For a commission that was heralded to be a possible panacea to the Anglophone problem and used by many politicians and government officials as a bargaining chip to quell the flaring tempers of Cameroonians of the Anglophone extraction, the deafening silence from the body after its members were officially installed last April 27, 2017 has been raising eyebrows.
A part from the impromptu and informal meeting held on the day of their installation were members resolved and expressed the wish to mediate in the current crisis rocking the English regions of the country, the commission has failed to meet ever since.
Inside sources have revealed a quiet discomfort amongst committee members who have sent in proposals to the body’s secretariat but a meeting is yet to be convened by the president of the commission.
The maiden official meeting that was scheduled to hold on the June 2-3 has equally been postponed to an indefinite date.
Members of the commission were appointed on March 15, 2017, by the President of the Republic with the task of promoting bilingualism and multiculturalism in Cameroon in view of maintaining peace and strengthening the people’s willingness and day-to-day experience with respect to living together.
Hence, they are charged with submitting reports and recommendations on issues related to the protection of bilingualism and multiculturalism; monitoring the implementation of constitutional provisions establishing English and French as two languages of equal status; conducting studies and proposing measures likely to strengthen cameroon’s bilingual and multicultural character; receiving petitions against discriminations arising from non-compliance with constitutional provisions on the said topic, amongst others.

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Presiding over the event, Mr. Mafany highlighted the need to reactivate and educate the CPDM militants on the party’s ethics and updates about internal policies governing the CPDM party as a whole.
Present at the seminar was the representative of the governor of the SW Region, section president Fako III, Mr. David Namanga and a host of others. With a crowd of over 200 CPDM, YCPDM WCPDM militants, the party was cautioned to stand firm ahead of the upcoming presidential and other elections in 2018.
Despite the current socio-economic crisis plaguing the English speaking parts of the country, all militants were called upon by their leaders to promote true democracy, dialogue, solidarity and peaceful co-existence with one another.
Musonge who doubles as the president of the Multiculturalism and Bilingualism Committee pinpointed that the objective of the seminar is to train party militants and encourage them be active and loyal to the party and also to prepare for next year’s presidential elections.
Speaking to Senator Charles Mbella Moki at the end of the seminar, he appreciated the efforts made by the CPDM Central Committee in the successful organization of the seminar. “I think it is a very good idea organizing this seminar. In order to progress, we must match words with action. This is going to reshape the direction the party has been going and find avenues for militants to undertake a participatory approach in the way in which resources, programs and projects are managed. ” He reiterated.
The section president of MEME 1A, Mr. Tabot Lawson told The SUN that “For the first time ever, most of us have said things we were not supposed to say, we have tabled our worries and complaints and we are leaving this seminar today with free and satisfied minds. A lot has been learnt and we all are going home rich.
The present situation in the country is threatening the party’s authority and we have to sit up and clean the house. I am an Anglophone and I identify with the Anglophone problem. ”
Quizzed on the way forward as far as the Anglophone problem is concerned, Peter Mafany Musonge said that everyone should stay positive and expect positive outcome from the government. He highlighted some positive moves already made by government in the judicial and educational sector and noted that, the other worries will be gradually solved.  “Patience, Patience”, he said.
The CPDM seminar was divided into two phases, the regional seminar on the 26th of May and the Planning and evaluation meeting with permanent divisional delegations for the South West region on May 27 2017.
NW seminar holds amid tight security
Prime Minister Philemon Yang, CPDM North West regional coordinator, last Friday, Mary 26, 2017 grouped militants of the ruling CPDM party of the region for a regional serminar organized by the CPDM academy. The seminar that brought together all the section presidents of the region also witnessed some tight security coverage, considering what happened on December 8, 2016 where a CPDM rally turned deadly after some angry protesters tried to stop it.
The seminar which is aimed at arming the militants with the necessary political tools to go to the field was also wrapped in symbolism as to the date and venue. The fact that the seminar held on Friday, May 26; anniversary date of the main opposition party, SDF and in Bamenda; birthplace of both parties raised some eyebrows.
Delegates of the party from all the sections of the seven divisions and thirty four subdivisions of the region answered present to receive lectures from speakers like PM Philemon Yang, Senator Simon Achidi Achu, Minister Fuh Calistus Gentry, Pr Elvis Ngole Ngole, Professor Ghoghomo Paul, Minister Paul Atanga Nji amongst others.
During the seminar, Professor Ghoghomo Paul used the occasion to highlight some actions already taken and being undertaken by government to resolve the concerns raised by the Anglophones lawyers’ and teachers’ trade unions. These according to the presentations he made include; the publication of the OHADA in English, the order by the head of state president Paul Biya, for a census of judicial and legal officers of English expression with a view to increase the number of English speaking judicial and legal officers at this highest court. He said that a Common Law section has been included at the Supreme Court and that the head of state has asked the Minister of Justice to propose a draft bill to that effect. More again, that a Common Law section is to be created at the National School Of Administration And Magistracy and above all, provisions have been made for the setting up of a working group to specify, on the one hand, the contents of the curricula in Universities, legal courses for the judicial careers and, on the other hand, the content of curricula for the training of student magistrates. The imminent recruitment of a huge numbers of Anglophones teachers at the magistracy and registry Divisions of ENAM and the special recruitment of English-speaking pupil judicial and legal officers and court registrars over a period of four years based on quotas has also been ordered among others have been shortlisted for the Anglophones common law lawyers.
Meanwhile, the concerns raised by the teachers trade unions at the levels of basic, secondary and higher learning has also been taken care of according to Professor Paul Ghogomu Mingo. At the level of basic education he said that, the integration of contract teachers of the 2005-2006 badges is ongoing and that, a multi-year plan for PTA teachers is ongoing with the support of development partners. Meanwhile, the basic and secondary education sector has been granted a special subsidy of CFAF 2 billion to lay private and denominational schools for the current financial year. The policy of textbooks and technical materials he said will be reviewed at the upcoming National forum on education.
At the level of the higher education, Pr. Paul Ghogomu Mingo further revealed that measures have been taken to introduce new examination instruments in addition to multiple choice questions (MCQ), for entrance into professional schools, the harmonization of certain programmes in the Universities of Buea and Bamenda among other things were government policies toward solving the concerns raised by the Anglophones teachers trade unions and common law lawyers.

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