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677 Chapter Thirteen Declassified Secret Files: 1961 News Relay No. 19. Victoria, 4 January, 1961. CIP and YOU on “The Future of the Southern Cameroons”. We all remember the story of the king who loved beautiful clothes. We remember also how he was approached by two strange men who promised to weave for him the kind of cloth no one had ever seen before, and how for days and weeks these men pretended they were weaving the cloth. Then came the day the king was to wear the regal gown made out of the cloth. But prior to all this excitement about the strange clothes, it was announced that the cloth could not be visible to foolish men. Fear of being called foolish prevented the king’s officers and subjects from admitting that in fact they could see no cloth. And so the day came when the king wore the outspoke [sic] tailored gown and led a processional march round the town. Although the king was stark-naked yet everyone applauded him and exclaimed how beautiful the king looked in his new gown. A little boy, innocent in his curiosity, could not understand why the king was walking about naked, and started shouting, “ho, ho, the king, the king, look he is naked”. It was then that the scales fell off the peoples’ eyes, but the damage had been done and it was now too late to cover the king’s nakedness. I recall this story because people are saying that the CIP [Cameroons Indigenes Party] are late with their policy of “Independence for the SC (Southern Cameroons)” since there will be no third box at the plebiscite. But the CIP say that the only time it would be late to demand Independence would be after the plebiscite. Because after the plebiscite, it could either mean joining Nigeria or joining the CR (Cameroun Republic) and there will be no opportunity for anyone to demand a review of his or her decision. Foncha and his mean preach to the people about the wonderful constitution the CR will offer us if we join them. Yet up to now no one, even Foncha himself, has the inkiest idea of the type of constitution that is being offered us. This CR’s constitution is like the strange cloth in the story above. We are told that the constitution is there but only those who are ‘Wise’ can see it. Some people, therefore, who do not want to be called foolish have applauded the invisible constitution and spoken charmingly about it. We who are “Foolish” fail to see the constitution and 678 The Secrets of an Aborted Decolonisation we point out to our supporters that in fact there is no constitution. It is a “Naked” constitution according to the story just related, a constitution you can see through. The nakedness of the constitution is confirmed by Foncha himself when he calls it “Draft Proposals”. I call it “Draft Proposals” because a constitution is a document [Page 2 of this two-page document lost]. *** KAMERUN TIMES Vol. 1 No. 6 Victoria Saturday 14 January 1961 Two pence UNITED KAMERUN: K.N.D.P. Constitutional Proposals on Unification Out On the 11th February a plebiscite will be conducted in the Southern and Northern Cameroons to decide the political future of these territories when the people when the people will be asked to choose to achieve independence by joining the independent Federation of Nigeria or by joining the independent Republic of Cameroun. The first alternative is championed by the C.P.N.C. and the second alternative (joining the Republic of Cameroun) is advocated by the K.N.D.P. On 17th October, 1960, in a joint communiqué issued by the President and Prime Minister of the Republic of Cameroun and Mr. Foncha, the Premier of the Southern Cameroons in his capacity as leader of the Government party, the following outline proposals for a draft constitution were made. The unified territories of Cameroon should be a Federal Sovereign State outside the British Commonwealth and the French Community; that the unification of all territories on a federal basis must be adapted to the varying conditions of all sections of the Cameroon; that the Federation shall be democratic, and freedom of worship, speech, speech, the press and of movement shall be guaranteed in as far as these rights are exercised within the laws of the Federation; that the Federation shall have a common motto, national anthem and national flag; that...

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