"Separatists should Reorientate their Focus towards a Two State Federation"

-Senator Kinyang George 

 Senator Kinyang George, a Cameroonian Politician and Legal Luminary has sent a strong appeal to Separatists especially those fighting in the bushes to reorientate their focus and consider the proposal of a Two State Federation. He explains that for the attention of the international community to be attracted, Anglophones need to speak the same Language. He further states that Seperatists Fighters don't have the means to succesfully wage a war of secession. He also recently started the Tour of Bui  with Noni, one of the three ethnic groupings that make up Bui Division. This saw him convening the Noni Reflection Forum in Yaounde which came out with resolutions that are already being implemented through committees that were created. Senator Kinyang George proceeded to meet with Traditional leaders or Nfons from Noni. In this interview the Senator doesn't only tell us about grounds so far covered in Bui Division but also presents his stand on the Twin Elections in Cameroon. He begins by talking about the grounds so far covered in Bui Division.

"The first issue is that we have made the Noni People to understand that they need to love themselves and that they need to talk Noni and not Djottin, Lasn, Nkor or Din. When you get to the Noni Forum on WhatsApp you will notice that they now talk much more about unity and development. This shows that the Noni Reflection Forum was a success. The forum was called to address the issue of antagonism between the Noni People. We are now focused and prepared to act as one people in the interest of Noni. After the meeting in Yaounde, I held a meeting with the Traditional Rulers of Noni on the instructions of the Yaounde Forum. The Nfons came to Bamenda and we met and talked on development issues and on ways to take Noni forward. We talked on ways to bring peace back to Noni. If there is a problem and there is fighting, it should not divide us as Noni People. It shouldn't kill the love and unity that we once shared as a people. The roads that were blocked by Amba Boys have now been opened and vehicles are now going everywhere in the land. Transportation is once more fluid in Noni. Amba Boys have been made to understand that although they are fighting an Anglophone course, they shouldn't destroy society by obstructing development while doing so. There is a problem but while we look for ways to solve that problem, we should not be self destructive. We have told them that kidnapping is not a solution to our problems. We also hope they should listen to us so that Noni children should be given a chance to go to school. The Yaounde Brainstorming Forum is yielding fruits."

What are the main problems facing Bui Division today and what do you think are the solutions to these problems?

The main problem facing Bui Division is lack of unity. They don't act as people from the same Division. I have six Subdivisions under my controle and my main aim is to bridge the divisions that exist between these subdivisions. We should act as one person focusing on development. From Noni, I will be moving to Oku with the same message of Unity, Peace and Development. From there I will move to Nkum and eventually to Kumbo, the big brother of Bui Division. My tour will ofcourse take me to Jakiri and Mbiame. All of these areas must be covered before the end of my mandate to make sure that there is real development. We should take advantage of the new law. It may not be perfect but we should try to see how we can exploit it in the interest of the Bui people. 

You recently responded to a call from the Nkum People. What was it all about?

One of their counsellors drew my attention to the fact that their health center was dilapidated and needed a facelift. So we sent them 45 cartoons of Medical Equipment and did the same thing for the Nkor Subdivisional Hospital. Still in Nkum an initiative to help internally displaced people wrote to me requesting help. I sent them a package which I think has been helpful. There have been many interventions of this nature. Help individually and collectively has been extended to the Bui People in Prison in Yaounde. There is the case of one Ngalim Felix who was there and needed to be operated upon but hadn't the means. We had to make a move to help him get out of Hospital. The people should know that the Senator is there with an intervention fund. It is not a fund for micro projects but for intervention to help individuals, groups of people and villages. SDF has also greatly suffered from the hands of kidnappers and we have spent a lot of resources in this light. 

Lots of IDPs from Bui are in towns all over Cameroon. We understand you reached out with some assistance to some of them.

Yes. What we have in package for these interventions is not enough so we try to do the best we can do. I am also trying to use my nephew who is running a Medical Laboratory in Douala. We are looking for ways to help the IDPs especially those who are sick. We offer them help at the Laboratory for free laboratory tests to be carried out. We are also concerned with Education and are doing much in this direction. We have been giving out scholarships. I am Senator for the Northwest Region from the Bui Constituency. I fellowship at the Mabanda Baptist Church in Douala and there I decided to give Scholarships to the underprivileged beginning from the Pre Nursery to Primary Six. With the Rev. Pastor we have arranged to get to the poorest in every class. We've been helping these children for the past three years. Though I am Senator for Bui, I am Senator for the nation as well. 

Many people criticise the bills that were recently passed in Parliament and forced through the Senate. What's your take on this?

The Bill on Bilingualism was bad law and you will notice that it was rejected by all Parliamentarians both from the ruling party and the Opposition. The fact that all of us rejected that Bill and it was still promulgated by the Head of State has no respect for the Anglophones. A law which says a Magistrate can give a judgement in French in English Speaking Cameroon clearly disrespects the English Common Law. At the Major National it was aknowledged that the Common Law is very distinct from the Civil Law and that it has specifications that are not in the Civil Law and we agreed that it should be handled separately from the Civil Law. We were surprised that they would use the issue of Cameroon being a Bilingual Country to say that a judgement could be issued in the Common Law Jurisdiction in French. It was another aspect of subjugation which we decried. 

Secondly there is the Law on Regional and Local Authorities in which they say article 327 and 328 have given the Anglophones a Special Status in comformity with section 62 Sub 2 of the Constitution. That is fake and there is nothing of that sort. I told the Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development that it is fake and that is nothing like Special Status for Anglophones. Because in a Special Status we maybe talking about something which is similar to 1961 Federal System of Government which we enjoyed at the time when we resolved to join our Francophone brothers. At that time we had a Prime Minister, a Government, Police force, a Legislative Body and were functioning as a State under a Federal System with Equal Status. The Judicial Committee which I was a member during the Major National Dialogue together with the Minister of Justice strongly Advised the Head of State to declare a cease fire and to grant pardon and Armnesty. They didn't do this but instead brought in a funny law referring to it as Special Status to a people who do not have the powers to legislate. A people who do not have the power to construct their own regions. The people have not been given the powers to say legislation on Common Law and our educational system that the state may consult to legislate on our educational system. So where is the Special Status? If we do not have the powers to legislate or construct our own regions then there is no Special Status. The House of Chiefs is a Sharm and there is nothing there that will create any development to improve the wellbeing of the chiefs. The same Governors, SDOs, DOs that were imposed on us are still there performing the same duties and responsibilities. When the Regional and Local Authorities sit and deliberate, they will have to subject their reports to the Governor. The Governor can decide to frustrate everything if he is not satisfied with it. Even if it gets to the Presidency and the President is not satisfied with the recommendations, it will stay in the drawers. Special Status is a deception, nothing has changed.

Don't you think there is a certain lack of understanding of the stance of the SDF?

It is true that SDF has not officially come out with a position. In our internal forums I have been very disturbed about this situation. Me as Senator and as an individual, I have my position. My position is that I am not going to participate in the elections. I will not expose my people to go and be killed. One soul lost in Bui is too much for me. The SDF's Participation in this fake elections will not be in the interest of the party. This will simply give an endorsement to the credibility of the CPDM. I will not be part of this endorsement. I know my population in Bui and I know that they will not come out to vote. 

Do you have any special message?

I am sending a message to our brothers and sisters in the Northwest and Southwest who are fighting. They a reorientation. They have seen the position of the US which states that there will be no secession. We know that secession does not depend on the US but on us. But I am saying that at the moment the means to fight and get secession are not there. People have died and the Northwest and Southwest Regions have been destroyed. So I am begging that the position of the SDF which is a Two State Federation as at 1961 be considered. The Chairman has echoed this in all the Fora that he has addressed. This position should be considered. Let the Amba fighters reorientate their focus. We need the support of the Internal Community and when we are talking a different Language and they are talking a different Language, it gives power to the state. This proposal of a Two State Federation is some thing we should seriousl consider as we get into 2020.

Interviewed By Francis Ekongang