Upholding the truth during consultations with the prime minister over the Anglophone Crisis is a hard trick for many leaders. But a few of them are illustrious, hard-talking the truth. That includes Elhaj Lawan Bako, chairman of the opposition UDP party. His was received on 18 September. “We told the PM the truth and nothing but the truth” Bako told the Voice in an exclusive press chat in Yaounde.
According to him, the present situation in the two English speaking regions persistently been wrongly diagnosed in the last three years. What’s more, the wrong medicine is being used to cure a chronic disease.
The consequence is that the problem has refused to go since 2017. To illustrate his argument, Bako asked rhetorically:
“Look at the ridiculous back to school campaigns from 2017 to 2019 that failed woefully. Who told them that children were not going to school because they lacked pens, book and bags?
” He went further: “Just the idea that after the presidential speech a serious ghost town was experienced within the next two days to let you know that the people did not receive that speech with a clear mind. There are other issues they were expecting to hear from the president’s speech.”
Dialogue is the only crucial item the United Democratic Party harvested from the president’s pronouncements, Bako said. He was tickled by the head of state’s declaration that he did not have enough posts to satisfy all the regions, divisions and subdivisions and families.
“I asked myself how come some divisions have more than 4, 3, 2 ministries to manage in the government, whereas a division like Boyo, Menchum and Bui do not have a representative in the government? So it was a wrong message, and I told the PM that the Head of State has to correct such things.
“Anyway, we were not there to talk about position but we were to talk generally on the marginalization in the Cameroonian community in all aspects. The situation of marginalization I told him, started long time ago.
That is why this agitation started in 1984 when Fon Gorji Dinka launched the Ambazonia and he came out with a document or a book called ‘Social Order’ and presented all these things there.
This government has been an aggressive and anti-people government. If not so, they would have long addressed the issue. I told the PM it’s time for him, he is very pragmatic, he knows what is happening. Let him tell the head of state the truth; so that we can solve this problem once and for all.
And I added that you cannot go and make a statement over the radio or television and ask children to lay down their arms. To lay down those arms takes more than radio or television messages.
After all, how do you ask someone to lay down arms whereas he bought those arms and you are not the one who gave it to him? So, it needs a proper negotiation to arrive at that point. And I told him how he can go about it.
Another point I can’t explain here is the paper which I am going to present at the dialogue proper but I told the head of government the true feelings of the grassroots. And I said the
grassroots are the key.
They should stop blaming the diaspora. Because the diaspora could not just send a message and people respected without strong attachment to their ideals.
And I asked them, if small young boys in the diaspora send messages to people at home and they embrace it like the 3 weeks lock down; and they ignore appeals of the ministers, then those ministers should examine themselves. There is something seriously wrong with them.
“And after the Head of State’s speech the lock down continued to another level. So it is time for us now to have a proper diagnosis so as to administer real medicine to the people. But the aspirations of the people should be the first thing to think about and then address this situation once and for all.”
QUESTION: Do you think there is something extra which needs to be done for genuine dialogue to take place…
…why not? There are many things that need to be done before the day of dialogue. But no problem.
The PM is very pragmatic he’s consulting other people. But during the dialogue proper many grievances shall be presented by the UDP and others.
And the only thing I advised the PM the most important achievement will be the implementation of the resolutions that will be adopted thereafter.
You sound so genuine in what you told the PM but out there many people think that the government is talking to itself…
Well at this crucial moment, I don’t think that there is any Cameroonian whether the priest or whoever that can claim to be neutral. There is none. The most important thing is that let us seize this opportunity and present our grievances.
If the government had thought about this dialogue much earlier, things would have been different. They were dragging their feet for reasons I don’t know.
But maybe you know that in every government all over the world they always have the so called hawks which I can describe as extremists.
They are always present in every government but the Head of state should be above such people because this dialogue he accepted and even called there are some members of the government who do not even want it.
They will want to derail the Head of state by saying that dialogue will do so and so and they will continue to tell the head of state not to accept some resolutions in that dialogue.
That’s why I told the PM to tell the Head of state to be very careful because there are some people pretending to be following him meanwhile they are chasing him.
How inclusive should this dialogue be, which group do you think should be left out?
I don’t think there is any group the PM has not talked to. He has talked to political parties in and out of parliament. He has talked to regional authorities; leaders from various active forces in the country.
So I don’t think there is any group left out. I think it is only this from the diaspora which I think the head of state has said he will send a delegation to talk with them.
The most important thing is to address the root causes of all this situation so that people won’t carry us to the past again.
Those in prisons, do they have a voice?
Why not? They will have a voice but we are speaking on their behalf. Let me assure you that some of us are speaking their minds and I think at the end of the day, the president will do something to liberate them.
When you look at the 1991 tripartite conference are you concerned with the possible outcome of this grand dialogue?
Why not, I participated in the 1991 dialogue. I gave good advice. The only problem is that the resolution of the 1991 dialogue was never implemented because SDF refused to sign it.
And those people who did not even like the resolutions in the government took advantage of the SDF not signing it to tell president not to implement all the points taken out from that dialogue.
The only thing that they took from it was the vision of the Constitution of 1996. That is just what they did but even in that resolution the Constitution was not actually implemented in the way that others have proposed but no problem.
We are moving forward and that is good because we continue to tell the president the truth and I believe he is somebody who listens and he will listen well because I have said it time without number that he should not allow people to damage his legacy.
And I know he will listen to our presentation, especially the one I am going to present because I’m not flattering him. I am telling him the truth to help him help this country and help the people of this country.