Editorial: Anglophones must resist this new evil - Even with their blood

It is now a matter of public knowledge that in Cameroon, lawyers of the English speaking extraction, particularly those in the North West Region must not make legal submissions in court in the King’s language – the language most familiar in the region.

Yesterday, we reported that North West Lawyers Association, NOWELA, has petitioned the Court in this matter, describing the injunction as an outright infringement on minority rights. At The Cameroon Journal, we’re wondering what the Cameroon Bar Association/Council is up to.

This outcry, ought not to be the burden carried solely by North West lawyers. The Bar Association understands more than anyone else, the linguistic framework that Cameroon was married into or made up of and should be at the forefront of this present neo-colonial danger that a dying Paul Biya’s regime is about establishing.

The Bar is aware that in Cameroon, there exist two linguistic cultural entities – French and English. They understand that from our diverse colonial history and culture, part of the country is English and the other is French. They understand that, no matter the make-up of the central gov’t, no power can impose a language that appears awkward on the other part of the country.

An Anglophone President, cannot by any means compel English upon French Cameroon, vis-visa. At a time when the country has so many problems confronting it, why does the gov’t choose to engage in reforms that have the ability to further destabilize the country?

Besides the Bar Association, Anglophones must rise up like in ‘Opopo’ – one man one power, immediately, to this new challenge. Today it is French in the courts, tomorrow, it will be French in every school, hospitals, public offices etc., etc.

Already, only two days ago, we reported how in the same North West Region, Parent Teachers Associations came out swinging that French student teachers were being posted all over the region to teach students in French and these students have no mastery of the French language.

This surreptitious approach to neo-colonialism by the Biya gov’t must be brought down like a log of wood. Anglophones must rise up to this new challenge. Anglophones must fight this fight the way they fought the attempted extermination of the GCE system in the late 80s.

As per the Anglophone lawyers, we at the Cameroon Journal believe it is high time they stage a major rampage and refuse to go to court until their freedom to practice in the language of their birth is guaranteed – it’s a human rights issue.

In this action, they should make it an added demand that ALL COURT OFFICIALS posted to the two English Speaking regions, as is the case of the Appeal Court in Bamenda, if they cannot communicate fluently in English, they must be withdrawn immediately.

Should the regime fail to redress the situation, Anglophone lawyers shouldn’t hesitate to drag the gov’t to an international court.