No Comment: Richard Kwang Kometa’s take on the Southern Cameroons crisis ⁰

The week-long consultations led by Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang in the North West Region and in the South West Region by former Prime Minister, Peter Mafany Musonge who is the pioneer president of the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism should logically be finalising reports of their findings. According to the announcement by the Director of Cabinet at the Prime Minister’s Office calling for the field trip from 15-24 October, 2017 on instructions of the Head of State, President Paul Biya to commune with the afflicted populations and take the message of peace and fraternity, the delegation members had an opportunity to sample opinion across the both regions.

Although most of the discussions took place behind closed doors, some who cared to give a gist of their exchanges with certain officials evoked the need for all and sundry to be brought on board. Such proposals could simply be a question of commonsense because the unrest in the two localities has for the past one year led to several people drawing conclusions and taking decisions that appear to exclude them from the mainstream reflections in the country. Those who not only insist on the form of the State to be reviewed, but think that nothing good can result from the present peace and stability in Cameroon must have discovered by now that not everybody shares such ideas. Particular attention has been the Diaspora or those who have taken delight in giving instructions from comfort zones abroad acting in complete variance with the situation on the ground. Not only have such persons taken over genuine claims by teachers and Common Law Lawyers in the country to disrupt school programmes and the normal trend of business and social life in the two regions, but they have taken such radical positions in a bite to control a situation that they do not’ master.

Making inordinate use of the social media to create bubble effects of the existence of any real influence among the populations has not always been true. Apart from a few isolated incidence like violence in Lebialem Division in the South West Region, the general consensus has been around providing a favourable environment within Cameroon for sons and daughters of the country to stay in peace and harmony. Prevent children from going to school has proven to be one of the weakest link in the twist that the crisis took. Going down to the divisions, subdivisions and villages must have provided the government-triggered delegation with the possibility to listen to everyone, look for ways to avoid extremism and agree on concrete plans for life to return to normal in both regions. By getting everyone involved, the chances are that those outside the country who have used the social media to derail a noble cause by teachers’ and lawyers’ trade unions will have to reconsider their positions and return to the fold.

Needless recalling that a bird in hand is worth two in the bush and destroying present achievements and hoping that better alternatives could exist in future simply looks irrational. Children can be allowed to go to school; business persons effect their transactions while the politicians play out their differences without holding innocent Cameroonians hostage. The exchange of ideas between members of the delegation and the population equally meant creating room for all those who had any positive proposals for a strong and progressive country to bring them forward. People may disagree to agree, but the bottom-line must not be total disruption of existing values and complete mistrust. There are certainly artificial realities that are being made to conflict with the intrinsic state of affairs in the country but every contribution that can add to enabling the true strength of Cameroon to blossom will be welcome.