Sunday, 5 February 2017

Message

Welcome address by the Lord Mayor of the Buea council on the occasion of the SW Forum organized by the elite of the South West region at the Buea Mountain Hotel, on Thursday, 2 February 2017
-              Your Excellency, the RT Hon. Senator Peter MafanyMusonge,
-              Members of Government here present,
-              Your Excellency, the Governor of the South West Region,
-              Political, administrative, traditional and religious authorities,
-              Dear people of the south west region,
-              Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is with utmost delight and rekindled hope that I welcome you on behalf of the peace-loving and hospitable people of Buea, on this occasion of the South West Forum which has rallied people of all walks of life within the beautiful City of Buea. We are particularly elated that the forum is holding on the heels of turbulent moments in the entire region and the Buea Municipality in particular, during which some foes of our beloved nation predicted the collapse of this enviable country, but have been ridiculed by how strongly we have emerged after these trying moments.
                We concur wholly with the holding of this forum which we think is overdue but serves as a sporting chance to get back on the drawing board and correct the mistakes of the past which have served as breeding ground for the situation our country is currently witnessing.
                What started as a common law lawyers’ strike and then blended with an eventual teachers’ strike despicably transformed itself into a politically maneuvered civil disobedience machinated by jobless individuals in the diaspora and some reckless political demagogues within the country who took advantage of the porous nature of the social media to destabilize the nation. The consequence was that young people were engineered to take to the streets occasioning destruction on both public and private property which attracted the action of the forces of law and order to reinstate order.

Excellences, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
                Aware that it is the pivotal role of Municipal Councils like ours to ensure social cohesion, basic development and peace for the pope we represent, we summoned the entire population of Buea for a public talk at the Buea Independence Square on 30th November 2017, a week after the commencement of the teacher’s strike, for which some 10.000 persons heeded our call and we jointly established a memorandum of the grievances the striking teachers and students of the university had channeled through us as the people’s representatives, addressed to the President of the Republic, H.E. Paul Biya after we unraveled several exonerations for business operators within the Municipality. We then led the population to the office of the Governor of the South West Region during which we handed over the memorandum to him for onward transmission. On the spot, we solicited the Governor to order the release of students who were detained for acts of incivility both on public places and the campus of the University of Buea. We were happy to observe that their release was affected that same evening.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen
                As you are all aware, the Buea Council fully participated in the Grand Meeting of the CPDM organized on 6th December 2016, committing its human, financial and material resources. Besides, we hatched and executed plans to frustrate the move of the SDF Members of Parliament to stage a march from the MolykoOmnisport stadium to the Governor’s office which would have provoked untold consequences for the state. In this vein, we circumvented the SDF law makers at the Parliamentarian Flat Hotel compelling their plans to culminate in an inconsequential rally in front of the stadium after lengthy negotiations with the regional administration.
                To make assurance double sure as we try to ensure peace and stability, we have been working hand-in-glove with the Sub-divisional, Divisional and Regional Administrations, holding meetings, public talks, press conferences, interviews and educative television programmes, all aimed at keeping steam and up-holding Republican values.
                Conspicuously, we have been able to effectively mitigate the effect of the so-called operation 100% ghost town in our Municipality by enforcing Municipal acts geared towards the functioning of business during ghost towns. We have succeeded in the past two weeks to root out this operation whose effervescence, we must assure you, is dead and buried as at today.
                Still, we have succeeded in nullifying the zeal of the authors of ghost town to completely cripple the circulation of taxis during their diabolic operations. To attain this, the Council management approved an emergency plan to procure 100 township taxis within the Municipality. However due to financial constraints, we have been able to float 20 taxis as at date. This experiment has yielded fruitful dividends and assures us of dealing with threats from township taxi syndicates on strikes; assures us of employment of our young people and also impacts positively on the revenue base of the Council.


Excellences, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
                All these, as we are aware of the tense political climate, would not have been successful without the Administration and the managerial prowess of the indefatigable Governor of the South West Region, Bernard OkaliaBilai. As we speak, you can see fatigue, stress and tiredness in a man whose high sense of purpose and value, attached to Republican institutions and his quest for patriotism, have accounted for the success registered this far.
                Permit me to say here that very few of us have lived the reality of the recent happenings, but have had the opportunity to acquaint ourselves with the social media which has had a toll on us because of the very negative role it is playing. Your Excellency, we thank you and your team immensely for being there when we need you; for being there when it is hot; for being there when it is well.
                We have observed the firm commitment of the forces of law and order to preserve the peace and stability within and withal the South West Region. They have been agile, meticulous and smart in their interventions to pre-empt the escalation of the crisis which have rocked this Region. Their performance reassures us of the safety that reigns as state functionaries and private entities go about their activities. They have been true agents of honour and fidelity and we doff our hats to them.

Dear people of the South West region
                Amidst the tireless efforts mentioned supra which made it not a bed of roses but clad in thorns, we however had to collectively overcome the uphill challenges. But it would have been much lighter if we came out as one people, with one purpose as it is often said, “it is much easier to do away with a stick of broom than a broom.” However in the present context, the broom stick has stood the test of time and shall remain resolute.
                While we welcome you once more to Buea, the Regional seat of the South West Region and in our capacity as host to this forum which has as aim to bring South Westerners to reason as one, be united and be our brother’s keeper on issues affecting us as a people without any political affiliation. It is however incumbent on us to make known to this august assembly some hurdles we are faced with and solutions we have tried to proffer.
                Lately, we have encountered the destruction of Council property like the five stalls which were razed at the Mile 17 Bus station and the burning of one of the newly acquired taxis. There has been intimidation of school stakeholders, beating up of students and teachers in and on their way to school establishments.
                Besides, there have been several fierce attempts to do away with the life of the Mayor as well as his landed and movable property. As the adage goes, “A witch cannot have access to a house if a family member does not open up to the witch.” We have noticed the full-fledge involvement of some of our brothers and sisters, the lukewarm attitude of some, settlement of scores and betrayal of confidence from many of them as well as other virulent actions geared at perpetrating harm on others but the gods of the land are certainly on our side.

Way Forward
                As we meet today to deliberate on the roadmap to ending the current impasse that has grounded our education institutions, we charge all and sundry to stand tall in the face of the threats these sowers of seeds of discord keep making, rather than exhibit chicken-heartedness to have things forced down our throats.
                This is time for people to reciprocate the kindness they have enjoyed from the regime and desist from showing cupboard love, as well as being fair weather friends to it. This is time to be a friend to the state in need and a friend indeed. We the elite of the South West Region should take the commitment to send our own children to school if we must accompany the state in its current plight, as we posit ourselves to be.
                We must now engage in entrepreneurial investments in domains that are frequently used by other brothers and sisters to foster civil disobedience and ghost towns.
                This is time to stop being elitist and come down to the riff raff of society, reassuring them of a bright future for our country by our very actions. Above all, this is time for us to show real love and unity to one another, to the people of the South West Region and to Cameroonians in general.

Excellences, Distinguished guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
                It is our fervent prayer that as you sojourn in our midst this day, you will find time to weather the atmosphere in Buea to convince yourself on the fact we have effectively dealt away with the ghost towns by the measures we have taken as a Municipal Council. Nothing shall be left to remember it and day-to-day business has retaken shape again in Buea, defying all the hurdles that were planted for.
                We pray that the Good Lord who brought you here safely will keep you hail and sound in our midst and take you to your respective destinations at the end of it all.

Long live the Buea Municipality
Long live the South West Region
Long live the Republic of Cameroon
Thank you for your kind attention and God bless you all             

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