“A Cease Fire Should be Declared Since War was Declared”
-Ngufor Peter Njontor
By Francis Ekongang Nzante
A bigwig of the ruling CPDM Party and a Seniour citizen from the North West Region of Cameroon has urged the Head of State President Paul Biya to formally call for a Cease Fire. He said since war was formally declared, a Cease Fire should equally be formally declared by the quarters that declared war. In this manner the boys in the bushes will have no justification to remain there.
Mr Ngufor Peter Njontor, the CEO of Farmer’s House was speaking recently in an interview he accorded a battery of Journalists at his Bamenda residence. He amongst other things said that the declaration of war was a big mistake and uncalled for. The price being paid now for such a mistake was too high in terms of human life and economic consequences.
Mentioning the Cameroon Development Corporation CDC, the second national employer after the Government, he said the crisis had sent most of the CDC workers onto the streets to join others who'd lost their jobs in other sectors because of the crisis. He referred to the war as senseless and called on the powers that be to sit up and bring these disturbances to an end.
Dueling on the Musonge Commission he said it was the ideal Institution that could be used to calm down the situation considering the fact that the English and French Cameroons had two cultures. The Bilingualism and multiculturalism Commission if permitted to do it’s work through the creation of an enabling environment could contribute towards bringing the crisis to an end.
“I think the Musonge Commission is coming in late but it’s better late than never. They have a lot of work to do and I am glad that they are working hard and touching all the corners of the country and not just the English Speaking Regions. It has to do with mindset not only in the English-Speaking Regions but the whole country. They have to change the mindset of Cameroonians and I think they are doing that. It needs time for the effect of their work to be felt. I think that’s the best structure that has ever been created since the reunification of the two Cameroons.”
He urged the Government to give the Musonge Commission a freehand not only to do what they have been doing but to be able to punish who ever contravenes their charter. For the crisis to be brought to an end it will “need some pronouncements from the Head of State.”
Harping on the Reconstruction of the North West and South West Regions he said it was like putting the cart before the horse suggesting that everything should have started with the declaration of a cease fire because “you cannot be reconstructing on one side and destroying on the other side. We should go back to the drawing board and do first things first. The Cease Fire should be declared because a war was declared by the Head of State. I don’t think I am the only one who heard. If a formal Cease Fire is declared it will be respected that I can assure you. If a cease fire is declared those in the bush will be helpless because they will not be able to justify why they are in the bush” he said.
Comparing the war in the sixties with the present crisis he said the war in the sixties was a war of independence which was achieved. “This one is a fight for Cultural identity and it’s between brothers and should not take the form of war but should rather take the form of dialogue and negotiation. We have spent sixty years trying to outsmart each other. It’s a wrong approach and I think we should go back to the drawing board.”
As someone in the Agricultural Sector Peter Ngufor conceded that Farmers House has been greatly affected by the Crisis. Farmers he said could no longer cultivate freely due to security problems and can’t move freely. “Sometimes we have orders from clients but are unable to supply. This affects all sectors especially Agriculture. Education has also been greatly affected and children have wasted many years. I just hope we come to our senses and call this damn thing off. We have a common goal and that’s the development of our country.”
President Paul Biya he said just inherited a mess that was put in place by President Ahidjo. “President Ahidjo thought since he had fought against terrorists in the past, he could transform Anglophones into terrorists and fight them and this is indeed stupid. He wanted to set up an Empire because when you look at his Presidential Palace you will see that it was build in the sense of a Kingdom and where do you go with Kindoms in this day and age?”
Ngufor Peter Njontor said the Powers that be are guilty of the present problem because they tried to solve it using very old methods inherited from the Ahidjo Regime. “Unfortunately a lot of innocent blood has been spilt. Instead of crying over spilled milk let us call the damn thing off and permit the nation to start again. We all made a mistake. When I say “we” I mean us as a nation. Rather than assimilate we should have tried to merge the cultures 60 years ago! That’s why the Musonge Commission is a very important tool in this sense. Let them have a free hand and be allowed to work. Before long, we will all come to our senses I can assure you.” With the merging of cultures Cameroonians will simply be Cameroonians speaking both English and French Languages with a unique culture which is a blend of both cultures. “A unique Cameroonian Culture will give Cameroonians a reasonable degree of confidence in their nation. The high degree of embezzlement among Cameroonians is due to this feeling of insecurity.”
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