By Wambo Emmanuel in Bamenda
After the appointment of the members of recently created organ charged with the promotion of bilingualism and multiculturalism in Cameroon by the head of state president Paul Biya, Some opinion leaders across the board in the North West Region have picked holes with the sociological composition of the Musonge led commission chastising it to be in-balance and bias in nature given that it ignored to bring on board the three families that make up the North West region. They already think it is doomed to fail if Biya doesn’t adjust the composition.
Note should be taken of the fact that the North West Region is composed of the Tikaris 74%, the Chambas 15%, the Widikums 10% and the Fulanis taking the other percentage. According to sociological and anthropological studies the whole of Boyo, Bui, Donga Mantung, Menchum , part of Mezam and Ngoketunjia Divisions habour the Tikaris. Meanwhile part of Mezam and Ngoketunjia are occupied by the Chambas while the whole of Momo and part of Mezam are hosts to the Widikum who have been over-fed with posts in that Commission.
Those opinion holders said justice was not done to have appointed the three members from the North West into that commission with origin only from the Widikum tribe a minority group in the Region. According to suggestions the head of state Paul Biya might have been misled by some people close to power suspected to be from that same sociological component to have come up with such members in the commission. Following their argument they said their preoccupation should not be misconstrued for dogs fighting over a bone thrown at them, but that they want only justice and equity to be done
What inflamed their anger and made matters worse was that not only were three people appointed into the Commission from Widikum extraction, but that the Secretary General who was appointed some weeks ago hails from Santa the Subdivision that already has in the Commission Ntumfor Nico Halle and Mbafor Jean Marc president of the Cameroon National Youth Council. The number was not limited to these three descendants from the Widikum tribe, Ama Tutu Muna of Momo was appointed who is of the same family.
That move which has completely undermined the sociological composition of the North West Region in the bilingualism and multiculturalism commission has defeated the motive for which the Commission was created, they added.
The multiculturalism spirit conceived by the Head of State to promote peaceful cohabitation among Cameroonians which has been sidelined according to pundits has pushed the Tikaris, the Chambas and the Fulanis to question if they too have the right to belong. Some of the opinion leaders even posited that the move was another ploy by those close to power to encourage the culture of nepotism and divide and rule.
The national chairman of the United Democratic Party, UDP, Alhadji Lawan Bako, living in the North West Region has equally stood on roof tops to add his own voice on what he terms the bias appointment of the pioneer leaders of such a structure that will have to do with the live of a nation in terms of the promotion of bilingualism and multiculturalism. He blamed in strong terms those who induced the President of the Republic into the error that has brought about that imbroglio. He therefore urged President Paul Biya to balance the composition of that Commission at the earliest opportunity in order to wave off bad feelings of marginalization that could fan chaos and whip up support for the Southern Cameroons wind that is blowing strongly in the two Anglophone Regions.
Meanwhile in the case of the South West Region from sampled opinions the sociological component of that Region was fully represented in the Musonge led Commission. Looking through the appointment list the three members of that Region represented the main tribes that make up the S W Region. Notably Senator Peter Mafany Musonge is of the Bakweri tribe, Benjamin Itoe from Bafaw ethnic group and George Ngwane from the Bakossi thereby hopping at least some equilibrium