Snapshots: An X-ray of Cameroon�s Democracy, Governance and Unification

19. ‘Pa Foncha was a Freedom Fighter’

69 19 ‘Pa Foncha was a Freedom Fighter’ Monday, April 26, 1999 Dr. J.N. Foncha popularly known as” Little John” died at the ripe old age of 83 having abandoned his old political robes in the spirit of a true prophet of the Southern Cameroons renaissance. In June 1990, after watching with grudging acquiescence for close to three decades the political emasculation and economic subjugation of his people, Foncha, prompted by the brutal killing of six innocent civilians during the launching of the SDF on May 26th 1990 wrote his letter of resignation from the CPDM and probably bequeathed to us the most eloquent testimony of his re-unification mission: “‘…The Anglophone Cameroonians whom I brought into the union have been ridiculed and referred to as ‘les Biafrais’ … ‘les Enemis Dans la Maison’ … ‘les Traitres’ etc. and the constitutional provisions which protected this Anglophone minority have been suppressed, their voices drowned while the rule of the gun has replaced the dialogue which the Anglophones cherish very much.it was understood at the time of unification that ‘…there would be no arrogant and selfish majority and a suffering and cringing minority.’” But alas! That vision has been completely distorted, reviled and almost transformed into a nightmarish experience for the Anglophone Cameroonians. After having ensured the political subjugation of the people of Southern Cameroons, the arrogant and selfish Francophone majority proceeded with the economic spoliation of their territory, closure of corporations like WCDA, the Produce Marketing Board, the Victoria/Tiko Ports etc. and today with the sale of the Cameroon development Corporation (CDC) looming in the horizon, the scales have begun to fall. The deliberate exclusion of Southern Cameroonians from certain government positions such as Minister of 70 Finance, Defence or Secretary General at the Presidency (even Ephraim Inoni who has been ASG for almost a decade now cannot tell us he is doing fine) is a constant reminder to Anglophones that they don’t belong. We have had occasion before to warn the Anglophones about the magical spell that held the Jews in total disbelief about Hitler’s diabolical intentions until the holocaust finally descended on them like a plague from the skies. We are not prophets of doom but the reality is there for everybody to see; the government of La République with the backing of France has drawn up a master plan for the gradual and systematic assimilation of Anglophones that would naturally culminate with the disappearance of their distinct society. Is it an accident of history that the upper echelons of government, the civil service, the military, the diplomatic corps and civil society in short? Consider the following: - 2 out of 58 SDO’s are Anglophones - Ambassadors to big English speaking countries like Nigeria. Britain and USA are all Francophone - Do you know of any Anglophone businessman of national stature? Our francophone brothers would simply like us to believe that they are even helping us to get along as if we represented an economic burden to the nation whereas the facts prove the contrary. Charles Assale, former Premier of East Cameroon declared recently that he used to carry cash to Buea from Yaounde to give late Pa Foncha since the West Cameroon Government was virtually crippled financially. However, as M. Vewesse, President of the Fako Worker’s Union pointed out in his timely rejoinder (The Post…) the West Cameroon Government with an annual revenue of 2 billion francs was able to meet up with all its commitments including pension benefits, farmers’ produce, subventions for school etc. etc. Today for example, we know the colossal sum of one billion francs leaves the Buea treasury every week for Yaounde. 71 The fact that Foncha, father of unification, became one of the frontline leaders opposed to it before his death is such a central element in any assessment of the man’s political career that no amount of political manipulation can minimize the unbridgeable gap that existed between the elderly politician and the authorities of La République du Cameroun. So disgusted was he that in one of his last interviews, he bemoaned the fate of the Bamenda 57 who have been held incommunicado in Yaounde since the so-called terrorist attacks in North West Province (some have even died) and simply concluded by saying that things were being done as if there was no government. Just as if they were waiting for him to die, the...