to Bamenda this, in a desperate bid to tighten their control and grip on the people of the SW.

                Chief AtemEbako said unfortunately for the NW schemers thir plan will never happen because West Cameroon has since ceased to exist and the SW is now standing on its own in a united and decentralized Cameroon Republic.

                Queuing up with DrAtemEbako, Senator NforTabetando George Ndiep-Nso of Bachuo-Ntai village in the Manyu Division said the devilish schemes of the agitators in the SW forced him and others to urge government to shutdown internet in the two Anglophone regions. NforTabetando said SW elites must take their responsibility and ensure that the unfortunate events in the SW are not allowed to prosper any further.

                For her part, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Buea, Prof. Pauline NalovaLyonga, accused NW students and teachers of spear-heading, master-minding and mentoring all the violent strike actions in UB. She said contrary to information that the campus of UB is crowded by Francophones, it is actually flooded with “graffis”, who even hold more positions of responsibility than South Westerners.

                Prof. Nalova said the issue of marginalization in UB should be seen not in the light of Francophone presence at the institution but in the light of the hegemony of North Westerners, who always want to dominate South Westerners.

                Nalova said if not of the resistance of some SW elite the Buea campus of UB and even the GCE Board would have since been transferred to Bamenda.

                However, not all the speakers at the meeting shared the opinion that North Westerners are the ones master-minding all the problems in the SW. Senator MbellaMoki Charles for example noted that the ghost towns and strikes are also respected to the letter in villages and hamlets in the SW that do not have even a single North Westerner. “So who master-minds the strikes in these villages?” Senator MbellaMoki questioned rhetorically, remarking that SW elite should be humble enough to accept that they have failed in their duty and responsibility to lead their people to the right direction and stop pointing accusing fingers at North Westerners.

                “As elites, we have failed in our duty to lead our people,” Senator MbellaMokiopinned, arguing that it is sheer intellectual dishonesty and manifest bad faith for SW elite to accuse North Westerners of fueling all the troubles in the SW region.

                “At a time when the Head of State is preaching unity in diversity and living together as one, it can only be foolhardy and preposterous on our part to be fanning ethnic hatred and chanting zenophobic propaganda,” Senator Mbella said.

                Like Senator MbellaMoki, the mayor of Buea who was represented by his third deputy, said the problems of the South West cannot be blamed on others, but rather on the SW elite themselves, who have failed to stand up as one people and come to the president’s assistance when he most needed them.

                Mayor Ekema said SW elite did not join him and the local administrators in fighting president Biya’s enemies in the SW region.

                “It would have been much lighter if we had come out like a people with one purpose to resist the enemies of the regime…..This is the time when people should reciprocate the kindness they have enjoyed from the regime and desist from showing cupboard love, as well as being fair weather friends to it…. Now is the time to be a friend in deed to the state in need,” the mayor of Buea said, urging the elite of the SW to take their responsibility and reciprocate the president’s kindness by ensuring that children of the SW go to school.

                “The elite of the SW should take the commitment to send their children to school if they must accompany the state in its present plight,” concluded the Buea Mayor, who used the opportunity to encourage SW indigenes to also engage in the kind of business activities that give others the leverage to foster civil disobedience and ghost towns in the region.

                Patrick Ekema’s envoy called on SW elite to stop being too elitist and to come down from their pedestal and meet the hoi-poloi of society and reassure them of a bright future. (See the speech by the mayor of Buea overleaf.)

                The SW Forum was attended among others by SW senators, MPs, Government Ministers, GMs and directors.