Group launches fierce campaign for Anglophone presidency!
By Mua Patrick Mughe in Yaounde
A group known as the Association
of Cameroon Journalists for Justice has launched a vociferous online campaign
with the attendant goal of mobilizing support for an Anglophone to become the
next president of the Republic of Cameroon.
Initiator of the campaign,
Colbert Gwain Fulai, who is a journalist, human rights activist and founder of
a Bamenda-based non-governmental organisation known as Common Future, has also outlined ten reasons why for over 50 years
of Cameroon’s existence as an independent nation, the baton of command at the helm
of the state should be handed to someone from either the North West or South
West regions of the country.
The campaign which has
lasted for just about two weeks now, The
Guardian Post gathered, has so far mobilised more than 1,000 signatures and
counting.
It is not clear when the
presidential elections would be held (normally it should be in 2018 when Biya’s
current seven-year mandate ends), but the campaigners are optimistic that by
the time the polls are announced, the signatures of endorsement should be in their
millions.
The call for an Anglophone
as next president is understandably gaining steam in the English-speaking part
of the country as those by militants of the Cameroon People’s Democratic
Movement, CPDM, for the incumbent President Paul Biya to put forth his
candidature are apparently on a denouement.
One of the reasons why an Anglophone
should be the next president, the campaigners argue, is that should power
remain in the south like it has been in the hands of Biya in the last three
decades; the grand north would continue to remain disgruntled and that could be
a template for veritable chaos sooner or later. Thus the logic of their
argument is that for long term peace and unity to be guaranteed, it would be
better if an Anglophone, who would be seen as a neutral party took over power.
It should be noted that this
is not the first call from a group for an Anglophone presidency. Last month, for
instance, the South West Elite Association, SWELA, meeting in the South West chief
town of Buea, made a similar call, which was sharply at variance with calls
from some CPDM bigwigs from the same region who think Biya still remains the
best man to rule Cameroon.
Below
is a full text of the latest campaign for an anglophone presidency launched by
the association of journalists for justice.
-Considering the decisive role Anglophones have played since independence for the unity and stability of Cameroon;
-Cognizant of the fact that Cameroon’s reunification was largely articulated by Southern Cameroons leaders backed by its teaming youth both at home and in the Diaspora;
-Given the fact that since Southern Cameroons independence by joining La Republique and after the plebiscite, no Anglophone has been President of the United Cameroon;
-Considering the fact that two francophone Presidents have successively ruled Cameroon since independence and subsequent reunification;
-Cognizant of the fact that the nation, as one, celebrated the golden jubilee of independence in Yaoundé in 2010, the golden jubilee of the Army in Bamenda in 2010, the golden jubilee of Reunification in Buea in 2014, and celebrated the golden jubilee of the Youth Day this 2016 in harmony;
-Given the fact that Cameroon is made up of two distinct linguistic and cultural entities, that is, Anglo-Saxon and French entities that make of Cameroon’s uniqueness;
-Considering that despite giving their all for the edification of a united Cameroon, Anglophones have rather suffered untold structural injustices thereby making them have the general perception that they are treated as second class citizens or a marginalized people when the constitution states that Anglophones and Francophones came together as equals;
-Given that Anglophone Cameroonians made enormous sacrifices in the advent of the reintroduction of multi-parties and democracy in Cameroon in the 90s;
-Considering the mounting insecurity brought about by the extremist sect [Boko Haram] and given the rise of extremist voices in Anglophone Cameroon since the Buea AAC 1 in 1994, like SCNC, SCAPO, SOCALIM, UNO State, etc, all seeking for complete secession from mainstream Cameroon because of prolonged structural injustices meted on them by successive francophone administrations;
Well-meaning Anglophone Cameroonians make this People’s Call as the surest and safest way to keep Cameroon stable and united.
We call on Cameroonians across-the-board who are interested in seeing a strong and united Cameroon ready to emerge in 2035, to join hands in making sure an Anglophone takes up Cameroon’s Presidency in the forthcoming presidential election.
That the Anglophone candidate be it from the ruling CPDM or opposition coalition MUST have been born after independence and is at the same time perfectly bilingual and ready to safeguard the two sub-systems of education.
That by Anglophone, we mean someone born of parents from either the South West or North West regions and raised strictly in the Anglo-Saxon tradition.
That the next presidential polls should mark the beginning of a ROTATORY Presidency between Anglophones and Francophones for an exemplary and inclusive Cameroon where everybody is part of the building blocks.
If you believe that Anglophone Cameroonians have been ‘heirs in waiting’ for the past more than 50 years of independence, kindly take part in this campaign whose results would be presented to parliamentarians during the March Session of parliament. Show your commitment to this campaign by going to our #Anglophone4Presidency2018# to sign up.
Also send all correspondences concerning this campaign to anglophone4presidency18@gmail.com or colbertgwain@yahoo.fr
Done this day in Bamenda 10/02/16
Gwain Colbert
Campaigner
-Considering the decisive role Anglophones have played since independence for the unity and stability of Cameroon;
-Cognizant of the fact that Cameroon’s reunification was largely articulated by Southern Cameroons leaders backed by its teaming youth both at home and in the Diaspora;
-Given the fact that since Southern Cameroons independence by joining La Republique and after the plebiscite, no Anglophone has been President of the United Cameroon;
-Considering the fact that two francophone Presidents have successively ruled Cameroon since independence and subsequent reunification;
-Cognizant of the fact that the nation, as one, celebrated the golden jubilee of independence in Yaoundé in 2010, the golden jubilee of the Army in Bamenda in 2010, the golden jubilee of Reunification in Buea in 2014, and celebrated the golden jubilee of the Youth Day this 2016 in harmony;
-Given the fact that Cameroon is made up of two distinct linguistic and cultural entities, that is, Anglo-Saxon and French entities that make of Cameroon’s uniqueness;
-Considering that despite giving their all for the edification of a united Cameroon, Anglophones have rather suffered untold structural injustices thereby making them have the general perception that they are treated as second class citizens or a marginalized people when the constitution states that Anglophones and Francophones came together as equals;
-Given that Anglophone Cameroonians made enormous sacrifices in the advent of the reintroduction of multi-parties and democracy in Cameroon in the 90s;
-Considering the mounting insecurity brought about by the extremist sect [Boko Haram] and given the rise of extremist voices in Anglophone Cameroon since the Buea AAC 1 in 1994, like SCNC, SCAPO, SOCALIM, UNO State, etc, all seeking for complete secession from mainstream Cameroon because of prolonged structural injustices meted on them by successive francophone administrations;
Well-meaning Anglophone Cameroonians make this People’s Call as the surest and safest way to keep Cameroon stable and united.
We call on Cameroonians across-the-board who are interested in seeing a strong and united Cameroon ready to emerge in 2035, to join hands in making sure an Anglophone takes up Cameroon’s Presidency in the forthcoming presidential election.
That the Anglophone candidate be it from the ruling CPDM or opposition coalition MUST have been born after independence and is at the same time perfectly bilingual and ready to safeguard the two sub-systems of education.
That by Anglophone, we mean someone born of parents from either the South West or North West regions and raised strictly in the Anglo-Saxon tradition.
That the next presidential polls should mark the beginning of a ROTATORY Presidency between Anglophones and Francophones for an exemplary and inclusive Cameroon where everybody is part of the building blocks.
If you believe that Anglophone Cameroonians have been ‘heirs in waiting’ for the past more than 50 years of independence, kindly take part in this campaign whose results would be presented to parliamentarians during the March Session of parliament. Show your commitment to this campaign by going to our #Anglophone4Presidency2018# to sign up.
Also send all correspondences concerning this campaign to anglophone4presidency18@gmail.com or colbertgwain@yahoo.fr
Done this day in Bamenda 10/02/16
Gwain Colbert
Campaigner
Comments
Post a Comment