- --Bah Akwen Nadien National President UPC Youth
Wing
Bah
Akwen Nadien is the National President of the Youth wing of the UPC Party in
Cameroon, notably known in French as Jeunesse Démocratique du Cameroun literally
translated in English as “Cameroon’s Democratic Youth.” She is equally a Humanitarian
Aid Personnel, a Human Rights Activist and an Advocate for change in Cameroon.
In an unprecedented declaration she has stated unequivocally that Genuine
Political Transition can only come if English Speaking Cameroonians are given
the Political Powers that were legally theirs from the beginning of the Union
of the two Cameroons. The 1972 Constitution she said made nonsense of the
Federal Constitution and left Anglophones embittered. She said the bitterness
and resentment among Anglophones could only be dampened or quenched if power was
given to them after 60 years of Francophone dominance. She called on Anglophone
elite to rise above manipulated divisiveness and claim the power that legally
belonged to them.
She was
interviewed By Francis Ekongang Nzante.
...............
Many
political minds and a cross section of Patriotic Cameroonians have repeatedly
hammered on the need for Political Transition in Cameroon. They constantly
disagree on the form that such a transition should take. What do you propose?
.....................
Yes
lots of things have been said about the need for Political Transition in
Cameroon but almost no proposals have actually structured a proposed transition
process for the country that is accepted across the various political shades. Transition
simply means change and this comes in two forms. Are we transiting for the
better or for the worse? We need to table these questions before deciding on
the kind of transition that will suit Cameroon. For this to be done we need to
go back to our historical museum. We need to take a look at our history to be
able to shape a meaningful transition.
What
kind of questions are Cameroonians Supposed to be asking themselves?
..............
Cameroonians
need to ask themselves real questions. How did we come together? What problems
have we been facing since we came together and why have we been facing these
problems? We need to go back to our
lives before and after independence. French Cameroon had their Independence in
1960. They established their Constitution and were fine with it. English
Speaking Cameroonians who were administered from Nigeria decided to join French
Speaking Cameroonians in 1961. The terms of this staying together were defined
and adopted at the Foumban Conference. We
lived in harmony and love until 1972 when an unfortunate event took place. The
Federal Constitution was sabotaged. That’s when Cameroon became a disaster. We
are facing the consequences of that violation of the Federal Constitution
today. To go in for the best transition in Cameroon, we must visit the 1961
Constitution which stated that if a French Speaking Cameroonian was the
President then the second in command must be an English Speaking Cameroonian and
that second in command position was called the Prime Minister. But when we look
at the 1972 Constitution and how it was amended, when we look at the 1996 Constitution
we see that everything has been changed. Now there’s no second position for the
English Speaking Cameroonian.
There
has never been any political transition in Cameroon. First there was Ahmadu
Ahidjo's UC Union Camerounaise or CU which existed from 1958 to
1966. Afterwards the name of the party was changed to CNU Cameroon National Union.
The name CNU was used until 1989. The CPDM was created in 1985 but was just a
fraction of the CNU. It was simply rebranding because the content remained the
same. From the CU to the CNU and the CPDM nothing has ever changed in Cameroon.
It has always been the same party with the same content and different names. Transition
should involve a change of content and approach.
.............
Concretely
Speaking how can Political Transition possibly come about in Cameroon?
..................
Power
has over stayed in the hands of French Speaking Cameroonians and needs to come
into the hands of English Speaking Cameroonians. That’s the real transition
that Cameroon needs!
This
Transition needs to be effective. We need to call on all English Speaking Cameroonians
from the Northwest to the Southwest Region to return to normalcy. Recently
we've been observing stigmatisation of Anglophones
by their fellow Anglophones. These are distractions from the ruling government
because they know that Transition is being born. Power needs to go back to
English Speaking Cameroonians. This will be the only way to quench the anger
caused by the Sabotage on the 1961 Constitution in 1972.
Some
have said Power needs to go back to the North....
It is
wrong to put English Speaking Cameroonians on the same footing with the Grand
Nord. The Northern Regions are part of French Cameroon and it should be
recalled that it was the French Cameroon on the one hand and English Cameroons (Southern
Cameroons) on the other hand who came together on the bases of two equal
entities.
The
1972 Constitution took away the second position of the Prime Minister and gave
it to the President of the Senate. Furthermore the President can consult the
President of the Constitutional Council in case of problems surpassing his
understanding. He doesn’t consult the Prime Minister because the Prime Minister
has no powers. This same Constitution tells us that Prime Minister is the Head
of Government and has the powers to propose but not to install. He can propose
to the President who may accept or reject.
Anglophones
in Cameroon should go above the divisive manipulations of the Yaounde Regime
and reclaim the power that is their legal right in Cameroon.
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