Response to Anglophone Problem:

CPDM MP shames his Anglophone colleagues for sitting on the fence

By Boris Esono in Tiko

Hon. Fritz Ngeka Etoke

Hon. Fritz Ngeka Etoke, CPDM MP for Fako East constituency has faulted Anglophone MPs of the CPDM and SDF for being indifferent in the face of festering problems in the community that they were elected to represent. The young and dynamic MP who doubles as a trained court registrar and business operator, used the opportunity of a chat with The Median’s Fako correspondent, to fire a clarion call on his colleagues of the CPDM and SDF to convene a meeting as a matter of extreme urgency and see how they can get to the field, talk with the protagonists of the ongoing strikes in NW and SW, and understand what their grievances are, this, with a view to suggesting concrete solutions for a way forward to the head of state.

                When asked to explain the suspicious silence of the peoples’ representatives in the face of unfortunate events in the NW and SW regions, the MP regretted that MPs who have the mandate to talk on behalf of their people have opted to remain silent in the heat of the festering Anglophone problem.

                “It is incumbent and urgent for CPDM and SDF MPs from the NW and SW to sit down together in a meeting and seek tangible solutions to the Anglophone problem. MPs are the right people to talk with the people and find solutions to the problems facing their communities. MPs are elected and thus have the requisite legitimacy of the population they represent, not appointed officials like ministers,” Hon. Etoke underscored, recalling that CPDM MPs had already started seeking solutions to the ongoing problem when they invited common law lawyers to Yaounde some time ago.

                He went further: “It is a shame that we will sit and fold our arms thinking that appointed government officials will come and solve problems affecting the people who elected us to parliament,” the MP said, noting that the problem in Cameroon is the governance system and not a problem of language.

                By this very opportune outing, Hon. Fritz Etoke has therefore sent a wake up call to his Anglophone colleagues of the National Assembly and the Senate to go down to the NW and SW, meet with the protagonists of the ongoing strikes and forward proposals for lasting solutions to the head of state.

                About his take on the Anglophone problem, the MP said the problem is not only real but is deeper than meets the ordinary eye.

                Asked to propose a solution to the problem, the Hon. MP said a solution can only come through frank and honest dialogue.

                About his take on the two-state federation that the Consortium is advocating, Hon. Etoke said only parliament or a referendum can bring about a change to the form of the state. But the MP insinuated that a 10-state federation or a genuine decentralization could be suggested if his opinion was sought.