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The
Southern Cameroons question is a complex one. It is not like other
liberation struggles that have been recorded by history. It is unique in
the sense that, it is not about obtaining self rule, but restoring it.
Therefore, it must be analyzed using a different brand of lenses.
The
restoration of the independence of Southern Cameroons from a
diplomatic/political perspective will be achieved through a collective
of internal and external actions and efforts.
Am
not gonna bore you or waste time with historical review cos we all
know our true history by now. The only historical point I will allude to
here is the 1953 event in Nigeria where our courageous MP'S walked out
of the Eastern Regional House in Enugu Nigeria when they felt that their
interest as a unique and soveriegn people was not guaranteed.
From
this vantage point, let's break it down to its granularity by looking
at the respective inter and extra efforts but paying more attention to
to the internal angle.
External Efforts and Actions:
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- Continuous pressure on foreign governments, consulates, embassies and international bodies.
- Diplomatic missions to establish friendship and partnership with foreign governments.
-
Continuous global protest actions to keep the Southern Cameroons
question fresh and to remind the world of the dire need to seek a
solution before it degrades into either a genocide or a civil war which
no one knows when it will end.
- The election of a
PM with legitimacy, followed by the putting in place of a government
which will represent the interests of the people of Southern Cameroons.
-The declaration of the restoration of its Independence by the Southern Cameroons government.
-
The creation, formation and training of a legitimate army with the
help of foreign friendly partners. If need be, the declaration of war
against the aggressive and annexationist government of La Republique.
Any declaration of war by the new Southern Cameroons government will be
backed by international laws such as ascribed under Article 51 of the UN
Charter.
-The list of external actions is not exhaustive.
Internal Front - Home Front
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- Ghost Towns - civil disobedience
-Boycott
of all political parties operating in Southern Cameroons until we get
to Buea and establish the rules and regulations of our new democracy.
-Boycott of all "national" events and activities organized by La Republique.
-
Boycott of all French products in the Southern Cameroons and ensuring
that merchants and traders stop importing those products into our land.
-Boycott
the payment of all forms of taxes. Taxation without representation was
one of the major reasons for the American war of Independence against
Britain in the 1776.
-Stopping the flow of our
timber from Ndian and black gold from Victoria into La Republique. The
continuous exploitation of our natural resources without development
is an economic crime. When France and La Republique start loosing money
and feeling the economic impact from our struggle, they will eventually
either succumb to our demands, declare an open war which will put them
in a very bad place internationally or ask for the long awaited
tripartite dialogue (Southern Cameroons, La Republique and a third party
).
The Leadership Vacuum in the Home front and the Return of Hon. Joseph Wirba: A Blessing or a Curse?
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I will keep this part brief and go straight to the point.
When
the Consortium was outlawed and the leaders abducted and jailed while
other went into hiding; it left a leadership impass in the home front.
There was no powerful figure head to be the mouthpiece of the people in
the home. Many turned to Pa Fru Ndi for leadership but quickly found out
that the Chairman's agenda was geared more towards the recuperation
or alternation of power in La Republique than towards self government.
When
Hon. Joseph Wirba erupted at the rostrum of the National parliament
with fire and thunder, he set a new tone and sent shock waves down the
spine of the oppressive regime. His further outings along side Mancho
Bibixy in Kumbo (in complete defiance of the orders from the colonial
slave not to proceed with the event ) reinvigorated the revolutionary
spirit in all Southern Cameroonians.
Fast
forward, the regime saw the warrior MP from Nso as a gigantic threat
and placed an order of arrest and possibly assasination on his head,
forcing the MP to go into hiding and live to fight another day.
While
on exile, the honorable drafted a powerful letter in which he
persuaded his fellow colleagues of the Parliament to withdraw from the
Parliament for the sake of the people. This clarion call fell on the
deaf ears of his greedy and self-centered colleagues.
While
in exile, Hon. Wirba continued to follow the struggle and occasionally
wrote to the people via his Facebook account , condemning acts of
violence and calling for unity. At some point, the honorable completely
went MIA and incognito. Many wondered what had become of the honorable
untill his recent reappearance in the very parliament where he made his
name as an unapologetic representative of the people.
Many
have been quick to take to social media and question the freedom and
ease with which the MP reappeared on the stage of the Parliament
without any government retribution. Rumor has it that the SDF party
negotiated his immunity from arrest. Another rumor has it that the MP
from Nso is compromised and is in bed with the regime because he used
the term "West Cameroon " in his message which denotes his inclination
to Federation and not independence.
My Observations
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It
will be an act of ungratefullness, political dishonesty and blindness
to quickly judge a man who fearlessly challenged the government and went
into forced exile for the sake of his people. Hon. Wirba could have
ran to the US or other foreign embassy to seek political asylum like
other leaders did in the past, but instead, he chose to return to the
home front where the real battle is, to continue to fight for his
people. Although no one knows where he was all these while, but my take
is that Hon. Wirba came back to fill the leadership void in the
homefront.
Diassecting His Message: The key Points
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Hon.
Wirba has not changed his core message. Before going into exile, he
always referred to Southern Cameroons as "West Cameroon". Therefore,
those saying he stands for Federation are not saying anything new. There
are many Southern Cameroonians who stand for a two state Federation, so
the honorable is no exeption. By the way, we've seen many federalists
cross the carpet over to independence recently. So , we need to remain
open minded and continue to win more souls into the independence side of
the carpet with facts and force of arguement rather than insults ,
attacks and below the belt diatribes. In the end, whether we end up with
a two state Federation with equal status or outright self autonomy, we
can count it a win, cos we would have taken our people from a position
of total servitude (under the present political structure) to that of
recognition as a unique people with a unique identity.
Secondly,
instead of focusing on the conditions of Hon. Wirba 's reappearance, we
should focus on the message and the mission of the messenger. When Hon.
Wirba took to the rostrum this time around, he said he has come to
continue from where he left off. If we recall, his last message was a
call to all MP'S of Southern Cameroons extraction to withdraw from the
Parliament. While on the podium, he brought with him a Southern
Cameroons file which he had prepared for discussion and pressured the
Speaker to tell the House when the southern Cameroons question was
going to be deliberated because in his opinion, it was of grave
importance. Hon. Wirba' intention was to make the Southern Cameroons
problem a priority topic of discussion, thereby opening the dialogue
process.
In addition,
following the incessant interruptions by the Speaker of the house, the
MP asked the speaker if representatives from the Southern Cameroons
were not allowed to speak about the plight of their people in the House.
He further retorted that if that was the case, then MP of Southern
Cameroons extraction should go and form their own Parliament where they
can discuss the issues affecting their people. As if that was not
enough, Hon. Wirba challenged the author of the arrest warrant to come
and arrest him on stage. Hon. Wirba's intention was to dare the regime
to arrest him. If this happened or happens, it would attract the
sympathy of other S.Cameroons MP, boost their solidarity and give them
more reason to stage a walk out of the Parliament of La Republique .
Hon. WIRBA is using his position and power to get MP'S to resign from
LRC parliament.
While it
is too premature to jump into conclusions, I remain resolute in my
support for Hon. Wirba until proven otherwise. I see his return as a
blessing to the struggle rather than a curse. Our people now have a
leader to speak for them back home until the final release of the other
leaders. His presence fills up a leadership void in the home front and
hopefully Hon. Wirba will continue to rally the home front as he did in
the past until we get to Buea.
Ray Baba- The Dreamer
