Opinions of Sunday, 29 March 2015

Auteur: Soter Tarh Agbaw-Ebai

Southern Cameroons This Time Tomorrow

Cameroon under President Biya has been an elitist and unfair society operating an imperial kind of presidency with a pattern of discrimination and systematic war against the Anglophone community.

This vicious pattern of governance which was propounded by a group of Francophone Beti-Ewondo elites in politics and in the army ever since Biya came to power in 1982 has resulted in a vast ethnic and wealth disparity.

And as the Biya regime shows no signs of crumbling, the spirit of peace, work and fatherland is fading away from the Anglophone communities in the country.

The disparity of wealth accumulation between Francophones and Anglophones has its roots in the Beti-Ewondo imperial presidency headed by Paul Biya. Contrary to the late Ahidjo era when we had our Kilos and Nangas, in the 32 years of the Biya regime, Anglophones do not have one Cameroonian billionaire.

CPDM Cameroon is for the enrichment of the Francophones and 1 percent of CPDM South West and North West elites who spend their time and ill gotten wealth fanning the flames of North West/South West divide. The Biya regime also operates a malicious policy where the Bamilekes pretend to be “les meme gens” with our North West West brothers and help their Francophone geopolitical setting to expropriate and exploit the Anglophones.

The Cameroonian society has never been fair. It was never about any Anglophone succeeding except for those who betray other Anglophones. His Royal Highness Fon Angwafor of Mankon can go around posing as National Vice President of the ruling CPDM party but even a child born in Tinta in Akwaya Sub Division in Manyu is aware that Fon Angwafor does not have access to President Biya like the Sultan of Foumban, the Lamido of Rey Bouba or the Fon of Banjoun. CPDM Cameroon has always been unfair, it will never be right if the people of the North West and South West province do not read from the same script.

Today, it is almost impossible to speak English in any government building in Southern Cameroons. Under Biya, we have had 32 years of some kind of slavery and discrimination from French speaking Cameroonians. Perhaps, I should bring myself into this editorial for this week!! Where do I really belong? In Southern Cameroons, I am a minority from the South West. In the Republic of Cameroon, I am a minority from the Anglophone community.

In Europe, I am a black man, still a minority!! Where do I go from here? In both the South West and North West regions of Cameroon, Francophones have 50 times the wealth of Anglophones. For everyone Anglophone captain in the army, there are 100 Francophones. For everyone Anglophone diplomat, there are 101 Francophones and for every 2 Anglophones SDOs, there are 100s of Francophones senior divisional officers. No Anglophone can even muster the courage to seek a government contract amounting to a billion FCFA!! Who are you?

Protest against financial inequality is what led to many Fulanis joining the Boko Haram Islamic sect. The Biya Francophone Beti-Ewondo regime is speeding up developmental issues now in the Far North region. But in the Bakassi peninsular in the South West region, there is no sign of improvement.

The Anglophone Diaspora should please raise their game!! We should move away from organizing ekpe, mbagalum, and bottle dance etc to more serious issues. A stitch in time saves nine