Southern Cameroons Online Referendum: The Results

1st October 1961: Independence or Assimilation ?

What the online poll says

On 11th February 1961, British Southern Cameroons in a UN sponsored plebiscite voted to express the intention of joining the independent Republic of Cameroun or the Federal Republic of Nigeria based on certain terms. Southern Cameroonians voted massively to engage in a union of two states equal in status. A lot of history has been said concerning this, but the bottom line is that, the Union has not been "consummated".

On September 30th, 1961, British forces scrupulously left Southern Cameroons and La  Republique forces took over on 1st October. From 1st October 1961, Southern Cameroons have been under annexation, assimilation and total marginalisation from the Biya regime. Within the past years and months, several groups have spoken vocally against the assimilation/marginalization of Southern Cameroons. This reporter need not belaboured the historical facts. They are very visible for all to research on.

However, this reporter created an online poll on 8th July 2015 which ran for a month till 8th August 2016 on the SOUTHERN CAMEROONS INDEPENDENCE  at www.easypolls.net

The online poll question reads thus " In order to assess how Southern Cameroonians feels, this online pool is designed to test the resolve of the People of Southern Cameroons in light with the moves made by Southern Cameroon Lawyers and Chiefs. This pool should go a long way to give an idea of how Southern Cameroonians thinks and feels about the relationship with La Republique Du Cameroun. It is a non-binding poll. It is designed just to indicate the state of mind of Southern Cameroonians".

1. Do you want to remain in a union with La Republique Du Cameroun
2. Do you want a Two State Federation with La Republique du Cameroun
3. Do you want to be an independent Republic of Southern Cameroons

Respondents:
Number of Southern Cameroons who voted: 1200
1. 30    persons voted giving   2.5%
2. 200  persons voted giving  16.66%
3. 970  persons voted giving   80.84%

Therefore, 80.84 percent of Southern Cameroonians who voted wished for an independent Republic of Southern Cameroons. What can we make of these feelings after 54 years of assimilation from La Republique du Cameroun? How can we translate these feelings into a reality? Are we celebrating independence or assimilation?

God is still saying something.
God Bless Southern Cameroons.

Season 5: Do you know that La Republique voted against Southern Cameroons joining them?

                                      History, Facts and Lies: Season Five


The indivisibility of Cameroun is nonsense when Southern Cameroons aka Ambazonia was initially rejected by Cameroun in the vote at the UN. 

Comrade, Ntemfac wrote: Notes from Long Walk to Freedom Land by Ntemfac Ofege

Resolution 1608 (xv) as submitted by the Fourth Committee, A/4737, and as amended orally by Guinea and Liberia, adopted by the General Assembly on 21 April 1961, meeting 994, by roll-call vote of 64 to 23, with 10 abstentions

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On the other hand, here are the countries that were against such a union, citing the violation of the Trusteeship agreement, and noting that there would be future political (constitutional), socio-cultural and economic problems: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Chad, China, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Leopoldville), Dahomey, France, Gabon, Greece, Israel, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Niger, Paraguay, Senegal, Upper Volta, and Uruguay.

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Countries that voted for the INDEPENDENCE of Southern Cameroons.

Afghanistan, Austria, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Burma, Byelorussian SSR, Canada, Ceylon, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Federation of Malaya, Finland, Ghana, Guinea, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Sweden, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukrainian SSR, Union of South Africa, USSR, United Arab Republic, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Yemen, and Yugoslavia.

And there were countries without a position. They included Columbia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and Togo. Sources of the information are from the Resolution 1608 (xv) as submitted by the Fourth Committee, A/4737, and as amended orally by Guinea and Liberia, adopted by the General Assembly on 21 April 1961, meeting 994, by roll-call vote of 64 to 23, with 10 abstentions

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OF CRTV APPOINTMENTS AND BAMILEKE PETITION

The appointments of journalists into position of responsibilities has recently caught many English speaking journalists pondering the type of Unity Biya's regime is preaching. There has been an outcry from many non crtv journalists on the treatment of English speaking journalists. While the top positions remained with French speaking journalists, English speaking journalists were given sub positions and in some cases not at all.

Senior Journalist Tapang Ivo Tanku, a Fulbright scholar has been one of the lone voices calling for the cancellation of the appointments. He has put CAMASEJ to task, accusing the English Speaking Journalists Association for failing to condemn such appointments. Recently, Tapang created an online petition to force the presidency to rescind such appointments. In fact, there is a motion already calling for the impeachment of the CAMASEJ president Simon Lyonga for failing to defend the plight of English Speaking Journalists, an appointment in which he benefited as an animator.

The crux of this post is that, a Bamileke association known as LAAKAM has condemned the appointments and challenged the marginalization of Bamilikes at the state parastatal. While, I think it is fair for them to protect the interest of Bamilikes at CRTV, I disagree with their petition.

This is because if I want to talk from the normal eye of a Cameroonian keeping at side the Southern Cameroons agenda, Cameroon is a country that came as a result of English and French Cameroons. The French representation and English Representation should be equal because the English part was a country on its own that willfully joined the French. The appointment should have taken into considerations the bicultural state of the country. We cannot petition the non inclusion of certain tribes into appointments because Cameroon is made up of 250+ tribes. We can only petition if one tribe dominates and if one group of people are excluded, the group of people I mean French and English Cameroonian. That is the eye we are supposed to be looking.

Bamileke (Western Region) is part of French Cameroon and French Cameroon already has a bigger share of the appointments, the other Cameroon is lacking. If we start looking at tribes here, then it would not be feasible. Soon Manyu people, lebialem or Nso union would denounce. This is not suppose to be. Our concern should be that, English speaking journalists should have a fair share of the appointments, but not coming from a particular tribe or so. Of course we cannot have all tribes represented.

Appointments should be looked from the angle of English and French Cameroon while making sure one particular tribe is not dominated.

God is Still saying something.

Mark Bara.
7/sept/2015