The controversial SCNC national chairman, Ayah Paul Abine who was recently appointed as Deputy Attorney General of the Supreme Court and leader of the People’s Action Party PAP, has in an attempt to explain why President Biya should dialogue with the SCNC, likened Anglophones in Cameroon to the Nigerian terror group Boko Haram.
In an interview with French language newspaper, Le Jour, Ayah who is from every indication, enjoying his new appointment, urged President Biya to dialogue with Anglophones to avoid a situation where they would become radical.
This, he said, is because when Anglophones become radical and turn to violence, some foreigners or groups who might benefit from the uprising will seize the opportunity to achieve what they want. He also said that when the time comes, the group which has been seeking dialogue will be referred to as terrorists.
“Here is a group of citizens who are not happy. For long they have been requesting to dialogue with the powers that be; to expose their grievances, problems and propose a way forward. The categorical and vehement refusal to listen to them will end up radicalizing some members of the group” Ayah said.
Ayah suggested that dialogue with Anglophones could avert further atrocities caused by Boko Haram. “A man of peace does not maintain, but cultivates peace.” he said, adding that most conflicts always end up on a discussion table and that it is wiser to go to the table to avoid the conflict.”
The world ought to learn from the experiences in Afghanistan, Somalia…nothing is solved by force. It is an aberration to declare war against a terror group. One does not go to war with a faceless enemy” he told Le Jour, stressing that a single terrorist is capable of killing several people. Quizzed whether he is Charlie Hebdo, he said “I am for justice and peace.”
The former CPDM Member of Parliament told Le Jour that he would still insist that the CPDM is on the verge of an implosion. That he would not change his views on issues simply because he has been appointed to an influential position. He cited the imprisonment of CPDM bigwigs, sanctions and dismissals by the disciplinary committee of the party as ingredients of the alleged implosion.
