Southern West Cameroon Revisited (1950-1972) Volume One: Unveiling Inescapable Traps

Chapter 9 - Malcolm Milne: “Dr. Jerkyll and Mr. Hyde ”

227 Chapter 9 Malcolm Milne: “D Dr. Jerkyll and Mr. Hyde” The “Nadir”: Malcolm Milne Awful Disclosures In essence, the “Nadir comprises historically contextualised excerpts from Malcolm Milne’s rich autobiography entitled: No Telephone to Heaven – From Apex to Nadir- Colonial Service in Nigeria, Eden, the Cameroons and the Gold Coast.”356 The entire volume recounts his experiences in the British colonial service but the focus here is on his time in Southern Cameroons, which saw the end of his life in the colonial service. It is therefore, also, a sort of comparative account of his life in Southern Cameroons relative to the other colonial experiences. Southern Cameroons was his last posting and it was his lot to preside over the closing of a glorious epoch in the history of the British Empire and, it is these bitter – sweet memories that constitute the contents of this epic account. In all, he is left to speak in a historical perspective encompassing his exploits together with those of his colleagues in the colonial service as well as the Southern Cameroonian politicians and people with whom he interacted in all capacities. As it turns out it is an exposition of Malcolm Milne’s: regrets, disclosures, fears, apologies, contradictions, explanations, admissions, confessions, lessons learnt and to learn, and reaffirmations of the revelations of the macabre goings on in the British colonial service in the Southern Cameroons, later confirmed almost in toto in the declassified British secret papers. For these latter, he says he has no regrets and no apologies to make and so in one word affirms the ugly utterances contained therein.357 356For details see Johnson, Part II; Edwin Ardener, “The Kamerun Idea” West Africa, June 7and 14, 1958; Ardener, EO Coastal Bantu of the Cameroons, Part XI, Daryll Forde, ed.( London, International African institute),p.434. 357Ibid. 228 Writing his report was Malcolm Milne’s last act on his last day; in the small hours of 1 October 1961, as he grappled with drafting, “a telegram for Eastwood on Field’s departure and Ahidjo’s take-over.”358 This was a historic function he had solemnly executed that evening; watching the Union Jack lowered for the last time and the Green, Red and Yellow striped flag with two gold stars that ushered in the brand new “Federal Republic of Cameroon”, raised for the first time that evening at Tiko International Airport. Something “miraculous” happened, on his being conferred the reins of power as Acting Commissioner of Southern Cameroons. All of a sudden, the scales of deceit fell from his eyes and Malcolm Milne in that brief moment of truth, heartily regretted and fervently rather poetically and emotionally confessed: That afternoon of 30th September had been exceptionally brilliant. There weren’t many days in the year Ambas Bay could be like that. But l for one – and l think others of my colleagues as well - felt that the beauty of the scene was an ironic comment on what we’d been up to rather than a sign of approbation for what we’d done. May be we’d let “these nice little people down “to use Foley Newn’s words and one day would rue it.359 The last sentence of this heavily loaded quotation is all that is required in the close to the 500 page volume to drive home the topical message of Malcolm Milne’s regret, apology and confession not only for himself but for the entire British colonial establishment of the mess they had made of their watch over Southern Cameroons after forty years of administration. Yet, this is not all, in a vain search for an explanation, Malcolm Milne continues: We’d come to the end of a pretty sorry saga. We had - obedient to orders – given away what once we’d been charged with constructing. On the other hand none of us felt competent to question the orders emanating from cabinet level; our experience 358Ibid., p. 447. 359Ibid. 229 had always been that such orders, based upon all the facts were correct, infallible.360 Apparently these are not crocodile’s tears, but genuine as they were, they were being shed over spilt milk; closing the stable door after the horse had escaped. In other words, as indicated in the preface to Malcolm Milne’s book by Kirk Green, the Holy Spirit had all of a sudden happened on Malcolm Milne and providentially he saw the...