By WIFAH J. NDE and Sah Terence Animbom
Wednesday October 11 marked exactly one year since the Common Law lawyers deserted the courts in the Northwest and Southwest regions of the country and declared a strike.
In commemoration of the first anniversary of the strike, lawyers of Fako and Meme under the banner of the Fako Lawyers Association, FAKLA and Meme Lawyers Association, MELA respectively suspended the strike in their respective jurisdictions.
As tension accrues among lawyers in Fako and Meme over the decision which some considered as not unanimous, Meme lawyers have resolved to meet today Monday October 16 to eventually resume work at the courts.
Manyu lawyers on the other hand have taken a diametrically opposed position by unanimously resolving to continue with the strike action. (see full resolution of October 14, 2017 extraordinary meeting below).
This action taken by FAKLA and MELA now breathes commotion among members of the North West Lawyers Association, NOWELA. Since the departure of their President, Barrister Bobga Harmony in the month of January this year, NOWELA has been begging for leadership.
The Vice President, Barrister Umenjo Hiran A. Abendong Noble, dropped the strike and went back to court but never made any official statement as the Secretary General remains mute.
To some lawyers, Barrister Umenjo lacks the legitimacy to call for any assembly since he had unilaterally waved off the strike and resumed work. Umenjo says the constitution does not provide for that and argues that their profession is a liberal one.
While some think Barrister Kemende Henry Gamsey who is the representative of the Bar Association to the Northwest region, is the right person to call for a meeting, he declined from such responsibility claiming that his role as the representative of the Bar council president cannot dictate or determine the fate of the strike. To him, the Big Four that is; presidents of FAKLA, MALA, MELA and NOWELA led the strike and are the legitimate people to call off or suspend the strike.
The SUN was however, told that Bar. Kemende had made several futile attempts to pull the lawyers of the Northwest region together for talks concerning the strike since their leader Bar. Bobga Harmony fled the country.
It is as a result of such confusion, coupled with internet interruption in the Northwest that gave room for lawyers to dialogue on their virtual forum that some lawyers, as The SUN was hinted, trooped into the city of Bamenda last Saturday to hold an underground meeting in order to decide the fate of the strike.
To him, the Vice President of NOWELA, Bar. Umenjo, a quorum of 7 executive members is needed to call for a meeting. “One of such meeting is imminent since lawyers in Fako and Meme are returning to court”. He argues that many lawyers are of the opinion that the strike be suspended adding that for a year now, the strike has particularly played down heavily on the training of young lawyers.
Though shrouded by uncertainty, most lawyers in the region are willing to return to court, a trusted source told The SUN. They however, can only suspend the strike for now and not a total call off. Reasons being that they want all Anglophone detainees freed, amnesty granted to those who have been on the run and an all inclusive genuine dialogue be given a chance to address root causes of the Anglophone problem.
RESOLUTIONS OF AN EXTRAORDINARY MEETING HELD BY THE MAMFE LAWYERS ASSOCIATION (MALA) ON THE 14TH DAY OF OCTOBER 2017.
1). that the members of the mamfe lawyers association meeting this 14th day of October 2017 unanimously resolve to continue with the strike action called by the four constituent associations of lawyers namely FAKLA, MALA, MELA AND NOWELA in October 2016 until such time that the said constituent associations shall, in a general assembly meeting, call off the strike action initiated by them.
2). That whenever the strike is to be called off, if at all, by the general assembly of the constituent associations, adequate and sufficient measures should be taken and guarantees by the government for the save return of our leaders and colleagues who fled into exile in the midst of the crisis.
3). That MALA seriously condemns the decision by the government to dispatch elites into the northwest and southwest regions to have consultative talks with the population at the time when hundreds are still hiding in the bushes, mass arrest still going on in the two regions, dozens dead with their families still in great pain. This decision is regarded as an act of provocation by the government and it is viewed by us as an attempt to thwart the call for dialogue by the United nations, African union, common wealth, European union, francophonie and other stakeholders in the Cameroon – Anglophone crisis.
Done at mamfe this 14th day of October 2017.
J.N NTUIABANE Esq.
Vice president